Justice for Jeff Brown
- Guest contributor
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
By Joshua Adams
Some of you might remember Jeff Brown as the funny, freewheeling prankster of the storied newsletter The Juneau What? Today Jeff Brown is living with advanced Parkinson's disease. As his health declines, he and his family now face eviction from the home they have occupied for nearly half a century — in the middle of winter — despite agreeing, in writing, to vacate at the end of February.
The City and Borough of Juneau, through Assistant City Attorney Clint Mitchell, moved forward with court action to remove Jeff Brown and his family immediately. The eviction is tied to the Telephone Hill Capital Improvement Project, a redevelopment effort that has consumed more than $1 million in public funds over the past three years. Fortunately for Jeff, the judge intervened with a sensible judgement on his behalf. To date, the only tangible result has been the displacement of long-term, rent-paying tenants, including a man with a progressive neurological disease.
Jeff's home was never dangerous, unlivable, or beyond repair. That narrative exists because it makes a $5.5 million demolition easier for the public to swallow. This is happening while Juneau residents are being told that there is not enough money for schools, libraries, road maintenance, parks, or trails. One thing isn't getting cut, however: the city manager's salary. With a recent pay hike, Katie Koester earns $60,000 more than the Governor of Alaska. Not far behind, the city attorney's salary stands at $208,665. Teachers in our community rely on food assistance; a City Hall renovation ballooned from a projected $14 million to more than $20.6 million. These are not abstract numbers. They reflect priorities, and they are paid for by the public. Just after hearing of Katie Koester's $10,000 "performance bonus," I couldn't help but ask: Since when does a woman who makes a quarter million dollars a year need to kick a man with Parkinson's disease out into the snow?
Despite years of effort, CBJ has not secured a developer willing to take on the Telephone Hill project. Even so, officials are pressing forward with evictions rather than reassessing a flawed approach. Jeff Brown and his family have lived in Alaska's oldest residence since longer than I can remember. Their new housing isn't available until the end of February, yet the city refused even a brief extension. What could have been resolved with compassion and common sense instead escalated into a bitter court mêlée.
This folly was entirely preventable. The eviction could have been settled without litigation, without public expense, and without the brutal inhumanity of forcing a man with Parkinson's disease into uncertainty in the middle of January. The tragic irony is that one of the true pillars of our community might be forced into homelessness over a housing project. The case itself speaks volumes about how power is being exercised in our local government. In action, the case looks more like a child custody case than an eviction. The defendants were willing to surrender if given time; the prosecution, on the other hand, is out for blood. This behind-the-scenes grudge match is just another example of how the administration is weaponizing public resources against vulnerable citizens.
The Jeff Brown eviction case is emblematic of how people in a position of privilege tend to hoard not only wealth, but also power. This is not only about Jeff Brown. It is about how public resources are used, how history is treated, and how vulnerable residents are regarded when they stand in the way of a failing project. Juneau residents should ask whether this reflects the values they want carried out in their name and with their tax dollars. The whole thing could have settled out of court if the prosecution had just shown an iota of compassion. But it's not their money, it's yours.
• Joshua Adams is a Juneau resident and member of the group Friends of Telephone Hill.
