Above Photo: Eyeye/Flickr
One of the activists involved in the Poor People’s Campaign in Alaska where this occurred wrote to say they were continuing their efforts. They are hoping to make the Poor People’s Campaign actions in Anchorage the biggest the state has ever seen. The attack occurred on April 21st, Alaska Grassroots Alliance was holding a training on nonviolent civil disobedience in preparation for the Poor People’s Campaign action coming up on May 13th. About 2 hours into the four hour training, the door opened and a man walked in. He stood there for about 15 seconds and then immediately began spraying the participants with what turned out to be Bear Mace, a highly concentrated form of pepper spray intended to incapacitate a hungry charging bear for at least an hour. Four of the trainees got maced right in the face with the attacker about one foot away. Everyone seems to have recovered but the mace blinded the participants and caused several of them to struggle to breathe for several hours. The attacker is still unknown. The group has invited the person to their next training.
This type of event can have the reverse effect and grow the movement. People need to rally around the Alaska Grassroots Alliance. More people getting involved in the campaign means less fear.
You can help. Donate so organizers can hire peace monitors to protect their meeting spaces. The Center for Popular Democracy has agreed to raise the money on their behalf all proceeds from this Crowdrise will go to support Alaska Grassroots Alliance. Donate to http://www.moralmovementak.org/donate.html. You can also donate to Anchorage Community House, where the training was held, https://www.anchoragecommunityhouse.com/donations/#!form/Donations. KZ
Several members of a left-leaning political group meeting in Spenard say they were sickened and temporarily blinded Saturday afternoon, after police say a man filled the room with pepper spray.
Officials with the Alaska Grassroots Alliance said they had been gathered at the Anchorage Community House, a small venue attached to the Church of Love near 36th Avenue and Spenard Road, shortly after 2 p.m. About 15 members of the group were there training to participate in non-violent demonstrations, set to begin shortly after Mother’s Day, when the incident occurred.
APD spokesman MJ Thim said officers were called at 2:09 p.m. to the Church of Love, at 3502 Spenard Rd., for a report that about 10 people had been sprayed.
“Apparently the suspect walks in and sprays pepper spray and walks out,” Thim said. “We don’t have many witnesses because not many people in the room saw him — the church doesn’t have surveillance video, but we do know businesses in the surrounding area have surveillance cameras.”
Several members of the group discussed the encounter in a video posted Saturday afternoon by Jennifer Flynn Walker.
“The door swung open and someone started spraying – all I could see was orange spray coming right at my face,” alliance organizer Joni Bruner said in the video. “The fire department had to evacuate the building, and they’re decontaminating everything inside.
Another organizer, Soren Wuerth, said he didn’t see the spray until it hit him.
“I thought it was someone coming in maybe late and the next thing I noticed, coming back from behind me because I was facing away from the door, was this cloud of orange,” Wuerth said. “I was blinded instantly — I had to grope for an exit. I knew the more that I breathed I was going to be incapacitated; I found my way outside, tried to regroup, tried to get back inside to help people.”
Anchorage Fire Department Assistant Chief Alex Boyd said two AFD units had been called to the Church of Love at about 2:15 p.m., in response to a police request for assistance.
“They’re treating people who were pepper-sprayed,” Boyd said.
According to Thim, police are looking for the man responsible as well as any surveillance imagery available of him.
“He’s described as a white male in his 60s wearing a black shirt, black leather vest and blue jeans,” Thim said. “His hair is white and gray and he had a beard.”
Wuerth condemned the incident Saturday afternoon in the Facebook video, as he and others recovered outside the building.
“It’s an action of hate, and it’s just layered in irony and irony and the fact that this is the Church of Love in Spenard,” Wuerth said.
Thim asked that anyone with information or video from the incident call APD at 311, or contact Anchorage Crime Stoppers at 907-561-STOP or through its website.
