Roll Call Alaska 2018
Okay...I know 2017 hasn't even taken off, but those of you that remember me from Roll Call 2013 know that I plan well ahead of time, lol. 4 years is way too long to go without being in Alaska so we a...
Forum Discussion
Toto on the Road wrote:
We hear the crime problem is very serious in Anchorage. Anybody have a comment? We plan on doing all the reasonable stuff, locking everything and not leaving anything in the car wherever we go. Should we get more serious than that?
I've lived in Anchorage most of my life, from when it was a small burg next to Spenard, through the turbulent Municipality (vs. GAAB) formation years, the spendy 90's and now the declining 20'teens. Spent 8+ years in Houston TX in that period as well.
Anecdotally, since I don't have facts/figures to cite, I believe Anchorage has seen an increase in "petty crime" in the past 5 years; there has been a verifiable uptick of vehicular thefts in certain parts of town and there is a verifiably greater presence of the homeless....leading to more panhandling and, again anecdotally, more encounters between panhandlers and potential donors.
In the '90's, there were parts of town (MV and Muldoon) that I didn't prefer to go to after dark. Now, while I still don't prefer Muldoon, I refuse to go to MV, primarily because I don't want to expose my vehicles to the increased risk of theft but also because I don't want to have to fight my way out of either an aggressive panhandling attempt or attempted robbery.
If one stays away from the obvious problem areas, leaves valuables out of sight, and doesn't drive a late 90's - early 2000's domestic pickup (the target of choice), you'll be fine.
If I was forced to make the choice, walk from MV to Muldoon at 11:00 pm or venture through Houston's seamier parts, I'd take the MV walk anytime. Driving through Houston's seamier parts was the only time I felt like "carrying".
