Answer to crime in Nikiski isn’t one people want to talk about

Is there anything good that can come out of Nikiski’s crime wave? Well, yes.

The community met together on Monday evening to discuss the problems with drugs and the thefts spawned by junkies. In a packed house, many had plenty to say while others waited for answers — answers that were sparse and rather oblique.

Alaska’s finest were present to give their obligatory reassurance to the group, sans any really meaty answers to the problems. They are working, but they also face our judicial system that is bent on penalizing the victim rather than the criminal.

Certainly, the good people of this rural hamlet know what the problem is and intuitively what the historic solution is, but alas, we are told to rely on law enforcement and the courts. In short, we are people who struggle for an answer to a question that is deferred to promises made to us by the State’s machinery of crime control and the courts.

Well, the efforts so far are these: We have a computer set up in the fire station, but without Trooper staffing. We have a well-meaning and highly dedicated Trooper who wants to help if we can provide actionable intelligence. We have an a promise that someone, somewhere in the Alaska bureaucracy may want to make some changes; and, all-the-while we have a community that grows increasingly frustrated with each meeting called to restate the obvious: That the drug business in Nikiski is driving the theft business.

Will help come? Doubtful. Will there be answers? No, but we have plenty of questions. Are there solutions? Uh-oh — don’t ask the question if you can’t stand the answer. For millennia, civilized social groups have taken care of their own security. Let no one ever mention the “M” word. Don’t ever think to authorize strong and determined fathers and grandfathers from cleansing the trash from the place our families occupy. Don’t even think of community “defense.” Don’t even think militia.

Let it ride … let someone else do it … on and on and on we wait for someone else to provide for our protection and security.

What good can come from Nikiski’s problems? Glad you asked. We have ISIS attacking Kurdish border towns along the Turkish border. We have thousands of aliens crossing the border. We have Obama in the White House. We have Ebola. We have Russia flexing its muscles. We have a host of world problems that we could be worrying about.

Aren’t you glad you can focus on something local for a change?

More in Opinion

Larry Persily. (Juneau Empire file photo)
Point of View: Some state lawmakers need to embrace reality, not PFD political theater

State revenues minus public services do not leave enough in the checkbook to pay an oversized dividend

Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, speaks about teacher bonuses during consideration a bill increasing state funds for public education in the Alaska House of Representatives on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Rep. Ben Carpenter: Holding up a mirror to state government

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks in opposition to an executive order that would abolish the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives during a joint legislative session on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Sen. Jesse Bjorkman: Ensuring food security for Alaska

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks in support of a bill increasing state funds for public education in the Alaska House of Representatives on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Rep. Justin Ruffridge: Executive orders and spring forecast

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

Sarah Vance (Photo provided)
Opinion: Strengthening Alaska Grand Juries

Upholding constitutional intent for transparency and accountability

Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, speaks Thursday, April 27, 2023, at a news conference in Juneau. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Rep. Ben Carpenter: Why reform for the grand jury matters

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, listens to testimony during a Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Sen. Jesse Bjorkman: Leveling the health care playing field

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks Monday, May 8, 2023, on the floor of the Alaska House. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Rep. Justin Ruffridge: Another big week for education

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

Rep. Ben Carpenter, R-Nikiski, speaks about teacher bonuses during consideration a bill increasing state funds for public education in the Alaska House of Representatives on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Rep. Ben Carpenter: Supporting better outcomes in education

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, listens to testimony during a Senate Community and Regional Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Sen. Jesse Bjorkman: Managing Cook Inlet basin for the benefit of all

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

Rep. Justin Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, speaks Monday, May 8, 2023, on the floor of the Alaska House. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Rep. Justin Ruffridge: Time is growing short

Capitol Corner: Legislators report back from Juneau

The Alaska State Capitol. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Millions needed for Alaska’s child care sector

Without public investment, Alaska will continue to witness an inadequate and diminishing supply of child care services