Assembly sponsor Daniel McCormick introduced an ordinance, AO 2025‑74, at an Anchorage Assembly work session that would make unauthorized camping on public property — parks, trails, medians and other public spaces — a class B misdemeanor.

McCormick said the measure is written to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grants Pass v. Johnson decision and is intended to allow first responders and outreach teams to intervene on conduct rather than criminalize status. “This ordinance is in response to the growing number of unmanaged encampments across Anchorage that are unsafe, unsanitary, and unsustainable,” McCormick said, adding the goal is to “create clear boundaries in our public spaces and connect people to treatment and services through structured engagement.”

Anchorage Police Chief Case said the language is broad and the department needs to understand how enforcement would be prioritized; he warned that the police and justice system lack the capacity to broadly enforce a criminal prohibition against camping across the city and that clear expectations about enforcement priorities would be necessary. “We have to understand that we have a number of homeless people in this community… how the ability of the police department to enforce this across the city … is probably a question,” he said.

Municipal Attorney Eva Gardner told members that AO 2025‑74 differs from the stepped enforcement approach in the Grants Pass litigation, which used fines and bans before criminal penalties, and that the ordinance could face litigation challenges as drafted. Gardner said the municipal attorney’s office has been working with the mayor’s office on alternative approaches that could provide additional tools for addressing hazardous encampments.

The work session included robust public testimony after committee members discussed a large abatement at Davis Park the previous day. Public speakers expressed widely divergent views: some praised the abatement and urged stronger enforcement and accountability, citing overdose risk and property damage; others described the Davis Park action as violent and harmful to people experiencing homelessness and urged alternatives such as designated safe sites and investment in services.

Assembly members asked sponsors whether the ordinance would allow officer discretion and escalation, and McCormick and others said officers would retain discretion to direct people to shelters and that enforcement could include warnings and other non‑arrest actions; members pressed for clarity on diversion and enforcement protocols. Municipal staff said an alternative municipal legal proposal was in development and that the assembly should expect additional drafts and public comment; McCormick said he planned to bring AO 2025‑74 forward for public hearing on June 24.

No ordinance vote occurred during the work session; staff said more work and legal review are likely before the assembly considers any final ordinance. Members also raised questions about costs and capacity for prosecution, jail space, and consistent enforcement across neighborhoods.