Assembly under siege - meeting canceled after COVID exposure

While right-wing blogs continue to perpetuate the myth that all is well in Anchorage's three major hospitals, the number of available adult ICU beds has dropped to zero, according to data on the state's COVID-19 dashboard.

Anchorage's reported lack of available adult ICU beds comes at a time when the Bronson administration is scaling back COVID-19 testing due to what Alaska Public Media reported was a "budget shortfall" and while Alaska is experiencing one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the country.

"News of the reduced hours, which begin Friday, quickly caused anxiety and frustration among some residents and city Assembly members — with some critics speculating that the cuts to testing stemmed from a deliberate effort by Bronson’s administration to suppress Anchorage’s case counts."

"Amid one of the nation’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks, Anchorage officials say they’re rationing testing"
Alaska Public Media, October 8, 2021

The "critic" noted in the Alaska Public Media article is "The Blue Alaskan," who recently shared a September 29, 2020, video clip of public testimony given in front of the Anchorage Assembly by David Bronson when he was a candidate for mayor.

"I know how to end this epidemic or this pandemic, stop testing, we won't have any more cases," Bronson said that evening in a choreographed dance put together for his Save Anchorage followers — many of whom believe COVID-19 to be a hoax, that hospitalization data is being intentionally altered and that the COVID-19 vaccine is a dangerous bioweapon designed to reduce the world's population.

Mayor Bronson's views on COVID testing and arguably the pandemic mimic those of former President Donald Trump, who, in June 2020, downplayed concerns of a rising number of coronavirus cases in states across the country, indicating that the increase was due to more testing.

"If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any," Trump said at the June White House event.

Now, Anchorage Mayor Bronson seeks to bring an end to the pandemic — not through increasing the Municipality's vaccination rate, but by slowly bringing an end to COVID testing altogether as a gift to the group of Alaskan Republican operatives and business people who likely masqueraded Save Anchorage as a grassroots effort comprised of concerned citizens.

Mayor Bronson's Save Anchorage supporters, gaslit by members of the Bronson administration, Assembly member Jamie Allard and longtime Alaska GOP political operatives, have been encouraged to descend on the Assembly chambers to impede public testimony.

The Alaska Landmine documented that throughout last evening's Assembly meeting, numerous attempts were made to interfere with media coverage of the event.

"Members of the audience yelled at, followed, or accosted Landmine staff. One individual (who had been photographed at a previous meeting taunting Assembly Member Forrest Dunbar with a yellow Star of David) unplugged Landmine cameras," the Landmine wrote.

Assembly Chair Suzanne LaFrance said she learned during last night's meeting that the Bronson administration had removed the security contractor from the Assembly chambers. However, members of the Anchorage Police Department remained. The Bronson administration's removal of security officers was widely discussed on social media and drew the expressed concern of many Anchorage residents watching the televised meeting.

An eyewitness who had their claim followed up on and reported in the media — said that Anchorage Municipal Manager Amy Demboski walked back to the room where the public recording of Anchorage meetings is managed and ordered the public Livestream, which is run by the Anchorage Fire Department, to be cut. According to the eyewitness, the individual responsible for the Livestream is said to have "adamantly" objected and refused Demboksi's order.

In public testimony and comments made within the Facebook group itself, Mayor Bronson's Save Anchorage supporters have suggested our city could face a "civil war" should the Assembly pass an ordinance that mandates mask-wearing.

Facebook has acknowledged it has removed content from the group that violated its Community Standards but has permitted the right-wing group to remain on its platform.

Facebook is facing a civil lawsuit over allegations it refused to take action against a group associated with the 2020 violence in Kenosha. Before the violence spilled out, the Facebook group had received more than 400 complaints.

Former Acting Anchorage Mayor and current Assembly member Austin Quinn-Davidson called last evening's assembly meeting "unruly and disrespectful."

"I just cannot express how horrified I am as a resident of the city to watch this, night after night, and to see the administration pull stunts like remove, umm, the spit guard and umm, pretend that staff are not available. I cannot believe I'm witnessing this," Quinn-Davidson said.

Public testimony on the proposed masked ordinance, slated to resume later this afternoon, was canceled after a senior member of the Bronson administration and one other individual tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release issued today by Clare Ross, the Anchorage Assembly Legislative Liaison.

This post was updated with an additional graphic.