Thoughtless Demboski Orders "Anchorage Action" to Remove Tribute Flags
It was an act intended to honor the lives of Alaskans who died due to the coronavirus when members of the "Anchorage Action" group placed white flags — each representing an Alaskan who has died as a result of the pandemic, outside the Anchorage Public Library yesterday afternoon.
However, the administration of the man who isn't sure if the COVID pandemic was ever really a pandemic to begin with didn't appear to take kindly to the white flags as Municipal Manager Amy Demboski, fresh off her move to consolidate power, ordered city workers to remove them — without so much as explaining why.
According to members of the "Anchorage Action" group who were involved in yesterday's thoughtful and moving tribute, the flags were initially returned, but workers refused to do the same with roughly fifty signs that were placed in support of Anchorage's healthcare workers. Signs placed across the street were reportedly removed as well.
A member of "Anchorage Action" told The Blue Alaskan that they were eventually forced to retrieve the removed signs from the back of a city truck.
It's not clear why Demboski ordered the removal of the flags and the signs laid in support of Anchorage's healthcare workers, but some have questioned whether her affiliation with the Save Anchorage Facebook group, of which she is a member, played a role in her decision to erase all visual representation of the lives claimed by the global pandemic.
In a statement made to the "Anchorage Action" group this afternoon, one of the organizers of yesterday's tribute wrote that approximately 1/3 of the healthcare worker signs were still missing.
A city worker gave a group member a business card to arrange for someone from "Anchorage Action" to retrieve the signs. Still, thus far, according to the statement, they have not been able to reach that city employee.
"I think we all know the Bronson administration's commitment to freedom of speech only holds for people supporting his narrative. Freedom for me but not for thee. Fortunately, he arrived late enough that our flags were photographed by the press and seen by most of the people arriving," said "Anchorage Action" in their statement.
This post has been updated with additional information.
