Six people at Monday’s Juneau Assembly meeting pleaded for recognition and help with public safety problems downtown, including one of the latest victims of seemingly random street violence.
Wesley Johnson, 41, walked into the assembly chambers with a limp from a shattered knee cap. His face was visibly bruised, the white of his left eye bloody. He told the assembly he was beaten by a group of seven people on South Franklin Street last week during a middle-of-the-night smoke break. He had been working an overnight shift at the front desk of the Alaskan Hotel.
In an interview, he said it began when an intoxicated woman he’s booted from the hotel multiple times called him names from across the street. He said she, her son and his friends were trying to pick a fight some time after 2 a.m. Johnson said she punched him in the face without provocation.
“And she was right in front of me and so I pushed her away, and then the son instantly came at me,” Johnson said. “I went into defensive mode. I think I might have punched him in the face. And then his buddy and then, like, other guys, just, just beat me up pretty bad.”
Paul Jenne is the hotel’s resident manager. He talked about musician C Scott Frye’s near death after a downtown beating in 2015, and former bartender Annie Nelson’s scarring experience with a belligerent patron who smashed a pint glass across her face as the bar was closing in 2013.
Jenne said the police already knew the assailants were dangerous before the assaults.
“Am I angry? Yes. Something has to be done. Somebody’s gonna get killed,” Jenne said. “You guys have to do something. And the police department has to do something. And when the people who assaulted (Johnson) and the guy who tried to kill Scott are walking the streets — they’re not being held responsible. They’re not being held accountable. It has to stop.”
Juneau Police Department Chief Bryce Johnson, no relation to Wesley, was in the audience and addressed the concerns raised. He said one member of the group had already been arrested on a separate assault, most of the other assailants had been identified and the case is being built. Johnson said video will be released soon to help identify one of the remaining assailants.
He described Wesley Johnson as “a really, really smart victim” because he had awareness of where video cameras were and how to get to the police substation.
“By stepping up and being a good citizen, he’s doing a great service to the entire community. … He’s been a tremendous person to work with,” Chief Johnson said.
Often, the chief said, victims of street assaults are reluctant to come forward. He said another downtown beating victim from Sunday was uncooperative. He also said that, statistically, violent crimes have been trending down in the city.
Wesley Johnson and his sympathizers left the meeting before hearing the chief speak. Chief Johnson said his department will work with him until the case is resolved.
Jeremy Hsieh is the deputy managing editor of the KTOO newsroom in Juneau. He’s a podcast fiend who’s worked in journalism since high school as a reporter, editor and television producer. He ran Gavel Alaska for 360 North from 2011 to 2016, and is big on experimenting with novel tools and mediums (including the occasional animated gif) to tell stories and demystify the news. Jeremy’s an East Coast transplant who moved to Juneau in 2008.
