Anchorage Assembly members are calling for the resignation of a city commissioner after he made a comment about Native communities, mental health and homelessness during a meeting earlier this week.
Jim Crawford speaks at a Housing, Homelessness and Neighborhood Development Commission on March 1, 2023.
At the start of a Thursday meeting of the Assembly’s Committee on Housing and Homelessness, its chair, member Felix Rivera, said he thought it was a “very appalling and racist statement.” Reached by phone and asked what he meant by “in the event that homelessness is caused by mental deficiency in our Native communities,” Crawfordof him making the comment, when offered, saying he’d already clarified what he meant.“It was not my intent to cast aspersions in any way upon the Native community. I work with the Native community all the time,” Crawford said.
In an emailed response to questions from the Daily News, the mayor’s office said, “Mayor Bronson disagrees with Mr. Crawford’s statement. Mental illness crosses all boundaries of race, ethnicities and economic status.”“Racism has no place in government, especially racism towards Indigenous communities,” he said in an emailed statement.
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