Political activists in Palmer want to take charge of the Palmer Police Department. On May 11 they will give a presentation to the city council laying out their plan, which closely mirrors one of the many demands made nationally by Black Lives Matter protesters last summer.
The group behind the Palmer plan is called Mat-Su Moms for Social Justice. They claim to have 300 members. Last summer they took part in at least two protests – one for Black Lives Matter and another against Trump’s pro-life Supreme Court justice pick, Amy Coney Barrett.
In a letter sent to city council members the group stated that it wants to see the implementation of a “police advisory board” for the Palmer Police Department (PPD).
“In addition to supporting the PPD, the police advisory board would also relieve the Palmer City Council of the responsibility of overseeing the Police Department,” the letter states.
That line grabbed the attention of conservative Palmer Mayor Edna DeVries.
“When I got to the part about relieving the Palmer City Council of the responsibilities of overseeing the Police Department, first of all that would all be very illegal,” DeVries told the Watchman. “The whole structure of the City of Palmer government would have to be redone. We have a council/manager type government, and the manager is in charge of personnel.”
While DeVries is highly skeptical of the plan, she agreed to let Mat-Su Moms for Social Justice at least give a presentation.
“We are open to anyone coming to address us – this is what makes America great,” DeVries said.
The letter to city council members notes that the police advisory board aims to “ensure that police officers are held accountable to high ethical standards and that the police department’s methods and approaches are effective and responsive to the community’s needs.” It also states that the new oversight board would “assume the responsibility of understanding the policies and procedures of the PPD,” while making recommendations for changes and “fielding and reviewing complaints from the public about the Police Department.”
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After last year’s city elections, the council lost its conservative majority and the liberal block now enjoys a narrow 4-3 edge. In December, the newly empowered liberal block tried to impose a mask mandate on the largely conservative community. It was met with overwhelming opposition and many long nights of public testimony before finally being abandoned.
On May 11, the upcoming presentation will begin around 7 p.m. The city council will not take any action on the proposal, but DeVries said two or more council members could request that it be placed on a future agenda for action.
While there will be no public testimony on the proposal, members of the community can still comment on it during the audience participation period immediately following the presentation.
TAKING ACTION
36 Comments
W….T…F….Just what Palmer and the rest of Alaska needs is to turn our policing over to domestic terroists!
Except for the language, YES!!!
The ProgCommies are coming…
The Machiavellian tactics of local/state/federal gov’t has worked – the populace is irreparably divided.
There is no going back – the future portends revolution.
omg…what a bunch of horse manure. And they are actually going to let those nuts waste the council’s time listening to that garbage?
Yes this is ridiculous and I am so tired of all this nonsense don’t people have better things to do like garden?
Hey If they do not like the way things are done here in Palmer or Alaska pack your belongings and move.
Join the Craziness in the lower 48 it is not wanted here in ALASKA
Yes!!!
I’ve come from the lower 48 and it is NUTS!!!
Where do you think they came from?
they need to move to Seattle or Portland or Calif, WE are not a large state population wise and we don’t need this kind of crap happening her, if they light a fire to a building or attack others they should be dealt with quickly and harshly when their said rights walk over our said rights of safety and concern and progress then that nulls an voids the whole ideal of all the people’s rights
Yes!!!
An advisory board would not/should not preclude any control by the council. The council is made up of elected officials, elected to oversee the management of the city. An advisory board is made up of appointed volunteers, it likely would go against the city charter & bylaws for an appointed board to be the official governing body of the police department.
The Matsu borough has numerous advisory boards for areas such as road service, platting, planning, historical preservation, parks, etc. These boards are all staffed by volunteer appointees who meet regularly and help with borough transparency, and foster public involvement. They make recommendation to the assembly, whom, as elected officials, make the final decisions. The advisory boards have no legal authority to run the borough. Likewise a police department advisory board for Palmer would only be able to make recommendations to the city council.
Yes!!!
I think it’s a great idea. We should go ahead and place our public safety into these folks’ hands. They can prove to the world how wrong they are, and in so doing suffer massive bodily and personal property crimes that simply can’t be stopped because of course, they reap what they sow. Why not let them burn down their own castle?
What? Yeah – lets just let the wolves in to feast on our flock – just to prove they are wolves. How about – call Edna Devries at tel:907-355-9933
And demand she not give these leftist thugs audience. This has to stop – and it starts with people like you demanding action against.
I don’t have a problem listening to anyone’s comments, but this is about the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard of. Why would we need outside interference with a police department with an outstanding record of service. Why would we take away local control of police review of police department actions and give that review to activists? The BLM has shown their intents and tactics in many instances around the Lower 48, do we really want them expanding their racist ideas to Alaska?
Scott Campbell
To the best of my knowledge, Palmer doesn’t have a policing problem. They are professional, well trained and competent. They are led by a Chief of excellent character and integrity. Why do they need oversight?
Agreed bullwinkle, And being one of the first if not the first agency in Alaska to have every police officer issued with a body camera since 2016 for public transparency. Which is part of public record that anyone can request.
Valley Residents rise up and take care of your town,,, wipe this cancer out right now or it will grow,,,, Alaskans rise and flush this sewage.
Call Edna at tel:907-355-9933 and demand she doesn’t give these thugs audience.
Palmer has a very small Police Department. Less than 20 officers and maybe even less than 15. They have an excellent record and reputation. Except maybe among those who choose to break the law and have contact with PPD.
This group wishing to be heard needs to understand that this is not something Palmer needs. They are only going to cause Anchorage and Lower 48 type division and discord within a wonderful little town that does not have this issue. They should take this issue up in a City that does have this problem. Furthermore, every member of this group should be placed on a list with Police Dispatch and should any member of this group find it necessary to call 911 for police services, they should be charged for the callout (officer’s weighted pay times however many are required to respond plus a base service fee of $1000 just for potentially endagering the officer’s life)
Perhaps then they will stop questioning the integrity of our Palmer Police.
Good, law abiding, tax paying citizens of Palmer need to go to this meeting and shout down these liars. This is what these true fascists would do to you if you were to go to the council and ask for something good and productive like more funding for your police officers. It’s time for the good people to speak out and protect their communities from these “takers”….before there is nothing left worth fighting for.
The group should be called “Leftists for Socialism”. Why isn’t any public figure asking these peoples’ view on Socialism? It is time to out them FFS.
HOWEVER: no one denies that police abuse their powers. The problem is NOT “systemic racism”, it is “systemic power abuse”. No doubt these Leftists have their own agenda, and no doubt municipal police are friendlier and less inclined to abuse the people that they see in the grocery story, church or playground. I am much more worried about state troopers. They frequently transfer to other locales, many are recruited from Outside and they are not answerable to us. A citizen-oversight board, receiving complaints and making recommendations would be far less threatening than what these Leftists are intending.
Has anyone researched Mat-Su Moms for Social Justice?
I can only find a private Facebook page for this local group with a website to the group in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It does not appear that this local group is from just within the City of Palmer.
Mayor DeVries, would this group need to be all residents of the City of Palmer in order to ask for changes to the City of Palmer Government structure and ordinances?
Has anyone researched Mat-Su Moms for Social Justice?
I can only find a private Facebook page for this local group with a website to the group in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It does not appear that this local group is from just within the City of Palmer.
Mayor DeVries, would this group need to be all residents of the City of Palmer in order to ask for changes to the City of Palmer Government structure and ordinances?
Let it happen and 6 months from now activists dead bodies will float up on the beaches of Ketchikan. Alaska isn’t the lower 48 and for that very reason I know these dummies are going to fail in their attempts. Out there in the valley bodies disappear everyday and nobody ever finds them.
These women serve Satan. Go read the communist manifesto. They want you dead residents of Palmer. What are you prepared to do about it?
I hate to say it but after the last summer and now, if these people are not stopped they will only get worse. I watch live streamers every week. It’s horrible with the things they are getting away with. I don’t know how the lower 48 is going to stop the madness and I pray we don’t have the same happening up here.
Read about what happened in austin last summer when a ANTIFA protestor pulled an AK 47 on an army Sgt downtown. Yup that’s what happens here. ALASKANS need to get off their asses
Keep your agenda out of Alaska, BLM and ANTIFA are not welcome here. Read the constitution, read it and if you dont understand it try stapling it to your forehead. Communist aholes take note.
Need to focus on removing communist indoctrination from our schools as well!
https://www.prageru.com/video/what-is-critical-race-theory/
https://l.prageru.com/3e6oHZ1
Palmer residents need to start voting in local elections so we can rid ourselves of the liberal losers on the city council. If we don’t, soon Palmer will be like Portland and Seattle and who wants that. Edna should not have allowed them to speak
Can anybody identify the root of the problem? Who is the enemy? America is in the midst of a civil war and there are two sides. It’s important to know the players.
Matsu Moms Who Murder. The ones who love abortion and killing babies. I wonder if their kids, the ones they didn’t murder, know how lucky they are…