Six Questions to Alaska Congressional Candidates #2--Solutions for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

I submitted six questions to all of the Progressive candidates for the Alaska At-Large Congressional seat (running against Don Young) as well as the U.S. Senate seat (running against Ted Stevens). The ones who responded were Ethan Berkowitz, Diane Benson and Mark Begich. Here is the answer to question number two from AK-AL candidates Diane Benson and Ethan Berkowitz.

2) Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault: Do you have a plan to address and provide solutions to protect the mostly women and children affected by this chronic problem? Can you address solutions especially geared towards the Alaska Native Community considering the frighteningly high number of Native victims in proportion to their population?

DIANE BENSON

Having worked in the field of violence and recovery, I find several conditions evident for both the Native and non-Native communities:

1) There are not enough shelters in the state of Alaska for the protection of family members suffering in fear of and at the hands of violence.

2) Alcohol and drug abuse constitutes the major cause of violent crime committed in Alaska, yet we are sorely lacking in funds for alcohol and drug addiction treatment let alone for family support programs.

3) Education for women of every age about self-defense, protection, and resources is lacking.

4) First responders and police need more training and support to meet quicker and adequate response time and reporting requirements.

5) Community leaders and health care providers need to be adequately educated and trained in sexual assault prevention, mandatory reporting and reporters, safe homes, rape kit requirements, and victim testimony etc.

The Amnesty International report that alarmed many as to the level of sexual violence in Alaska was unfortunately only a fraction of the actual chronic levels of violence. Some who work in the field speculate that the rates of violence are as high as 90% in unreported cases. As Alaska’s Congressional Representative I would actively pursue ending this crisis in Alaska and therefore would:

1) Work with the Department of Justice and advocate for more funds directed to sexual assault and family violence prevention
.
2) Work with the state to increase rural police and VPSO programs, and appropriate training for these and other first responders.

3) Act on local recommendations for alternative/tribal court development, funding crisis centers, and act on school and other child safety plans.

4) Advocate for an increase in funds for justice for victims of crime.

5) Make reporting safer.

6) Work with the state to increase drug and alcohol recovery programs, and awareness – and support such federal bills as the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act.

7) Support a mandate to end sexual violence in Alaska.

8) Listen.

ETHAN BERKOWITZ

Too many lives, too many families have been shattered by domestic violence and sexual assault. I worked on too many cases with too many victims, and know that this violence casts a dark, dark shadow over Alaska. The statistics impersonally convey the extent of the problem.

I know the humanity from experience.

I remember the dignity of a young woman, raped repeatedly, under circumstances too horrific to recount here. I remember the strength of an abuse victim, so badly beaten, her face swollen, her arm broken, supported by two officers as she made her way to the witness stand to testify against her attacker.

Those experiences as a prosecutor, my work with the Criminal Justice Assessment Commission, and my time in the state legislature make it clear that any effort to reduce crime depends on implementing a comprehensive strategy linking prevention, policing, prosecuting, and prison. It depends on making sure that victims can have a voice, and that they receive the counseling and treatment needed. It means making sure that government provides adequate resources so we can break these cycles of violence.

Rural Alaska suffers disproportionately because it lacks so much. There is simply not enough law enforcement in the Bush – more than eighty villages don’t have even a VPSO. There is a lack of drug and alcohol treatment, and a lack of probation and parole officers to help offenders reintegrate into communities. Too many places in Alaska lack a complete justice system. And too many rural Alaskans fall easy prey to predators when they come to our larger cities because the support they should have, the deterrence that should exist, and the prevention measures that should be in place are simply lacking.

Chuck Kopp---curiouser and curiouser...OK, I mean slimier and slimier...

Picture courtesy of Dept. of Public Safety

This was pretty chicken-shit:

This coming up shortly: "Department of Public Safety Commissioner Charles Kopp will have a press availability for news media at 3 p.m. today to make a statement concerning the claims levied against him while he was with the Kenai Police Department. Kenai Mayor Pat Porter will attend in support of her former police chief."

Alaska Politics posted it at 2:53...I'm guessing they heard about it late as well.

Here's KTUU's story on the women who is accusing him.



I was at the "press availability" event last week where this was originally discussed. Also, here is the letter the Kenai Police Department sent the woman.

I can tell you from my own EEO experience, if there is good evidence that it truly happened and the victim is willing, they'll move the victim as part of a off-the-record settlement. If there's damning evidence and they don't want the victim to take it any farther, they'll move the perpetrator. They won't move anyone if there's no proof.

Chuck Kopp lied...this was a settlement.

***UPDATE--the "press availability" event***

Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Kopp disclosed he was reprimanded, with a letter, by the Kenai city council after an investigation found to have improperly hugged the employee multiple times. He said the hugs were non-sexual, in a "friend-to-friend capacity," and he has no idea why the woman eventually filed a sexual harassment complaint with the city.

He disputes that he ever kissed her, as the woman claims. He also disputed that there was a witness to a kiss, as she contended in an interview with KTUU-Channel 2 yesterday.

K...the letter said they did an investigation...don't you think that they talked to the people involved during an investigation?

KOPP...THEY MOVED YOU OUT OF YOUR SUPERVISORY POSITION, YOU THROWBACK! DON'T YOU THINK THAT BOLSTERS HER CLAIMS?

He said the city took the complaint seriously and he realized that the workplace hugs were inappropriate. He said he received a letter of reprimand after the investigation. He said he appealed the finding, and reached an agreement with the city that the letter would be removed after two years if there were no further incidents. He said there were none and the letter was removed.

The only reason we know that Kopp lied the first time is because the victim produced this above-linked letter:

"You may want to know what action has been taken against Chief Kopp as a result of this investigation. That is certainly understandable; but Title 23 of the Kenai Municipal Code requires personnel matters, regardless of their nature, to be kept confidential."

Basically, he can claim whatever he wants about the aftermath and any other potential problems and we'll never know...the Kenai Municipal Code prevents anyone but the victim from speaking out.

Chuck "I am not a sex harasser" Kopp, as Commissioner of Public Safety, is responsible for all aspects of Alaska law enforcement. Kopp is responsible for the difficult and sensitive task of finding solutions to Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, which exist in Alaska in crisis proportions. Kopp's past renders him ineffective in this most-important task.

Chuck "I am not a sex harasser" Kopp needs to go.

What I fear...a focus on rural substance abuse to the detriment of focusing on DV/sexual assault

Lauren Rice, Legislative Liaison/Special Assistant to the Commissioner has been asked to leave her position at the Department of Public Safety.

Per Andrew Halcro's Blog:

I have been asked to leave my post as the Legislative Liaison for DPS and I will do so sadly. I thoroughly enjoyed my time both with DPS and Commission Walt Monegan who exemplifies everything DPS represents.

Working with you has been an adventure and I have enjoyed it. I will miss it.

Next in her email comes a section that I have been afraid of since I first heard Walt Monegan was fired:

As you know, Alaska has long held the distinction of being number one in the nation for sexual violence (both sexual assault and sexual abuse of minors) and domestic violence. Many of you have been advocates for victims with both your voices and your actions. I have been inspired many times by that advocacy. The prevalence of this violence is seen in our communities, emergency shelters, hospitals, schools and streets. We see it in our neighbors’ eyes and in the lines for substance abuse treatment. It is a scar on our state.

The State of Alaska, and more specifically DPS, needs tools to fight this epidemic. They have proposals and ideas on how to better protect Alaska’s residents, but DPS will need your support in order to carry out any of those plans. I have attached a brief report from the University of Alaska on the correlation between violence and substance abuse among victims. I also encourage you to review the study below titled “Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assault Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 2003-2004”.

http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/research/2000/0601intimatepartnerviolence/0601.02.sexualassault.pdf

I spoke to Walt Monegan the day after he was fired. When I say "I spoke to Walt Monegan" I mean that I did most of the speaking. He wouldn't go on the record with much at that point and I admit, I know almost nothing about being a good interviewer.

However, the way I got him to call me was through my email to him, which talked about how I was afraid of what may happen to the focus on alleviating DV and sexual assault in Rural Alaska. I mentioned the Governor's emphasis on her "new direction" and focus on substance abuse. I also mentioned that concerned me because of the above-mentioned report, which shows a lack of correlation between being under-the-influence and acts of DV/sexual assault in Rural Alaska...on the part of the victim or the perpetrator. One of the few things he said was a strong acknowledgement of the findings in that report. At the time, I had wondered if that was "code."

I think this is starting to go beyond "code."

It seems to me that there are a bunch of folks who thought that DPS was finally on the right track. Now, they are not so sure...they are afraid that the gains they were making will be lost.

I'm wondering how far this puzzling DPS "housecleaning" is going to go?

If we could just hide those darn homeless...

Assemblyman Dan Sullivan is running for mayor. We already knew that because he has been acting and speaking like a candidate for the last several years.

So it wasn’t a surprise to hear Mr. Sullivan’s recent remarks regarding Anchorage crime or his suggested use of a “Guiliani-style approach” by cracking down on panhandling and other “visible offenses.”

Exactly what problem is he trying to address?

The rise in the Violent Crime index has been a result of increasing Homicide, Rape and Aggravated Assault. All of these have roots in Alaska's ever-exploding Domestic Violence problem

- According to the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA), Alaska has ranked among the top five states in the nation for rape and sexual assault over the last 27 years.

- In 2006, there were 6000 cases of Domestic Violence reported in the State.

- The Alaska Bureau of Investigations reports that of 30 murder victims between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006 (FY06), 10 were domestic-violence-related and 1 involved a sexual assault. In 2005, Alaska was the 2nd most dangerous state in the country for women - 1/3 of homicides were Domestic Violence related and 80% of those were men killing women. In 2004, we were number one.

- In 2006, the number of rapes per capita in Alaska was 2.5 times that of the U.S. average. According to national statistics, when the identity of the perpetrator is known, 80 - 90% of them are previously acquainted with the victim.

Please tell me exactly how focusing on panhandling and “visual offenses” is going to fix that? Sullivan wants to do the equivalent of removing an unsightly mole while allowing Anchorage to bleed to death from an arterial wound.

I have to give Dan credit; he’s following a plan that has a successful track record. Giuliani has managed to turn police improvements started by his mayoral predecessor David Dinkins, the National downward trend in crime and the efforts of a Police Official he later fired so as not to share the limelight into a potentially successful bid for the Presidency.

And after all, who wants to take a candid look at actual solutions to Alaska’s systemic violence problem?

There is no way to slap a band aid on it. Treating the disease will involve lots of money funneled into education, social services and different prevention programs that won’t provide quantitative results for years. It will require a serious look into why so many men with a history of violence against women and children can still purchase a gun with ease. It would require truly dealing with racial issues in Alaska as five of the eight murdered Alaskan women in 2004 were American Indian/Alaska Native, just a bit out of proportion when Natives make up about 13% of the population.

On the other hand, in 2005 Alaska was ranked 38th out of 50 states when it comes to Robbery and was ranked 28th regarding Property Crimes, which includes Burglary, Larceny/Petty Theft and Vehicle Theft. These are considered to be the "street crimes" Mr. Sullivan’s “solution” would potentially be addressing.

So in Alaska, it's not the unknown panhandler or homeless person that we need to be worried about. There is no actual evidence that they are in any way responsible for violent crime, while we have lots of evidence that they are often the victims of violent crime.

However, hustling them out of sight is the easiest way to get a slap-on-the-back (or a campaign donation) from the “hang ‘em high” crowd.

Yes, it is obvious that Dan Sullivan wants to be mayor. The question is: will he address any of Anchorage’s real problems if he wins?