Protesters call for change after deadly police shooting in Juneau

On Sunday afternoon, a few dozen people gathered in front of the state Capitol building in downtown Juneau. Some held signs with messages such as “Justice for Steven” and “Until we meet again.”

Genevieve McFadden’s sign read, “Rest in Peace Steven Kissack.” She said she was there because she had seen videos of the shooting of Steven Kissack, and she didn’t want something like that to happen again in Juneau.

“It’s horrible to see people getting shot in the street, and it makes me feel unsafe,” McFadden said. “And I worry about my child, you know? I don’t want that to happen to her or anyone else.”

The protesters gathered to express their anger over the death of Steven Kissack last week. Kissack had been living on the streets of downtown for years with his dog Juno when police shot him dead during a confrontation on July 15.

Bonilyn Parker, owner of Griz Bar, came to the protest with a letter she wrote with help from other downtown business owners. She said she plans to read the letter at the Assembly’s next meeting, on July 29.

She said she hopes the letter will help the city realize the impact the Kissack shooting has had on everyone in Juneau.

“I think this is a very ripe moment for change,” she said.

Nearby, Salomé Starbuck read aloud from the letter, which was circulated for people to sign.

“As a result of this tragedy, members of our downtown community and visitors to our community are experiencing anger, fear, and a loss of trust,” she read. “We must work to rebuild that trust and make Juneau a place where people can live safely and without fear.”

Starbuck signed the letter.

“Everyone I’ve spoken to since this happened is devastated and angry about what’s happened,” she said.

There were actually two protests on Sunday: The Capitol rally was announced on a small piece of paper at a downtown memorial for Kissack. But when the protesters showed up, no one claimed he had planned it.

After half an hour, the group went to the library, where four young women had planned a second protest.

Savannah Brohard said she and her friends first made signs and took to the streets two days after the shooting, but later decided to plan a larger protest.

“Our votes matter because we control the future,” Brohard said.

Her friend Eulaysia Bostrack said she wanted to take action to make it clear that young people are already fed up with this kind of violence.

“And it has to stop, because we see this every day on the news, and it’s getting tiring, it’s painful,” Bostrack said. “This is not normal. This should not be normalized.”

And for Ariilana Shodda-Lee, Kissack’s death hit personally.

“I personally keep pushing because I’ve been homeless, and who’s to say I won’t be the next one shot if I become homeless,” Shodda-Lee said. “We need to protect our people, not just kill them.”

So far, the name of only one of the officers involved in the shooting — an Alaska Wildlife Trooper — has been released. The Juneau Police Department says the names of the JPD officers involved will be released this week.

The Alaska Bureau of Investigations is investigating the shooting to determine whether deadly force was necessary. The Alaska Office of Special Prosecutions will then independently review the findings.