Bethel is having a Special Election today to decide if we want to reverse our "wet" alcohol status, which voters last October passed by an underwhelming margin of 52% to 48%. For at least 30 years prior, Bethel's alcohol status has been "damp". Wet and damp. Hilarious. Coming from the state of Oregon where it pretty much is always either damp or wet, I can't help but think that neither is an ideal state of being. Unfortunately, I'm not able to vote as I'm not yet an Alaska resident. I have heard most of the arguments on both sides, but I'm still torn as to how I would vote...even if I could.
As newcomers to Bethel, we're not as up to speed on the historical issues surrounding the alcohol issue in the Y-K Delta as we would prefer to be. Much of the history of the issue extends back 30 or more years when Bethel was under no restrictions on alcohol, so for us the community's status of "damp" or "wet" was only noticeable since it changed between our site visit and our arrival in January.
I had the good fortune to have a few people bring me some alcohol that was purchased in Anchorage on my behalf. In fact, last weekend I had my first Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale (My favorite brewery...BTW) in 100 days and it tasted so good I nearly wept. Ask J...she'll tell you! I can only imagine how amazing it would be to be able to drive down to the AC and pick up a six-pack...even at the inflated prices they would inevitably charge!
On the flip side of this issue, the same weekend I enjoyed my beer, I had an encounter at the previously mentioned AC that I will never forget. As I was running in to use the ATM, I heard one drunk say to another, "That's just who I am. Just who I am. F***ed in the pants."
Yep. The pants. I don't even know what that means. But I feel fairly confident that I've never been that drunk. Yes, this individual was native and, no, I don't believe that our alcohol problem in Bethel is exclusive to the native population.
Our alcohol problem is all of our concern. We've heard from law enforcement who say they haven't seen any significant increase in crime since our change in status...yet. Medical personnel have said there has been an slight increase in the number of alcohol-related injuries and there seems to have been an uptick in the number of deaths likely attributed to alcohol, including at least one shooting. I am certain that there likely hasn't been enough time to evaluate the true impact on our community since the change in status.
So, our dilemma in Bethel will again be addressed by voters and some people will be happy, some people will be upset. It's likely that until people are accountable for their actions we probably won't see any significant change in any of our alcohol issues regardless of the outcome of the election. Unfortunately for us, we may all be "F***ed in the pants"!
1 comment:
Another reason that we havent seen any real impact of going wet is because there havent been any liquor licenses approved and implemented...yet! For our population size, we will be allowed 2 liquor stores, 2 bars, and 2 other serving establishments. Many restaurants and stores have applied for a liquor license, but none have been approved yet (to my knowledge). I imagine that once everyone else, just like you, can head to the AC to pick up a six pack, we will begin to see those impacts of increased crime, injuries, and death...not only among the legal aged adults, but also among our youth. I hope I'm wrong, but I cant imagine it NOT getting worse.
Hope you're having a great day of teaching. Audrey is behaving and having a nice time here in Anc. the girls perform today...I'll be recording!
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