As this article was being prepared for publication on July 31, the Handy shooting footage was released. The video footage does not show Kris Handy pointing his gun at police before they killed him in a hail of bullets, many of which hit apartment buildings in the vicinity.
On July 16 the Anchorage Assembly passed AR No. 2024-210(S) or the “Handy Resolution” calling for the release of police body-worn camera footage in all instances of police killings. The resolution is non-binding but sends a powerful message to Anchorage’s new mayor, Suzanne LaFrance, and new APD Chief, Sean Case. This victory demonstrates the growing power of the community movement for police accountability in Anchorage, in the face of Anchorage Police Department killings of residents with apparent impunity.
In May and June, APD shot five Anchorage residents, killing three. The first victim of this spree was Kris Handy, killed on May 13, only two weeks after the mayor had appointed a new chief of police. The police report stated that Handy was carrying a gun and had pointed it at officers, forcing them to shoot and kill him. Several days later Handy’s neighbor bravely published security footage from their house that contradicted the police statement. Handy was carrying a shotgun, but the weapon was not being pointed at the police prior to his being killed.
Bishar Hassan
APD’s transparency problems did not start in 2024. Bishar Hassan was a Somali refugee killed by APD in April of 2019 for carrying a BB gun. He was suffereing from mental illness and not violating any laws when the police were called on him. APD shot him 21 times, and he laid on the ground for two minutes before any officers moved towards his body or attempted any medical aid. These facts are only known because they were captured on the dashcam of one of the police cruisers. APD did not voluntarily release this footage; it was released in 2022 as part of the Hassan family’s wrongful death suit after APD charged the family $5,500 in order to release the footage.
The struggle for body-worn cameras
In July of 2021, the citizens of Anchorage passed a ballot measure that allocated several million dollars towards the purchase of body-worn cameras for APD. This was after Anchorage teenager Daelyn Polu was shot and killed by APD, and his mother called for police officers to be equipped with BWC. The vote for BWC was clearly a political outcome of the 2020 national uprising against racism. This was also the same election that brought in Mayor Dave Bronson (R), who won the election promising to close homeless shelters and get rid of COVID-19 precautions. The body camera policy clearly had broad appeal among the people of Anchorage.
Several years passed with no progress on actually acquiring cameras. APD was given additional funds for new squad cars and headquarters renovations, and spent those promptly. They claim that it took them until the end of 2023 to outfit the first set of officers with cameras. The Party for Socialism and Liberation in Anchorage held regular rallies calling for the police department to release a schedule, and pressuring the Anchorage Municipality to follow through on the ballot measure.
Organizing and fighting back
A crucial point in the BWC policy developed by APD after passage of the 2021 initiative is that the chief of police has sole discretion in releasing the footage. This is undemocratic and widely unpopular. Now that APD is finally outfitted with body cameras, the issue has immediately come to a head. Bronson appointed Bianca Cross as chief of police on April 30. This appointment was controversial as Bronson appointed Cross in the midst of a mayoral runoff election campaign, which Bronson would go on to lose. Chief Cross claimed that footage would be released “when the investigation had concluded.”
However, a neighbor of Kris Handy released doorbell footage of APD shooting and killing Handy. This footage contradicted statements made by Cross at a press conference and also ignited mass calls for “Justice for Kris. ” APD was left with a clear dilemma. Statements from the department clearly contradicted the footage that all citizens could see, and it seems likely that their body camera footage would also contradi t the department statements. Popular energy was swelling around more transparent policing. There were calls from the Handy family and other community members including the PSL to release the BWC footage and for civilian oversight of APD.
Between the time when Handy was killed in May, and July of this year, APD shot four more Anchorage residents. Two of the victims were killed. The Anchorage Municipal government has been put under immense pressure from victims’ families, the community and PSL Anchorage. PSL Anchorage has also advanced the demand that Anchorage establish an independent police review board. A review board would investigate and recommend action in response to citizen grievances.
The capitalist police force is allowed to run amok, and when the workers ask for crumbs of justice they are often given nothing. Elements of the Anchorage working class came together to agitate for justice and support the families who have lost loved ones to APD. In May of this year, the Handy family, with assistance and support from PSL Anchorage, held a large protest in downtown Anchorage; around 100 people participated.
Handy Resolution
Following the May 25 protest, the Handy family publicly demanded that the Anchorage Assembly pass a resolution calling for the immediate release of all BWC footage.
The “Handy Resolution” was a victory for the Anchorage working class. It demonstrated that the people can organize and win. The “Handy Resolution” resulted in Chief Case changing APD policy around the release of BWC footage. Though the change in policy still shields APD from accountability, the Anchorage politicians have been forced to address the mass calls for civilian oversight of APD.
Kris Handy’s murder laid bare a glaring contradiction in Anchorage. APD is the most powerful, best funded entity in the Anchorage government, and the chief of police is the most powerful executive in the city. However, the working class was able to organize and achieve a victory against police terror and to make a large gain for the people.
