A new documentary by Jeff Landfield and Scott Jensen of the Alaska Landmine shows the underbelly of Anchorage in all its wasted glory. Landfield takes viewers through the encampments around Alaska’s largest city on foot and by drone, going into places where many citizens would not feel safe treading.
It’s the third documentary on the topic he had done in five years. In those years, the problem has only gotten worse.
The hobo encampments have spread from the greenbelts and parks to encampments on streets and sidewalks. Since his latest documentary, released in late August, Landfield says he has been contacted by Anchorage business owners who say they’re dealing with vagrants’ vandalism at their businesses, with everything from broken windows to abandoned items.
But the big message from the permanent campers featured in the video is that they want to live that way. They don’t want to be in shelters. These are people who can’t easily be housed because they are dealing with serious mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction, or a strong need to be outside of society in general.