ANCHORAGE - A man who owns property near the Brother Francis Shelter says enough is enough.
He's now suing to get the shelter to move or close its doors.
The owner of Grubstake Auction in Anchorage is selling his inventory here in Wasilla because he can't sell it here – the Fairview property he’s owned for almost 30 years.
“How do you bring in customers when there is swearing, yelling, defecating, having sexual acts in front of the crowd… I mean it's very sad,” said Ron Alleva, Grubstake’s owner.
Alleva owns, lives, and works on property that surrounds the Brother Francis Shelter and Bean’s Café – two organizations he considers bad neighbors, who he says didn’t keep their promise when they moved in.
“They told me they'd never rebuild, they told me they'd never expand, but they basically they didn't tell the truth.”
His lawsuit also names the city, which owns the land where the shelter and café sit. Alleva says he's just as frustrated with officials who haven’t done enough.
“My compassion hasn’t expired as much as my tolerance for their lack of management to address the issues as they come up.”
Alleva insists he is sensitive to the homeless, but he doesn’t want them here. Even so, he plans to move his business to a different spot, and hopes the troubles don't follow him there.
None of the people involved with the lawsuit will comment just yet.
The city attorney says his office is reviewing the issue and will respond within 20 days.
