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I am considering applying for a position in Barrow and I was wondering if anyone could offer me some tid bits of information as to what I could expect living there, pros/cons. Besides the obvious that is. Also, are there apartments or rooms for rent, and what is the average cost? I have been unable to find anything on-line with regard to available housing. I know that there is probably much too much info to cover in a thread like this, so if there is a reliable source I could be pointed to would be of great help. Right now I am just in the exploratory phase, but I like to look before I leap so any assist would be greatly appreciated. I would like to know just what I am getting myself into. Thank you in advance for your help!
Read that thread with care though. The one article from AlaskaKash was amazingly accurate for someone who has visited only one time. AQHA, however, is the rear quarter of that horse.
Whatever, Teufel22 you'll need to be a lot more specific about what you need to know and what type of perspective you have. Where do you live now or where is it you would be comparing to, what kind of a job, what are you looking for and how old are you.
Alaska is an adventurous place, and people who like that tend to love Alaska while people who want a steady routine without an adventure at every turn tend to hate Alaska. Barrow is one of the most adventurous places in Alaska! If you like to work out a schedule and learn how to repeatedly do each part of it well... you'd hate Barrow! If you don't like doing the same routine twice, this might be a place you'll love.
Barrow is probably different than any place you have been before, its truly a world of it own. Some hate it, some think its okay, very few love it.
For the truth.
Floyd keeps saying that Barrow has changed. I'd submit that it's still the same. Things are just kept quiet and swept under the rug as they always have been....
Barrow judge sentenced Guy Yazzie Jr. to 10 years in prison last week in a case that included the community’s first jury conviction for rape in about five years, said a top state attorney. Superior Court Judge Michael Jeffery handed down the sentence for Yazzie, 38, on March 12 after a jury found him guilty of second-degree sexual assault late last year.
Yazzie raped the woman, who has cerebral palsy and is partially crippled, in September 2006, the jury found. Sexual assault is prevalent in Barrow, a largely Inupiat community, but remains hidden in part because few people report it, argued Robin Koutchak, an assistant attorney general for the state. That’s one reason jury convictions for rape are uncommon. In her sentencing argument, Koutchak said the rate of rape against Alaska Native women is the highest in the nation.
Koutchak, a former Barrow district attorney, applauded the victim for coming forward and pressing the case, saying it’s unusual for women in tight-knit rural communities to pursue a rape conviction, in part because it can tear apart families. Also, victims might suffer retaliation, she said.
Winning a jury conviction was an uphill battle. Both the victim and Yazzie were drunk when the incident occurred. In rural Alaska, a jury conviction is difficult in rape cases in part because jurors often have no sympathy for victims who have been drinking, said Koutchak.
According to the victim’s testimony gathered by police, here’s what happened: The victim, who was 40 at the time, had gone to visit her cousin and his partner, Yazzie. The three did shots of R&R Whiskey. The victim vomited and eventually fell asleep on the couch. She awoke to find Yazzie having sex with her and ordered him to get off. After telling a friend what happened, the victim agreed to be interviewed and agreed to testing. A DNA swab found Yazzie’s sperm in her vagina, Koutchak said.
During jury selection in Barrow, “several people admitted that they did not think that this kind of rape — having sex with a woman who is incapacitated — was something that the state should pursue,” Koutchak said.
Finding women to serve on the jury was challenging, she said. “One of the big problems with prosecuting these rape cases in the village is that so many who would make up the jury pool have been victims of sexual assault themselves and often request to be left off the jury,” she said. “That’s a huge problem for us as prosecutors and it’s a huge problem for the victims then too.”
In the end, only one Native woman and two Native men served on the 12-member jury that found Yazzie guilty, she said. Sean Brown, a private attorney in Bethel, was the defendant’s state-appointed attorney. He said Yazzie and the victim had partied together for years.
Yazzie, a Navaho man from Arizona who has lived in Barrow for several years, can appeal on a number of counts if he wants, Brown said. He also pointed out that the sentence was the minimum Yazzie could have gotten.
After the jury convicted Yazzie, he apologized after the judge and jury had left the courtroom, when only the lawyers were present, Koutchak said. “He looked right at (her) and said, ‘I am so sorry. I know you trusted me, and I betrayed that trust and I was just so drunk I didn’t know what I was doing, ’” she said. “She just very quietly accepted,” Koutchak said.
I think Barrow is a lot less crazy than it was years ago, but its still a very wild place. Sex crimes against women, and young girls in particular, are not something people really talk about. The people don't really want "white courts" getting involved with this type of thing. "Swept under the rug" is a good way of saying it. Its family business, its frowned upon for the young victim to get others involved. This is BEGINNING to change but we have a long ways to go.
I grew up in CT but currently live in MI. I lived in FL for a few years and hated it. Do people have pets up there, like cats and dogs? Is it true that alcohol is not sold there? In the winter do cars need to have core warmers to start? What kind a vehicle is recomended up there? I have looked online and can find almost no information on availible houses or apartments, are there any? How much is a gallon of milk, gas? what is a typical rent payment? I have so many questions i dont know where to begin. I am 35 and i have a 16 month old son, his mother is 32. As for what kind of job i would have, i prefer to not say util if and when i get the job. Well this is a good start for what i am looking for. Thanks for your help!
And we might note that the article supports virtually all of what I've said in the past on this topic. Regardless, your perspective on what the article did say is not particularly good.
Quote:
Barrow judge sentenced Guy Yazzie Jr. to 10 years in prison last week in a case that included the community’s first jury conviction for rape in about five years, said a top state attorney.
Since most such cases never go to a jury, that statement is nothing but propaganda. It does argue though that what was claimed last month here (supposedly in Point Lay they had 27 reported rapes per year) is clearly not true, just as I said at the time.
Quote:
Sexual assault is prevalent in Barrow, a largely Inupiat community, but remains hidden in part because few people report it, argued Robin Koutchak, an assistant attorney general for the state.
What has the Inupiat majority here got to do with this particular case? What evidence is there that sexual assault is "prevalent in Barrow" in any significant way that is not equally or more true in Anchorage (a largely non-Inupiat community)?
Quote:
In her sentencing argument, Koutchak said the rate of rape against Alaska Native women is the highest in the nation.
And her statistics that relate that to Barrow are???? Non-existant, that's what! They are from the entire State of Alaska (and probably are weighted heavily by Anchorage).
Quote:
Koutchak, a former Barrow district attorney, applauded the victim for coming forward and pressing the case, saying it’s unusual for women in tight-knit rural communities to pursue a rape conviction, in part because it can tear apart families. Also, victims might suffer retaliation, she said.
I think that is very true.
Quote:
Both the victim and Yazzie were drunk when the incident occurred. In rural Alaska, a jury conviction is difficult in rape cases in part because jurors often have no sympathy for victims who have been drinking, said Koutchak.
Having sat on a Grand Jury multiple times, and heard cases that included murder and sexual assault, both involving alcohol abuse, I do not believe that statement is significantly accurate.
Quote:
Sean Brown, a private attorney in Bethel, was the defendant’s state-appointed attorney. He said Yazzie and the victim had partied together for years.
I don't know why they are not mentioning it, but he also had a history of criminal behavior when intoxicated.
I fail to see where that article supports anything other than what I've described in the past.
I grew up in CT but currently live in MI. I lived in FL for a few years and hated it. Do people have pets up there, like cats and dogs? Is it true that alcohol is not sold there? In the winter do cars need to have core warmers to start? What kind a vehicle is recomended up there?
Of course people have pets. It is not legal to sell alcohol, but it is legal to possess and use it. Importation is controlled though, and requires a permit and shipping it to a distribution point. The amount you can import is limited (not excessively), and you cannot get a permit if you have a violent or alcohol related criminal history.
Cars do need to have heaters installed and to be plugged in to get them to start. For example, the outside temperature is currently -20F, and while most cars will start that cold it causes a horrible amount of wear on the engine. Any gas efficient front wheel drive vehicle is sufficient here. Others may be useful depending on what you use a vehicle for.
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I have looked online and can find almost no information on availible houses or apartments, are there any? How much is a gallon of milk, gas? what is a typical rent payment?
Right now the housing market is about even. Years ago it was extremely tight, but a housing project built something like 300 homes and it took the edge off for several years. Now things are have more or less equalled out again. The population of Barrow has gone down (from over 5000 to less than 4000) in the past decade, so even with no new housing being built there is no shortage. But right now anything that comes open gets snapped up quickly.
Gas is basically $5 a gallon, milk is $9 a gallon (I haven't bough either for a couple months and don't know the price to the penny). Rent runs from as low as $600 for a really low quality 1 bedroom appartment right on up to whatever you want to pay.
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I have so many questions i dont know where to begin. I am 35 and i have a 16 month old son, his mother is 32. As for what kind of job i would have, i prefer to not say util if and when i get the job. Well this is a good start for what i am looking for. Thanks for your help!
A word of warning... Note how some people clearly hate Barrow. Alaska is generally like that, love it or hate it with no in between. Barrow is very specifically that way to a degree that is far greater than most of Alaska. If you like adventure, and want new challenges every hour of every day, you might really like Barrow. But people who enjoy working out a schedule of things they are comfortable with and then following a well paced routine... hate this place!
With a youngster and a partner you need to explore very carefully what your needs and desires are. If you are running away from problems, they will almost certainly be more significant here than in a place you are more familiar with! If you are running around looking for something to keep you excited, this is one of the most exciting places in the world to live.
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The dark side of Barrow.
