Posted by Pono Kealoha on February 11, 2009 at 8:14am
"If the Council passes this law for Kapiolani Park, I think it's very much a step in the right direction."..................................direction of making "homelessness against the LAW ?Kapiolani Park is ceded land, Hawaiians are on top of the list in HOMELESSNESS.this is the HEWA of ILLEGAL OCCUPATION and RULE by USA , IN THIS SOVEREIGN NATION of HAWAI'I.http://hawaiiankingdom.orgHomeless ban proposed for parkBy Laurie AuPOSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 11, 2009The City Council is proposing Honolulu's first 24-hour, 7-days-a-week prohibition of homeless people from public property - Kapiolani Park.http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090211_Homeless_ban_proposed_for_park.htmlCouncil meetingThe City Council, serving as the Kapiolani Park trustees, will discuss a measure today that would ban homeless from sleeping in Kapiolani Park at all hours.» Time: 1 p.m.» Place: City Council Committee Room, Honolulu Hale, second floor.Honolulu already has an ordinance that prohibits homeless from sleeping in city parks from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. But a new proposal would make Kapiolani Park the exception to institute a ban at all hours."It has been a huge issue," said Alethea Rebman, president of the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society, a watchdog group that oversees the park. "We have gotten more comments from the public about homeless than any other issue."The City Council, which serves as the Kapiolani Park trustees, will hold a meeting at 1 p.m. today to discuss kicking homeless out of the park - an issue that has been controversial in the past.Mayor Mufi Hannemann faced heavy criticism several years ago when he began cleaning island parks, including Ala Moana Beach Park, which forced homeless people out.Bob Finney, chairman of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board, said homeless people are able to come back every day despite the ban by staying up at night and sleeping during the day."Kids should not be afraid to play in the park," Finney said. "And we want our visitors to leave here with a great impression to come back. I feel bad for the people that are truly homeless."Rebman said there are some reports that homeless persons even charge tourists to use the bathroom."Kapiolani Park is unlike any other park," Rebman said. "If the Council passes this law for Kapiolani Park, I think it's very much a step in the right direction."Kapiolani Park is owned by a public charitable trust that is dedicated to keeping the area open for public recreation.
I don't judge our people on the beach as being homeless, I see the last of the fishing villages. My grandfather did the fishing and my other tutu fed dog to the missionaries, which I believed ended the visitors stay and their massive luaus. It was difficult for both men to feed the people of that time, my grandfathers brother Edward 'niaupio had a difficult time planting taro for all of Koolaupoko. As a child, my dad would travel from Maunawili on a white horse to Waimanalo to help his uncle in the taro patches.
So, I grew up with fishing camps on the beaches in Waimanalo, never really thought about it--I just knew that we were welcomed into anybody's camp. Today, the beaches are for tourist, day camp for parties, no more fishing village and practices, just recreation and happy parties.
This is our REALITY and it is time visitors see the real Hawaii and not the one sold by HTA and HVB. Deal with the cause and not the symptoms of homelessness. Answer the question WHY? Why are Kanaka Maoli homeless or houseless as Meliss says, in their homeland. That is the quesiton to be answered. Instead, high makamaka groups such as the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society are more concerned about the impression made on tourists rather than the plight of these people. Like I said, this is our Hawaii, and it is time visitors understand the impact mass tourism, militarism and speculative real estate has had on Kanaka Maoli. The Council and the Mayor pass laws that shuffle the homeless around, out of sight, out of mind, but in the end, Oahu has become too small and the problem too big to hide any longer. The word is getting out that Hawaii the "paradise" is a myth and our government & tourism officials are squeezing their butts trying to figure out how to deal with the bad press. This is one of many consequences of our oppression and colonization by the U.S.
Hide the homeless from the sight of the tourist so they think we all Happy Hawaiians living in paradise. Typical action.
What tourists see home less in their won states where they come from. Get homeless all over the world.
I went to New Orleans recently...................you got to see the hundreds of people living homeless under the overpasses. In Vegas get off the strip..................get homeless living all over along the freeway under the overpasses.
What this not one secret......................homeless.
Us Hawaiians not homeless..................................we houseless. We stay home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comments
So, I grew up with fishing camps on the beaches in Waimanalo, never really thought about it--I just knew that we were welcomed into anybody's camp. Today, the beaches are for tourist, day camp for parties, no more fishing village and practices, just recreation and happy parties.
What tourists see home less in their won states where they come from. Get homeless all over the world.
I went to New Orleans recently...................you got to see the hundreds of people living homeless under the overpasses. In Vegas get off the strip..................get homeless living all over along the freeway under the overpasses.
What this not one secret......................homeless.
Us Hawaiians not homeless..................................we houseless. We stay home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
E A
Stats from 2003:
According to the "Homeless Point-in-Time Count Report 2003" prepared for the "State" of Hawaii, the homeless population breakdown based on ethnicity:
Hawaiian 38.7%
Caucasian 34%
Other 7.3%
Filipino 5.1%
Chinese 2%
Japanese 1.1%
See page 24 at
http://www.hcdch.state.hi.us/documents/03homelessstudy.pdf