Crime on Oahu Isn't Just a Waianae Problem
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- Опубликовано: 29 июн 2024
- When we hear about Waianae in the news, it's usually because of some kind of crime or violence. At a recent town hall meeting with the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, residents of Waianae brought up the increase in crime in the area. However, the Mayor had an interesting response, stating that the community should do something about it themselves. I was quite shocked by that response and wanted to talk about why that may be difficult to do and wonder if this applies to other parts of Oahu as well. If it does, as is fair, I suppose we should all get ready.
Source - www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/05...
Intro - 0:00
The Context of the Mayor's Comment - 1:42
Why I Liken This to Dealing with a School Bully - 2:27
Two Concerns For Waianae - 3:40
Equity and Asking If This is Fair? - 4:54
What I'd Like to See Happen - 7:06
Closing Thoughts about Waianae - 8:30
Filmed using the Canon M6 II.
#hellofromhawaii
#waianae
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I do want to acknowledge that the Mayor of Honolulu did show the Waianae community support this past week by wanting to participate on a community watch walk (he couldn't attend, but a member of his staff attended). So hopefully the Waianae community continues to get support while the police station gets up and running. And like I mentioned, if all communities on Oahu are expected to "take care of it" ourselves, well, I guess we all should get ready.
The truth is Police or the government have no legal obligation to defend you while a crime is being committed. as per SCOTUS and your only options are to defend yourself by whatever means you deem fit for the situation. It's sad but true.
A war on drugs is like anger based beating on a dead horse. Education and opportunity is much better than punishment. Every dollar spent on opportunities actually helps a community whereas every dollar spent on ‘harsher punishment’ does nothing but impoverish the community.
Crime will continue to rise until enough opportunity exists to do something else other than prey on the community. Period.
Aloha
I attended that board meeting and personally i don’t think the mayor meant to say it the way it sounded but he said it. And that rubbed us (audience) the wrong way. I agree with you Hawai’i Kai, Kailua, Manoa etc. would react the same way. We already feel like we’re on the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to law enforcement aid. We’re talking assault, physical violence, etc. how does he expect us to deal with that without retaliation from thugs. Offer resources and someone who’s wiser in these matters to help us organize something to help ourselves don’t just tell us to deal with it. That’s insulting.
By the way i love your videos.
So when somebody get hurt or worse all you guys better blame the mayor for suggesting this. We citizens are not police nor do we have police powers and nor do we get PAID for it. SMDH Its the police Job to "UP HOLD AND ENFORCE THE LAW" it is not the job of the citizens to uphold and enforce the law.
Sorry but I think it's too late. He already said it and I think there's nothing he can do to make up for it. He's not getting my vote in the next election.
You know, growing up in Waiʻanae, as well as being a part of some neighborhood meetings, I can give you some context on his response. Residents here don’t report crime enough, or a lot of residents have a really ghetto attitude. The police liaison is always saying, “We can’t just bust up a gamble house, you guys need to report to us so we can come in and investigate.” The other thing they say is, “it’s not tourists coming down and burning rubber all over the place, it’s locals that illegally camp everywhere and drives their lifted trucks on the beach.” As a Waiʻanae resident, I’ve said over and over, we cannot keep blaming the haoles for our situation, at some point we have to carry the blame. We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard. Why do we have troubled schools and communities? Because a lot of parents here suck, they don’t keep an eye on their kids, and they don’t raise their kids with a core of principles and standards to live up to. There isn’t an influx of gangsters or illegal immigrants bringing guns in, we’re the problems…and we are the solution! It’s changing slowly, but the meth epidemic really messed us up for a few generations. But with recent investments by KS, QLCC, and the state, there are so many more opportunities for better education out here and a lot more parenting classes. What we really need is a huge resurgence in Hawaiian cultural practices. We have the most Hawaiians here but a lot of youth are influenced by black gang culture/rap. Nothing against black people or anything, their culture is of course much more than just rap music and gang stuff, but kids down here are so lost in trying to be hood. We actually have to tell kids, you’re not black, you’re Hawaiian! Anyways, I’m born and raised Hawaiian and fully agree with Blangiardi, the crime can’t be solved just by putting out more cops. The crime is our fault, and we need to fix it by changing how we parent our children. And it’s happening! But it’ll take time, effort, and investment. I think we need more investment in cultural programs, not more cops. Get kids to be proud to be Hawaiian, which means we pride ourselves on education and Malama Aina and community, not getting drunk on green bottles, dealing drugs, and failing out of school.
From a haole Wai’anae resident’s perspective; You are absolutely correct.
" Why do we have troubled schools and communities? "
Wai'anae is not somewhere where an esteemed educator wants to live. That should say something to it's citizens.
In my opinion it all starts with education; which requires the resources but also the willpower to get educated. You said it best "we’re the problems…and we are the solution!"
Government makes it hard for the citizens' to deal with it without getting in trouble. The laws protect the criminals more than the law abiding.
Those laws you mention are meant to protect due process because vigilanteism can slide out of control pretty quickly. That is an ugly reality. That said, you're right, those laws make it hard to defend yourself or your family without serious repercussions -- even when its fully justified.
It's an interesting situation. People need good lawyers these days.
Aloha, I grew up and lived in Wai’anae for over 60 years, I remember when Farmington Highway was just 2 lanes and as kids we would get excited if we saw a car coming down the road at night. The Wai’anae coast has never had the luxury of having support from other areas of O’ahu let alone the C&C of Honolulu or the State. Case in point is the rail, whether you agree or like it or not, if they were really wanting to alleviate traffic then they would have started in the Wai’anae coast. The mayor’s response didn’t surprise me as that is the attitude of government towards the people of Wai’anae but as more people from outside of the coast move in, the pressure to acknowledge the challenges of the coast is growing. Wai’anae is a unique place in Hawai’i that has many positive aspects to it, hopefully the rest of the island will come to realize it.
I can only imagine the neglect Waianae has gotten for so long. Aside from selling the land there, I don’t see the government interested in anything else besides selling the land and/or putting its unwanted projects there. Such a shame to see how far the mentality in Hawaii has shifted from taking care of ALL ITS PEOPLE to just a select few.
I remember a time when community meant something, and the people within a community knew well enough to watch over each others kids without having to know them intimately. We went from unlocked doors to bars on windows. Seems like mainland mentality to me. But that wouldn’t be politically correct to call it out. And I would be another racist Hawaiian…
Mahalo for sharing. I think you bring an interesting point that as more people move to that community, there will be an increase in at least acknowledging more of the issues there.
I live in 96744 too, but there is good too. My wife & I recently went to Nanakuli Beach twice on different weekends. My wife & I are elderly with less than perfect mobility. When we got there, within minutes, people on the beach were sending their kids out to us to help! I have never seen this at Kailua Beach- over there, you are on your own. It was good to see some traditional family Aloha again. It is getting increasingly rare.
Important video. My husband grew up in Waianae - in some ways he had an idyllic childhood -summer months of camping,fishing diving. But there was the rougher side too -he said growing up adults wound take the paddle to kids misbehaving-not supporting corporal punishment but supportive of community care and involvement
Mahalo for sharing. I haven't spent much time there, but it's good to know that community care and involvement could be cultivated to help the community today.
Well thought of and well said my braddah. When I heard our mayor say what he said I was in disbelief. Then I remembered the police officers he had guarding his office because he got into an argument with another city official. He tell us that we should do something about it because police can't always be there to help but when the people try to do something like protect themselves legally with firearms, the mayor signs into law sensitive places. Yet, he says " Why dont you do something about it?" Like what are we supposed to do? Acts of violence can't always be de-escalated. The support of the community has to overwhelm the violence and only then things will change. Otherwise, this mayor that we have now is not interested of solving problems in less desirable communities like westside Oahu. If this was happening in Hawaii Kai or Waikiki area you can bet his response would be completely different.
Good point about the police officers guarding his office due to the conflict with someone. Didn't think to bring that up, but interesting point.
My friend lives in Waianae. I visited her from the mainland and I'm not sure I want to go back. They had all these procedures for me to stay safe. The people living on the beach I felt, had nothing to lose. Imagine those good people of Waianae who have everything to lose going up against those who don't. Glad you're talking about this.
Mahalo for sharing your experience. I'd be curious to know what procedures they had you go through. Last time I was there, we stopped by a beach, ate lunch really fast, and left. 😆
She didn't want me to go anywhere alone, not even go for a walk in the neighborhood, about a mile inland. When I finally did go, she said to pull over somewhere to get what I needed and put the rest in the trunk and then go park the car. Know who was near me at all times. I mean it's normal girl stuff to be out alone but it really seemed over the top. Also, she said do not use the beach bathrooms. She said homeless people are living there or just in there doing drugs. It's a cool place with beaches for days, but it looks like they imported the homeless from LA to live at the beach.
@@KristiesLexicon Yes this is all true about Hawaii. The truth is, the disparity between the rich and the poor, is great. Homelessness has seemingly tripled since I left Hawaii in 2002. It wasn't always like this. The people of Hawaii deserve to know better, and to live better. So much potential for Waianae to be a safer place - if only humanity changed. But change takes time. :(
wow to what the mayor said ... hard to take it out of context ... just gotta take it at face value ... just wow ...🤐😮✌🤙
Yes....Wow what an idiot he is!
Actually that's how I've always felt. Deal with it. Don't rely on cops.
Maybe not the best words to express what he was trying to say. But at least he has shown that he'll go out for community walks in the area.
The mayor sounds lika a typical racist and might as well have said YOU PEOPLE. Waianae has been a concern for the past 50 - 60 years
I’m glad you commented on this issue, the mayor needs to be removed. Honestly, there are a lot of lssues to contend with. I honestly believe the current government shoulders Alot of the blame. The Government of Hawaii serves the government. Not the public.
I'm not sure I'd agree that he needs to be removed. Again, maybe just a poor choice of words. But I hope to see improved conditions for Waianae and the rest of Oahu.
"maybe just a poor choice of words" He spit in your face and told you all to deal with it. Meanwhile hes in a gated community with armed guards. Fuck that mayor.
Omg i am so glad you did this video. I was so disgusted by the Mayor’s comment I almsot choked. Is that what he says to every neighborhood-to Hawaii Kai, Waialae, Waikiki-fo deal with it yourself? How exactly is Waianae supposed to deal with the influx of gun crimes? Is that a neighborhood watch thing? What about the indlux of homeless on the beach from other areas of the island-is that something Waianae invited or is it accomodated by the strict enforcement in other parts of the island and zero enforcement on this coast? I drive thru HKai, Waialae and there are ZERO tents on their pristine parks and beach parks. Is that because they have great neighborhood watches? And what about the unmanned Waianae station and the ridiculously low numberbofbpolice patrolling Kapolei westward? Neighborhood watch going to solve that? The Mayor aint getting my vote, because his disdain for westside communities is evident. Maybe he should possibly factor the long commutes folks in the area go thru daily in assessing how much time folks can devote to these crime busting activities we “should “ be doing. Quit dumping halfway houses , homeless shelters largely in our neighborhoods! More police!
Sounds easily offended and not coherent
I'm not sure about the homeless situation in Waianae. I believe they were given grant money (some kind of funding) to establish their own homeless encampment. And like I mentioned, I'm not sure what "taking care of it" themselves will look like, but hopefully not provoking more violence.
It's worse than disgusting!
Look & listen how he gets up into the Citizen's face!
He's a jerk!!
I’m floored!!!! Just WoW! Shame on him. We need Andrea Topeka for mayor ❤
Maybe she'll run?
Aloha! Thank you for commenting on this topic. Seems like the Hawaii a lot of us grew up in is a distant memory now.
I also grew up in Kaneohe from like 7th grade to 12th and Kaneohe was awesome in the 90’s and early 2000’s. I left afterward for the military. But just a little intro before I give my 2 cents.
The mayors comments in my humble opinion shows the root of the problem. Waianae has been neglected for decades. Government used it to place its unwanted projects such as landfills etc but never invested anything personally to the people of the Waianae coast. The amount of homeless that in my eyes got pushed to that corner of the island was intended with the same mentality of “not in my backyard”. I think that pretty much sums up the “why” in Waianae’s uptick in violence and crimes and drugs and homelessness and unemployment and frankly no meaningful police presence. They treated it as a “ghetto”, never invested public funding to fix anything out that way. I mean, how long has Farrington HWY been under construction out there? I don’t live there but I know it’s been over 10 years now that they’ve been working on that one bridge (I dunno the name of it). On top of that, like someone else mentioned in the comments, how one the Rail never started on the Coast? They needed it more than most! Yet they started it in Kapolei aka the new “Waikiki”. It’s like they’ve been telling us for years they don’t give a crap about the people on the west side. Yet they take their taxes every year to fix other parts of the island. I know I’m ranting, but this Mayor along with majority of Hawaii’s political puppets need to go back to whatever state they came from. Hawaii was beautiful, self sustaining, kind, generous, and truly a paradise before the mainlanders came in and corrupted it with their PILAU Mentality! Auwe!!
I would be labeled a racist along with whatever names they use to scrutinize anyone calling out their criminal behaviors (which is what it is). But just look at PBS on YT and how they captured Waianae I believe in the 80’s. I mean there’s a bunch of videos on Hawaii back then. You can see the differences! I was born and raised on Oahu. I would say the direction Hawaii is heading in is not a good one. To play follow the leader with other blue states is not the game we should be playing. Just my 2 cents
Mahalo for sharing. Appreciate the openness. Lots to comment on from what you said, but I'd just highlight your points that Waianae and other communities have probably felt left out over the years.
I’ve been living on the Waianae Coast for the past 10 yrs. My mom used to come every Summer to visit her Uncle from the late 50’s to early 60’s.
“You guys just gotta deal with it,” is not equitable.
It’s consistent with the C&C rail. It cuts off the residents of Waianae. The majority of commuters are from the Westside. Why couldn’t they have started the rail closer to Waianae?
Imagine if the boomers from town had to travel the 25+ miles to get to town or go to work? It’s two hours per day, sometimes longer with traffic to get to town. Would they have gotten their college degrees? Or kept their job? Who watches their young children while they go to work? Would education have been a priority if they couldn’t even get to work or kept paying for childcare, or transportation or time?
I spent $290 a month on gas when I was commuting to work before I transferred my job out to Waianae.
University of Hawaii West Oahu was only recently built on this side. Most of the infrastructure for jobs, schools, etc. was centralized in Honolulu, so Waianae residents were cut off. They’ve had to make do with less and what does C&C think would happen? If they don’t put more education in these other communities outside Honolulu, of course there will be uneducated, untrained unemployed people without skills or means to conventionally make a living!
It’s gotten so bad that as a teacher I’ve seen as many as four families from Nanakuli in one school year move to Vegas.
You know that dog parks got built in other zip codes like Hawaii Kai before Nanakuli had a library built?
There’s not nearly as many resources available in Waianae.
Sure, those zip codes closer to Hawaii Kai might contribute more per capita, but there are some hard-working people commuting everyday, and trusting the school systems to educate their keiki, or police their neighborhoods.
With that said by the Mayor. He shouldn't be reelected. It's like saying, why do we need a mayor? Why do we need cops if the Mayor expects the community to "take care of it."
But it is beautiful out there. I miss spending time out there. 😊
I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I would want to know in what ways does the mayor suggest the community to take care of it themselves.
I live in Waianae and I like it here, other than the high prices and all the bums, crazies and drug addicts. And many are not locals, you can thank Obama for that. And don't give me the bs about inequality. Living on the beach without having to work? I can't even camp on the beach without paying for a permit, but all the vagrants? The crazy ones and drug addicts need to be institutionalized. The lazy ones just need to be moved into a monitored encampment somewhere inland. Locals are most of the problems with violence and the kids learn it from their parents. Was in the credit union the other day and there was this local family, looked like a grandmother, a tatted up mom, 2 boys and a girl. The boys were barefoot with no shirts and the older one was bullying the others around. Our good friends here moved to Honolulu because there son was constantly bullied, and he's a Big kid. (half Hawaiian)
The police here, well it's like in countries such as the Philippines. They target those that they don't like or have something against and let the other locals do whatever. When you allow police to drive their own cars, what would you expect.
Mahalo for your comment. It's nice to hear from someone living in Waianae. I'm sure it's a tough community to grow up in. Sad to hear that that family had to move to Town because of the bullying.
I lived in Waianae in the early 60's when I was growing up. I could walk to Pokai Bay in just minutes. I have fond memories of Waianae that have stayed with me my entire life.
There is no guarantee in life. Don't think the government is the answer. It's not. It's usually the problem. We only have each other. Pray we come together so day. 🤙
Good mana’o! Parallel stories are accurate! Mahalo to ask hard questions.
Aloha Nephew, In 1970 there was one part-time policeman between Kapa'a and Ke'e Beach. Now there are two police stations. What has changed? Bigger population, yes. Less sense of community, also. It has become a transient environment which is the nature oi a tourist environment. I have no answer, but I present this as an observation to provoke discussion. How do we teach the ability to engage "otherness" in a constructive way? Aloha, Uncle
The police station hasn't been opened, after it being renovated/vacant for some time.
Mahalo for the comment. Definitely things to think about as Hawaii has been transitioning in its population. More transient, but also older.
People need to take responsibility for their own actions. Too many people rely on the government to fix their issues. All that creates is a bigger government and more control. Parents need to do their job and raise their kids with respect.
I agree that a lot of this starts in the home and parents play a big role. However, I'm not sure average citizens can do much when it comes to the types of crimes we are seeing. If you have solutions, please share. 🤙
As a retired educator of numerous schools across the state including Waianae High School, we must always look at the positive aspects of the community. I started the first computer club and assisted with the math league in the mid 80s. Many of my students became successful in life. Waianae High School sports are always successful and many students are successful with the Waianae Searider Productions. There are many community collaboration ideas that can improve society as a whole. Develop a vision and improvements will come.
Mahalo for mentioning some of the bright points in the Waianae education system. I believe I saw that a Waianae grad just got into Yale. And those programs you mentioned are great. I heard a lot of good things about the video program there.
Take what I say with a grain of salt, as A) I’m a mainlander, I’m originally from Colorado and I’ve only been living in Hawaii for about 8 months and I live in Maui, and B) I don’t know if there’s much cultural difference between here in Maui and there in Oahu but I imagine there must be some, but to me telling a community to “take care of itself” when it comes to violent crime is essentially telling someone to go f&@k themselves, which is pretty irresponsible as a person in government to say and a terrible attitude to have towards people you are supposed to represent.
Like I mentioned, maybe the intent of the message got lost in the words. Hard to say.
I'm from the mainland (from Canada) but have visited Waianae side a number of times. While it's certainly a different vibe compared to other parts of the island - the number and size of homeless encampments come to mind - I definitely think it's an underrated part of Oahu. Beautiful beaches and some lovely people if you take the time to slow down and chat with folks. As a non-resident I can't speak knowledgeably about the crime and social issues, but I do think it gets built up in people's minds as this scary place when it really isn't.
Mahalo for sharing. I agree that it's an underrated place, mostly based on reputation. For the times I've been out there, the beaches and ocean are some of the nicest on the island.
We visited for the first time this past year. Thought it was a really really beautiful island, but that area was definitely the only spot I felt very unsafe. We were only going to be passing through and we stopped at a grocery store to pick something up. My husband got out of the car and a man immediately started to come towards him with a look of doing harm. We decided to go to the next store to be safe. We spoke to the gas station attendant and he said I don’t recommend you stop. When we spoke to our friends, they said oh we should’ve warned you. Definitely not something visitors are told about it first.
Mahalo for sharing. Sad to hear that you felt so unsafe.
I have a couple of views about this. I am purely a tourist when I show up in the state. I do some CPA networking. Most of the year I live in Japan. A client used to take me around to the beaches of O'ahu, and I liked the Leeward side ones the best. I also liked the atmosphere and the people on the west side, because they felt the most "real" and believable of the place.
So my connections to Hawai'i are very small, maybe adding up to twelve weeks, tops.
I look at West Oahu as being put upon for everything else going on on the Island. If it were the "Hunger Games", it's an outer district.
I bet that the island shuts down without the labor from the people of Waianae and the area.
I have a feeling that the plantation culture never went away, and that was part of the unspoken inspiration of what the current mayor said.
When I go into the people's neighborhood there, I realize that the "welcome tourists!" signs and cues are obviously not out there the way they are in Waikiki. I am going into somebody's neighborhood, so I try to be respectful and not commit any "shitsurei" in Japanese.
Contrary to whatever news reports or rep that is out there, I never feel unsafe in West Oahu. No one has ever bothered me or threatened me. I get to talk to locals from time to time.
In fact, here's a story: two years ago when I drove the rental car onto the sand in Makaha, the community got together and helped me get the car out of the trap, and wouldn't even any take gratitude money from me, until after I insisted (since I can't repay a favor if I won't see you very often!)
Talk about class.
In that one moment, my problem became everyone's problem. It's a shame that the rest of the people IN THE STATE aren't looking at it, and helping, the same way if the community has problems.
Mahalo for sharing your experiences on that side. Glad to hear nice stories about the people in that community.
Many studies have shown that a large source of crime comes from inequity. Anywhere. Not just in a single town. But anywhere.
yup its not going to stop. The inequality is just going to get way way worse
The Japanese are the wealthiest families in the islands.
@@spinner7801Nope. Mostly caucasian and foreign owners.
@@auntienina3142Those of Japanese ancestry have the highest median income.
They also have the highest home ownership rates.
Is that inequity in financial resources? Opportunities? Education?
the mayor safely can say whatever he wants cuz he has police protection.. the westside sadly will not get better unless the police presence triples or more citizens patrol night shifts with conceal carry
someone was stabbed there just this morning. 5/12/24. i spent a lot of time in waianae as a child (go deepsea fishing tournament!) but even i lock my doors and keep an attitude adjuster handy when i have to run out to yokohama bay.
Typical politician. Good at passing the buck. That’s his job to deal with these things.
Too much crime and violence in Hawaii now ... not a place to visit anymore. This ALL starts in the home and environmental conditioning of relatives and peers.
Then don’t visit
Then stay away
NOTHING LIKE JAPAN
..NO PRIDE AND RESPECT HERE..ITS DISGUSTING HOW PEOPLE BEHAVE....JAPANS SOCIETY RAISES THEIR CHILDREN WITH CIVILITY AND MORALS..JUST A FACT.
Interestingly enough, though, I believe the crime statistics are actually down from previous years. At least I remember reading that on the news.
Does this really surprise ANYONE who lived/live in Hawaii?
😆
Thank you for speaking up for my community. I was there and I felt defeated at that moment. We do our best to make our communities a safe and happy place for our kids to grow up, and a select few make it difficult. We need equality 💯
Mahalo for participating in those types of events. I'm sure it's difficult to get involved, especially when we are all so busy. However, it's important. 🤙
The mayor wants all the good citizens to get their ccw license.
Keep up the GOOD work
🤙
I wish i saw this post when you first posted, i have in Waianae/Makaha almost all of my , since 1990, i have ao much to say on the subject i think i am goingvto need to post a response video, giving a few days
I remember when Konishiki and Mushashimaru were huge Sumo stars in Japan from Waianae They were great role models for the youth.
I remember those days. 🤙
Your piece inspired the idea of thinking of living in Oahu as like being part of a small business/local organization and the trials of coordinating its different departments which function in its own silos but also interdepartmentally. The commonplace organizational behavior of trying to solve its own departmental problems when approached to the CEO was met by a similar witnessed dynamic: the absence of psychological safety (Amy Gallo, HBR pieces). Sure, the effort to have "skin in the game" and to take an efforted approach to self-efficacy and agency to fix a problem is understandable, but ... I've seen this dynamic in many contexts of unfortunately toxically compassioned fatigued nonprofits, organizations, institutions. It's tough. Many ecologies right now are strapped to its bare minimum of capacities and resourcefulness. It's a basic trauma response that develops when someone reaches out for help, and has been either dismissed or retraumatized by a system...leading to disillusionment and distrust.
A neighborhood is not a business
A mayor is not a CEO
The problems don’t get solved
They can only be managed.
Way different situation
Too different
Mahalo for the comment. Interesting analogy. I'm sure residents are also strapped for time, money, and energy. It's hard to want to take care of one's community when people are working so hard to pay for the cost of living.
It may be worth exploring the possibility of finding a more effective district representative who can better meet the community's needs and expectations.
I believe there's an election coming up. Could see changes.
Let’s be real!!! Living in the highest Taxed State in the Nation, is the Mayor now condoning vigilante action in heavy crime rate areas? The Waianae Police Station was neglected for years already…if it looks like a duck and quacks like a 🦆, then wasteful Government spending sounds like corporate corruption to me
I'm not sure that's what he's saying, but I'd like further clarification on how that community is supposed to deal with it. Also, would like to know if this is an island-wide policy.
Mahalo Chris for your insight, your Kōkua, and as always for your deep aloha! While not from Wai’anae either, I too share your appreciation for this special place. I agree…maybe if we start treating the Westside like we treat places like Hawai’i Kai, the outcomes might be different. Mahalo again for this great video! 👏 👏 👏
🤙
I don't want to say I know much. My grandmother and my auntie lived on Heleuma street. 96792. I spent years there.. we lived across from Waianae intermediate school. I loved living there. But we moved in 1972 when my dad decided that it was getting to dangerous to live there. I was 13. I had no sense it was a growing bad area.
Mahalo for sharing. I'm sure it was a different community back then, though.
As long as Hawaii insists upon voting nearly exclusively for politicians belonging to the "Soft on Crime" party, the situation regarding lawlessness in the state will only get worse. Honolulu County is pretty much one big city, with its more and less affluent communities, like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis and so on. And like the county (and the rest of the state for that matter), those cities are run by those who believe in "catch and release", and exhibit misguided empathy for criminals. These areas also have some of the toughest anti-gun laws, ensuring that law abiding citizens need to rely upon law enforcement. The same law enforcement that is subject to demoralizing defunding by the elected irrational politicians. In the end, no one is happy, and the people only have themselves to blame. Waianae and West Oahu won't be the only places Hawaii residents mention when talking about crime in the near future. Soon enough, the mayor will be telling community leaders from across the county to, "take care of things yourself".
While the statistics on crime seem to be trending down, the public perception may not be consistent with the data. I'd hope to see public perception get better in the upcoming years.
I feel that the solution is a little bit of everything.
- First off, Hawaii is an ohana [family]!: Both Chris and I lived on the mainland for some time. And in that time, when we ran into a person from Hawaii, it didn't matter where they were from, they were part of the Hawaii ohana. We need to regard each other as family, as the same as when we live away from these precious islands.
- HPD: And yes, as the Mayor stated, just expecting HPD's presence to solve everything is unrealistic, after all, much of police response is after the crime has been committed. Yes increased police presence is great, although there is only so much resources presently, as HPD has a massive personnel shortage due to lack of applicants; thus the recent increase in incentives.
- Public areas: closing off certain public areas at night could help curtail some of the violence. As some of the incidents are in places that people are congregating at night.
- Family/Community: In ALL families and communities, people need to take a beat before getting offended and acting out. Even on social media, people are so offended by opinions and statements made by others, that they respond negatively and aggressively. Humans were given two eyes, ears, and nostrils, but one mouth. We need to take in life before responding to it verbally or now on social media. Hopefully we can teach one another compassion and understanding BEFORE responding. Not to be crass, but opinions are like an *sshole...everybody has one.
- Overreacting: In this day and age, doing this is causing people/victims to lose their lives and/or fall victim to severe injuries. Lives are being torn apart, victims, their families, perpetrators, their families, whole communities, etc...acting out by doing something 'permanent', based on a temporary emotion is sheer madness. No amount of false honor and machismo is worth a lifetime of pain and anguish for ALL affected.
- Enough: everyone needs to say enough to the violence, not just a select few. As it takes a village to raise a child, that same village cannot turn a blind eye to someone that's on the verge of acting out in violence. False bravado is a weakness...compassion & maturity is a strength.
Lots of great points you made. I particularly appreciate the ones about family, overreacting, and enough. 🤙
@@HelloFromHawaii Whatever happened to the old adage "stick and stones can hurt my bones, but words will never hurt me"...many people in our society are so thin-skinned nowadays. Reacting with force seems like a norm in today's culture...that's sad.
Violence is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
When you and I lived away from Hawaii, we embraced anyone that was from the island...it didn't matter what part of the state they were from. We would talk about possible people/friends that we might have in common. And talk of moment and places in the islands that we missed and had special moments. There was NO feeling of opposing one another...NONE! TRUE OHANA! Strangers became instant family due to our common core experience of being from Hawaii.
There's no love & aloha when someone commits a crime in Hawaii, as it hurts, damages and creates fear within all of us.
My mom is from waianae, and I lived over there for a little bit. What I think the mayor meant is what I'm seeing a lot in the comments, that it starts at home, and its their responsibility to keep their own in check. Which is important, don't get me wrong, but the problem is generational at this point. Something I've heard before from my own path from being homeless in chinatown rubbing elbows with people flying high on clear to working on fraud cases and rubbing elbows with ceos... You can't fix something broken, with something else thats broken. Sometimes sht gets so dark for people that all they can do is to reach out for help, and hope that someone will give a sht long enough to save them. And I feel as though thats what alot of people in waianae are trying to do right now, and it really pisses me off that the response they get is deal with it yourselves. They have been, for years. They need support, not fingerpointing and who to blame. And everyone wonders why they don't trust outsiders and police. The better question is, why should they? We all knew what goes on there for a long time, and all everyone does is make jokes about it while the government does nothing, or worse. Lets not forget what happened with those 4 cops in that chase, would you trust the police in your neighborhood if the last batch fked up some kids and tried to cover it up?
I believe the mayor simply did not expound enough in his comment.
The Community Policing model states that we, as citizens, are all responsible for enforcing the laws or keeping our communities safe.
The police have the responsibility of being tasked with enforcing the laws and keeping the community safe as a “full time” endeavor.
The public can be the eyes and ears for this quest of a safer environment. Call the police if you see a crime being committed, don’t just video it to post later.
Become the best witness you can be to assist in the furthering of the investigation/prosecution of those who have committed serious (or any) crimes against society/the community.
If worried about retaliation, stand together, in unity there is strength. Work with your community policing team to lookout for the community as a whole and each other as individuals.
Lastly, the people on the Leeward coast embody the “Spirit of Aloha”. They are some of the most loving and giving people one will ever meet.
Are there knuckleheads on the Leeward coast, of course there are, just like there are knuckleheads in any community, Kahala, Kailua, Manoa etc.
If we get back to the core values of our Kapuna, it would make for a more harmonious Hawaii.
Excellent and intelligent point of view.
Mahalo 🤙
Wait??!! Is he related to the Maui mayor? Seriously??!! Speaking from 96797.
I don't think they are related.
I watched a vlog that a real-estate agent from Hawaii posted, where she was showing properties for sale in different parts of Oahu. When she filmed the part in Wai’anae, she tried to sell it as an affordable place to live where the people had strong families ties. She went on to say that Wai’anae was an area where crime happens but that you just have to “stand your ground” if you buy property there. I thought to myself, what the hell does that mean? EEK it certainly wasn’t a selling feature for those people looking to buy a house.
I'm not sure what "stand your ground" means, but I wouldn't want to have to do that for a place I just bought.
When a community has lost hope and resorts to crime and violence and then places blame on government I'm not quite sure what recovery looks like. Optimism and education comes from within the community. This is like making the analogy that self love, self awareness, and personal accountability need to always come first before shifting blame.
🤙
The crime is born out of desperation and poverty. There’s few opportunities for people in the area to rise above, and there’s a lot of hopelessness and anger, at least what I’ve seen. You make criminals and then punish them. It’s very sad and a really difficult topic:
neighborhood watch doesnt mean go play batman. It just means rat on a crime a ton. This is also the same issue with all neighborhood watches, so doesn't really make sense to attack and scrutinize the concepts of neighborhood watch when it works in other places... Just seems like a redundant dilemma that was solved already
Howzit Chris, great to meet you the other night. Wow Laulau, it happens to be a perfect video for me to comment on since my hanabata daze was going to Waianae Elementary and I got bust up a bunch there. I was 5 when we moved there and one of my first memories was being in the middle of circle of kids getting my face all bust up with broken bleeding nose. Me as a smart Alec kid got bust up by a 10yr old (Michael Perreira I owe you 1). But you get street smart real fast and funny as you mentioned if you fight back you can get busted instead. Which happened to me the school security guard only me react and the bully didn’t go to the principals office. It was also my 2nd strike and I was 1 strike away from the paddle. Yes, I’m old and the wooden paddle with holes in it was still in the wall at the principals office and if the parents said it was ok the principal could still give you wacks back then. So being the 2nd one has often not worked and vigilantism will lead to chaos in the laws. Sadly Waianae and Nanakuli always get sloppy seconds if anything at all. Nanakuli high and intermediate Neva had a cafeteria when I went there and for decades they used the hallways for lunch.
But your on point the west has to fend for themselves while Kaiser high had the rubberized track and swimming pool at their school back when I was in school. The political factors here in Hawaii are a clear culprit to the unjust discrimination of political power between the east vs west side of the island. Waianaes homeless encampment has their own autonomy and security for years and reflects the fact that Waianae has had to watch out for themselves for generations. They do need to work with the families there to set up youth programs and family counseling to equip the youth for a better future.
Fighting is dumb.
Violence against others is against the law.
I got the paddle 1st offense back in the day.
There was little justice that’s true.
Becoming a role model is hard working 12 hour days.
The city needs to fund west side programs for the youth and provide more opportunities. Yes.
Rubber track or not.
Yeah, it was great meeting you the other night. It's an interesting difference in terms of communities like Waianae and other affluent parts of the island. I remember when Kaiser had that track and pool and I used to wonder why. lol
I was bullied constantly at Laie elementary and a little at Kahuku high. It was the 90s so maybe it's different now but the teachers did nothing. In fact in 3rd grade I got in trouble (not the bullies) for knocking my desk over (no one was hurt) when I had lost it in anger emotionally from being bullied since first grade.
He can’t even ensure our trash gets picked up as scheduled. At times it’s a 2 day delay with the bins sitting curbside rotting in the hot sun. So, he’s not going to care about more important community concerns such as “crime”.
It's a combination of both. The community looks out for crime to let the police know where the problems are.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.. I say Cancel the Mayor..it’s literally his JOB to figure it out with his team . You are fair in trying to see if maybe it was taken out of context. Maybe he misspoke it he should’ve explained it
Mahalo for the comment, but I'm not for canceling anyone. I'm just looking forward to seeing what he can do to help the residents of that community.
Neighborhood watches aren’t something new!! Neighbors should be watching out for one another. If people could count on the county putting people in jail or have harsh sentences for offenders it would be easier to have neighborhood watches. A community like Waianaie should have their own police force that covers that side of the island. Same with Kapolei, Kailua, etc… We should be following the examples that the mainland sets for city police, sherriffs that cover the county and are actually police officers, and state police.
Addressing homelessness along the highway could go a long way towards creating a positive feedback loop that would encourage greater community involvement to improve the west side’s sense of being a great place to raise children and have a family.
True. Which highway are you talking about? Farrington?
Blangiardi copped the same attitude with the citizens about the Haiku Stairs (which I still haven't had the chance check out). Maybe he needs to go.
People pay taxes for police to fight crime. How are the ppl supposed to deal with it?
Good question. Maybe the Mayor will provide some suggestions.
Its not the job of the police to protect the life of the citizens. Thats OUR job as citizens to protect ourselves from criminals and abusive athority in law enforcment and in government. Tax payer dollars go twards Cops restoring order yet Cops are also 5 minites too late every time.
Nice, yes sir West side is a very beautiful and different place. You’re spot on! When did we ever take the time to roll out and try to understand the West side. It will always be where my hart belongs, but I left 21 years ago and took my children to a place that I never knew and this was the beginning for them. Sometimes we gotta say Aloha to a place you grew up so your children see a bigger place in a bigger World. Maybe one day they will go back and want to see what it was like for their Daddy to be raised in one of the hardest places in Honolulu 💪🏾🤙🏾😎
Mahalo for sharing. It's tough to move away, but at least you can share stories about the West Side as you remember it.
There needs to be a crackdown on the "public camping"... at the entrance of the Waianae Small Boat Harbor there's a literal fortified encampment with lookout "guards" at the entrances and trash everywhere. Most of the beaches on the west side have been taken over by homeless tents and the garbage is piling up. This isn't fair to the communities who try to live cleanly and now can't use their beaches without fear for their kids or belongings. It also isn't fair to the homeless to just be left there to their own demons. At some point, enforcement into a shelter is what's needed. The facilities are available, but they have rules against drugs in them. The current "hands off" attitude of letting the community deal with it will only lead to more crime and trash.
The neighborhood leaders misunderstood everything per usual. He meant, crime watch EACH OTHER. Report CRIME.
That's funny! As I grew up on Oahu in the 70's, one thing we didn't do...go to Waianae.
Who’s to determine that all of shootings & stabbings that are happening are not the community trying to handle things themselves? A few months ago a family was on the news because the parents of a bullied girl encouraged & supported her physical altercation against the bully. As you asked, would they be charged with anything?
Good questions to ask. I'm not sure if what we are seeing are the community trying to take care of things themselves. If that's the case, does violence beget violence.
Character begins in the home. Mayor is right.
This mayor had no plan for many issues, including crime. We the People on Oahu, and especially on the West Side are on your own. When the time comes, vote that bum out. We the People are the regulated militia. Get trained up.
With the election coming up, we'll see how many people vote.
Sometimes our words are taken out of context. I don't know what prefaced the response from the Mayor but In his place I would have use his comment as a bridge to more completely address what may be happening in Waianae. Residents need to look more deeply into themselves to validate whether their efforts in the home are being learned by the kids so that they can be better functioning individuals in the real world. In conjunction with the local police efforts can greatly improve their quality of life. Unfortunately this is not immediate and may even take a generation to see results but we gotta start somewhere. These efforts can be applicable in any of our neighborhoods not just Waianae. We need to learn that we can help ourselves.
Mahalo for the comment. I agree that this may take a generation or two to sort out, even with the City stepping up law enforcement in the area. A lot of it starts in the home.
i think what you’re describing is community focused policing. and it’s great, but it really is dependent on police making the effort first because they are holding the most power in these interactions with a community. they need to live within it. they need to know the people. they need to go on walks through neighborhoods looking friendly and not strapped like a soldier. The community can demand it, but nothing will change until police departments make that first step.
Mahalo for sharing. Great points, especially about the officers connecting with the community.
CS Lewis is one of the greatest!
Great writer.
Bail reform doesn't work...remember that in November.
Well said!
Mahalo 🤙
It’s taxation without representation
We agree
That Mayor(in your county)is a character. Much like Bissen or whatever his last name is. & As much as I’d love to move over there. It’s definitely not going to be anytime soon. In fact itll probably be many many years later(if it even happens at all because of the listed Cons). However that being said I have a close relative who’s moving to Hawaii specifically I believe your county & city as a matter of fact. For a branch of the ARMY. Which is what kind of sent me down a rabbit hole about the state youre in. For a few big reasons. 1:Distance 2:Price Gouging Importing. 3: Nature & Volcanoes can be ruthless sometimes If those 3 big things weren’t an issue then I otherwise wouldn’t hesitate.
Volcanoes aren't so bad, unless you're talking about the Big Island. We do have hurricanes, but haven't had a strong one in a while.
🎯 The mayor's comments enraged a lot of residents. Take back the community encourages vigilatism promoting the "Wild Wild West " Our concern's are escalating crimes and guns in the hands of youth. Totally valid concerns! He tried to intimidate the person voicing his concern with a in your face interaction. Just complete the Waianae Police Station so HPD isn't wasting time and resources shuttling people to Kapolei. My nephew suggested a Byrna rifle 😮.
I don't believe he would have made that statement to Kahala or Kailua residents 🤡🤡🤡
Thank you I had family members from town shocked to hear the Mayor's suggestions
Residents can choose to feel enraged at a sneeze or a gust of wind. He was not talking about vigilanteism whatsoever. Good way to pass the buck avoid responsibility blame others and feel angry. Good thing you’re not the Mayor!
In your opinion. Respectfully I agree to disagree. Drugs, guns escalating crime realistically can the community take back the Leeward Coast without police involvement. We have teenagers with guns that account for recent murders. In regards to the mayor
"To whom much is given, much is expected" It goes with the job. We are listening intently speak with clarity
Mahalo for sharing. It's an interesting issue to follow, especially as it's an election year. I'm curious is the mayor will remember his commitment to fully staffing and resourcing the Waianae station after November. I hope so.
What that guy said in the video you showed was incredibly offensive!!! I’m just aghast that he had the nerve!!!
IKR, isn't that like inviting...vigilantes?...🤔
You are then by definition extremely easily offended. Solves nothing. Helps no one. I suggest a gym membership or a long walk.
Like I mentioned, I'm surprised that was what was said, but moreso wondering if this is an island-wide policy. I understand the sentiment of what may have been what he intended to say. Just not sure I got that from what was said.
@@HelloFromHawaii I think (from what I’ve seen via other vids on this subject) the mayor was trying to get citizen watch groups going to help combat the issue. Without that context, his comment comes across as being open to all kinds of interpretations.
Perfect
Police and schools here ignore small infractions/bad-behavior, so the kids (and some adults) snow ball (as older individuals) to worse and worse actions/behavior… crimes. Enforce rules. Enforce the law. Leeway leads to no moral compass.
And this is where it comes down to policies, which are only as good as they are enforced.
I think the mayor meant, “Help us, help you. Tell us what you feel would be effective changes.”
Maybe. That would be a little more encouraging.
Vote him out. What a twit!
Incidentally, I agree with everything you said. Bravo!!
😆 Brah, no need fo' name calling. lol
@@HelloFromHawaii
😆🎉. I had to resort. It needed to be said.
Only the worst get it good.
😆
@@HelloFromHawaii
Sorry 🤣
Calling names is desperation when there's no basis.
Naming accurate description
is different.
😉
You know who committed the crime call crime stoppers.
Crime will never stop in Hawaii it will get worse there is no Paradise anymore it will become a crime state the original Aloha anymore I feel sorry for the children there's no future in Hawaii anymore for them
I wouldn't say there is no future, but it's getting increasingly more difficult.
That was some terrible wording from the mayor, very easy to be miss interpreted. I doubt he is suggesting for people to take up arms and take on crime on their, own. I think he just wants people to rat on each other, see something say something kinda thing. But Waianae aint about that. You are right that this would not fly in places like Hawaii Kai or Kailua. Plus people in those affluent communities already call the cops on any little thing they see. I just dont see Waianae sitting buddy buddy with HPD, regardless of all the lifted toyota's with thin blue line stickers out that way.
West side is known to be rougher.
I don’t think you are correctly interpreting what the Mayor said. The problem with Waianae is that no one is willing to come forward when they witness a crime, due to retaliation. The community needs to come together and report crime and stand together. Only then can you change the attitudes of those in Waianae who have been doing whatever they want for years.
Grew up in Oahu, left to California at age 32 and to think of it Waianae is small the gov can easily fix this but wont. Overall I think Hawaii can fix this kind of things all the way to the economy but wtf some things is being hold back. This is probably why people are leaving Hawaii, things can be fix or solved but gov politicians etc not doing s**t.
they keep voting the same way though. lmao. It wont change.
Hawai’i Kai and other communities do neighborhood watch and the mayor was not saying that Waianae should “handle everything by yourselves” it’s a touchy situation for sure but I think the mayors idea was to empower the community to take action to help prevent crime in lawful ways. I think you’re generalizing a little bit too much when you say ‘take matters into your own hands’ like the mayor wants vigilante posse’s to run down the evil doers. We know Waianae has a crime problem but it’s not everyone’s fault and it’s certainly not the cops fault. Could the Mayor assign more resources to the area, of course but that still doesn’t mean that crime statistics will go down in any meaningful way.
Mahalo for the comment. I'm not sure if the Mayor offered any suggestions on how the community could handle. Perhaps that was later in his town hall meeting. But I do think if you're going to challenge a community to do that, it would help to provide some suggestions or ideas (or maybe solicite ideas from the community) on how that could happen.
It’s a Hawaii problem! For starters, we’re short of at least 400 plus police officers, Crime, homeless ness everywhere, filth everywhere, poorly maintained infrastructures (sidewalks, roads, bridges, Airport runways and the list can go on and on. HTA wonders why tourism is down….
I heard that recruitment went up for police officers, maybe in part because of the $25,000 hiring bonus.
So, lets just compare litter to crime, 1:1, for a thought experiment. Now places like kailua, or hawaii kai, where everyone drives, has good jobs, and have access to trash cans that are serviced, there is no litter to pile up in the first place.
So while people are scratching their head about trying to get rid of litter in waianae, the problem can't even come to exist in other places. So just doing a litter clean up, even periodically, will never solve the problem. because the problem is a systemic problem.
It's kinda how half of all crime in america is just people from the hood doing the crime to each other over and over again. It's hard to even consider that crime when it's so isolated from society. If you never go into the hood, you will never be under that increased risk, and also even if you do go to the hood, people won't target you because they usually just target their frienemies and neighbors because they know their targets wont snitch to the cops.
So really waianae doesn't have a crime problem. It's an isolated ghetto, full of too many people with no jobs, that don't have anything to their name besides time. Businesses don't go there because theres no money there and the road and logistic access is ass. There's no property for development because the terrain is sloped with everyone owning all the land. No one wants to go in and out of it because the highway access is so bad. Waianae has a economic problem with crime being a symptom.
Really they just need to build a 8 lane highway through out the whole thing and it will instantly kill traffic and open the locals to coming to the rest of the island for work. No one is wants to sit in traffic 15 hours a week for their 9-5
Drove through there for the first time in 20 years today... and was shocked that the town has let squatters take over most the parks. Why should any pay attention to the law when they have blatant violations staring in their face everyday ? You completely missed what the mayor was saying... what he was saying was if you want us to stamp downtime don't raise a ruckus when we arrest someone. The citizens set the tone, you can't have soft on crime policies and expect low crime. The public has to support the clean up or it is doomed to fail.
What a terrible mayor
We have neighborhood watch. Seems to help with chronics and squatters. Everyone watches out for everyone else.
That's good to hear.
My Cousin was Killed gunned down just recently Miguel jr 17 years old. We need to work together as local people to incorporate the Aloha spirit and respect in the homes.
Sorry about your loss.
walk da walk talk da talk . consider a mayor office in area. " different animal " at da end of da road Waianae big place
Not having seen the entire interview clip, it looks uncaring and a dangerous suggestion. On the other hand, the Mayor may have been overwhelmed by the questions resulting in this poorly thought out response. To use Oakland as an example, it's true, the police can't be everywhere. And there are so many phone cameras now, that the police may be hesitant to take more active engagement and solutions. So what's the long term solution? More taxes? Let's hope not. What is true is that respect and fear of consequences from the law and law enforcement is at an all time low. The genie has been let out of the bottle by politicians and it will be close to impossible to repair that in the short term.
The county had a tough time when they tried putting up camera's for speeding. They are trying again. Blaming the residents of the West Side is not the same tone when the Manoa residents asked him their concerns for handling the problems in their community. Is that tone used for why there's recent activity in Kalihi, Ala Moana, Waikiki, and elsewhere. The surge in violence on the island has increased, of which the allowing of more weapons is one change. It doesn't mean it is the cause, but in all the years of Police Chiefs and the gun restrictions, the number of shootings weren't as numerous as now. If the county thinks putting up cameras is going to deter crime, homeowners have cameras, but break-ins still occur. It is not the cameras but the response speed of the law enforcement that will be a major factor. Catching the criminals, prosecuting criminals and convicting them to a sentence might help to reduce the crime.
I'm not sure what the long-term solutions are, but they will probably take longer than any mayor's term. It's going to take real commitment on the part of multiple administrations to turn things around for not just Waianae, but the entire island.
When I was young most of the crime in Waianae was racially motivated with local youth (mokes and blalahs) going after tourist and military personnel. It was a "Locals Only" part of the island. I don't think the mayor is advocating groups of vigilantes to patroling the streets. It's more that the residents who still care to take ownership of the problem and re-educate the local trash that just want to cause troubles and blame others for their problems by committing crime as a means of projection and dominance out of abject despair.
Not bad bro.
Great perspective. I really don't know what the Mayor was implying, as I just heard what was stated in the video. I do hope that the residents can find ways that involve more passive approaches.
Hey Man , very good video . I can do better editing in your videos which can help you to get more engagement in your videos . Pls lmk what do you think ?
Thanks for the offer, but I'm satisfied with the editing. 🤙
Who said it was?