Citizens Meet To Stop Drugs In Kahaluu

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KEY Project will host a Kahaluu-Waihee Neighborhood Security Watch meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 tonight (Nov. 4) at 47-200 Waihee Road, marking the third such “Stop Drugs in Our Community"meeting at KEY to help clean up the area from the Hygienic Store banyan tree to Kahaluu Regional Park.

Residents are urged to attend and voice their concerns about crime and traffic in their neighborhoods. Information on District 4 community policing, the security watch program and the Citizens Patrol Program also will be presented, followed by community clean-up day Nov. 11, which is Veterans Day.

“We’re just seeing too much drugs around the banyan tree area, and it’s got to stop,” said Kahaluu Neighborhood Board vice chairman Arthur Machado at a strategy meeting held last week.“Too often we just blame people and don’t take it upon ourselves to make things better, and it’s time we started taking some responsibility for our community.

“We really just want input from the residents here. We need to help crack down on substance abuse, dumping and other illegal activities.We’ve got to get our community back and especially fight anything to do with drugs.”

Several of the 27 stakeholders at the Oct. 28 meeting also addressed the congestion and drug dealing observed at the entrance to the regional park, stating that the park gate should be moved to the makai end of Waihee Road and the park’s hours enforced. The park is supposed to be closed to the public at 8 p.m. daily.

“People still find a way to get in there around gaps in the fences, and something needs to be done about that,” Machado said.

Howard Kahue, executive director of Rebuilders Addictions Ministry, said that RAM is willing to help out in any way possible to help secure and clean up Kahaluu.

“At our church we have a security guard that we’re willing to have walk the park hourly, especially at night, seven days a week. We’ll have him call the police anytime he sees questionable activity,” Kahue said. “We really have a burden to help this park because of the children that go there. I’ve gone to the park and seen baggies on the ground and people sleeping out there, and it’s just not a good sight for children to take in. But the people that are doing this are not all bad people - some of them are just suffering from an addiction, and that’s it.”

RAM is a faith-based addictions program in Kahaluu. Its members attempt to change lives, restore families and impact communities using Biblical principles.

Other suggestions included extending a rail along the roadside in front of the banyan tree, Hygienic Store and Windward Baptist Church and possibly installing a camera security system at strategic locations in the immediate area to record illegal or suspicious activity.

People also were concerned about where the lines lie between state, city and private property and how to reduce the congestion caused by vendors in the area. Working with the city Department of Parks and Recreation and the state Department of Transporta-tion is vital.

Kevin Akana, pastor of Windward Baptist Church (adjacent to Hygienic Store) and president of RAM, said that these frustrations extend beyond Kahaluu.

“Addiction is so strong that we can clean up that area all we want, but these guys are going to go somewhere. They’re going to do drugs until they get caught, and sometimes beyond that,” Akana said.

“The banyan tree situation is just touchy. When we call the police, these drug addicts will get off of our property and just go to the state side. Then, when we call again, they just come back over to our side. It’s a back and forth. We’ve put up so many chains and poles and they just keep getting run over and knocked down. It’s a shame.”

Police Det. Sam Asui said that HPD has been doing all it can to catch offenders in the area. “It’s hard because a lot of these dealers make it a family business, so if they don’t know you, they won’t sell to you. So it makes it hard for us (detectives) to make a buy and catch these guys in the act,” he said. “They smart ... smarter than they are town side.

“What we need are informants. We don’t care if they’re your auntie, uncle, brother, whatever.A lot of people don’t want to come forward, but what you can do is go to http://www.honolulu.gov, and then look up Police, Narcotics/Vice Division, and click ‘Report Suspicious Activity.‘Put whatever you got: license plates, names, addresses ... and the bottom line is that you don’t have to leave your name. It’s anonymous. We just need it so that we can present hard copy evidence to our superiors and get these guys. It makes our case stronger.”

State Sen. Clayton Hee and Rep. Jessica Wooley also noted their concern for the issues raised at the Oct. 28 meeting.

“It’s really great to see everyone coming forward and taking steps to take back the community,“Wooley said. “On the state level, we will be partners to the extent that we can, so anything we can do to help we will. Just let us know and we’ll be there.”

“I think what we can do is work on that guard rail for sure and move the gate at the park forward,” said Hee. “There’s no shortage of things to do in this district, and the resources are here. It’s just always so unfortunate when so few make it so bad for so many.”

For details and updates on future meetings, call Machado at 845-4111 or KEY Project executive director John Reppun at 239-5777.