Vandals in paradise

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Dear Editor,

Having had some exposure to the media and recognizing the potential of a grass fire turning into a forest fire, I submit this to add awareness and to help young men and women with potentially bright futures to avoid inappropriate actions (e.g., egg throwing incident in Lanikai last year).

My wife Susan and son Kalen, 5, live at the corner of Hualani Street and Kainalu Drive where, over the last five years, groups of people have congregated late at night in a small area within our property line (just outside of a 5-and-ahalf-foot wall). Early every morning Kalen and I clean up food containers, cigarettes, cigars, mini Zip-lock bags normally used for illicit drugs, liquor and beer bottles and general trash. The process has been a good education for Kalen. I haven’t taken any overt action, thinking that these people will outgrow what they’re doing and move on to productive lives.

Recently, however, they have systematically started to break off multiple sprinkler heads that are within my property. Kalen and I replaced the first broken one as a learning experience for my son. The same night, the newly installed sprinkler head was broken off again. The next night another sprinkler head was broken off that will require a belowground remedy. I talked with HPD and made them aware of the situation. They have been very helpful and motivated to assist.

The next level of intrusion has gotten more of my attention as my family is now at risk. The unidentified people have now been climbing over my perimeter wall and have accomplished the following: (1) unhooked one of my garden hoses and rearranged it in disarray around on the side of my house and (2) cut down a palm tree and placed it against the large mango tree in my back yard.

Being fairly versed in people skills, I wrote a letter, enclosed it in an envelope with the word “Aloha” on the front, and taped it to the center of the nightly “gathering area.” The letter was very positive, asking them why they were destroying my property and that I wanted to meet with them to talk about what was at issue. The next morning, Kalen and I found the letter ripped in half where I had left it. That same night, I talked with a police officer newly assigned from Waianae. He was very supportive of achieving a solution to stop the destructive behavior that would not result in a police record for anyone involved. The next step is unknown, as we do not know what will happen next.

All my family wants is peace and tranquility in one the most beautiful places in the world. This type of stress is not good for anyone.

I write this letter in an effort to raise the consciousness of the Kailua community as other families may be experiencing similar issues.

George Smith Jr.
Kailua