As director of the Honolulu Museum of Art, I have many people talk to me about the homeless community that now lives across Beretania Street from the front entrance of the museum.
First, let’s remember that the "Occupy Honolulu" protest group settled in part at Thomas Square because it was deemed a protest zone during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference.
I have to confess when they first settled in, they were a pretty articulate and respectful group. I think that an organized social protest has a place in our civic life; indeed it can be an indication of a vibrant culture.
I also was not too upset because, initially, they displaced a group of aggressive homeless people who at times harassed museum visitors. The Occupy folks seemed like the better option.
Over the last months, the situation has changed. The active, articulate group of political protesters is now an encampment of homeless people, some of them struggling with untreated mental health and drug dependency issues. I note that they simply reflect ills in our community.
The museum welcomes thousands of guests and we are not making a good impression. Indeed, I am at a loss as to how to explain the situation to visiting dignitaries and the general public.
While I have compassion for the settlers, it is a major negative for our visitors’ experience of the museum — and their experience of Honolulu.
So here is my fear. We all work together and figure out how to remove the homeless from the park and then nothing more happens. The truth is that Thomas Square had major issues before the Occupy Honolulu protest, and will continue to have problems unless all people are made to feel welcome in the park.
While we often speak about the park in terms of homelessness or political protests, I would encourage us to aim higher. Thomas Square is one of the city’s most historically significant places and, in my opinion, deserves significant civic investment. It breaks my heart that such an important place is a source of civic embarrassment.
I dream about Thomas Square as a park where all people feel welcome and its unique place in Hawaiian history is honored.
I imagine a well-maintained park with great sculpture, magnificent trees, engaging water features, space for community use — and, yes, even the occasional political protest. I do not know if this is best done via the City and County, the state, the museum or a nonprofit group.
Right now, the natural supporters of investment into the park are the landowners around the park, the dog walkers (who have a very healthy community), Hawaiians who deeply care about the history, civic groups that use the park and, of course, the Honolulu Museum of Art.
I am currently meeting with community groups about the future of the museum. All of the groups have brought up the need for Thomas Square to be a healthy center that is enjoyed by many people. It is the front yard for the Honolulu Museum of Art. Thomas Square should be to the museum what other great civic parks are to city art museums — I think of Millennium Park and The Art Institute of Chicago, Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and Ueno Park and the great museums of Tokyo.
I think there is community will to transform the park into a highlight of Honolulu. Oddly, it is perhaps the current problems that will allow us to dream and find a lasting solution that brings out the best in all of us.
