10 years after revelation, homelessness still an issue
STAR-ADVERTISER / MARCH 29, 2006
Homeless campters set up tents near Honolulu Police Department headquarters on Beretania Street after they were evicted from Ala Moana Beach Park earlier in the week.
Ten years ago, it was raining.
For 40 days starting in February and going all through March of 2006, it kept coming down on the islands. There were sewage spills and mudslides and potholes. Parts of Kahala Mall were flooded. On the north side of Kauai, Ka Loko dam failed and seven lives were lost in the rushing water.
And Hawaii started talking about homelessness.
On March 27, 2006, about 200 homeless campers were evicted from Ala Moana Beach Park and the city was widely, loudly, angrily criticized for that action.
Before that, homeless people were the lost souls who shuffled around Chinatown and slept in doorways, the working poor who hid their plight by sleeping in their cars or tattered encampments along the Leeward Coast.
But Ala Moana park was highly visible, smack dab in the spot where the business district becomes the tourist district, and in a park where families go to play in gentle waves. The tents could be seen from a lunch table at Mariposa restaurant. The problem was no longer hidden. It was obvious.
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And people were mad when the “unpermitted campers” were evicted.
A hundred homeless people and supporters from churches and outreach agencies marched on City Hall to protest, saying that the homeless had been treated like animals.
“Where are these people supposed to go? Do you have a place for these people?”
The New York Times ran a story that said Hawaii’s homeless problem came to light with that eviction and the subsequent protests.
And ever since, politicians have been using the problem of homelessness as a political weapon, accusing one another of poor planning, lack of foresight and being uncaring — shots to both the head and the heart.
Ten years ago, then-Gov. Linda Lingle blasted then-Mayor Mufi Hannemann for the evictions, saying it showed “no compassion whatsoever.”
Hannemann’s administration countered that the city had to close Ala Moana park to force the state to do something about homelessness. Indeed, in May of that year, Lingle’s team opened a temporary shelter program in Kakaako. … and we know how well that solved the problem.
Ten years later, we realize something we didn’t think about back then: Even if there’s a roof and a cot and van waiting to take them to shelter, many homeless people just don’t want to go.
Ten years later, politicians are still using the issue of homelessness to score points against each other.
Ten years later, angry homeless campers aren’t marching on Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s City Hall to demand their rights, but many march right back to their favorite spot after “compassionate disruption.”
In San Francisco, a city with a long history of homelessness and a reputation for outreach and compassion, people are fed up. Last month, residents and business owners marched on City Hall to say they just can’t take it anymore.
Hawaii, it would seem, isn’t fed up yet. It’s been stormy this week, and there are even more people out in the rain.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
30 responses to “10 years after revelation, homelessness still an issue”
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ok, that is a weird ending
The Obama economy has resulted in many thousands more homeless over the past 7 years, not just in Hawaii but nationwide. If those willing to work were still officially counted, the unemployment rate would approach 10%.
What’s the REAL unemployment rate?
Ever since Obama became the President he takes his vacation in Hawaii. The people from all over the World see him walking around in shorts eating shaved ice in the deep of winter. They come here, no job, probably have mental issues and shabam we have a homeless problem.
Hawaii’s citizens are taxed so heavily that many end up having to choose a roof over their heads or food. Oahu is a little worse than the rest of the State thanks to the rail. It’s no wonder people are struggling to make ends meet here.
Population growth has ruined everything – especially driven up real estate prices to unbearable heights. The owners and realtors love it , the lower income people hate it. But nobody riots against rampant immigration, the root of it all. People just don’t get it.
I’m fed up. I think a lot of people are fed up too. What is the measurement for being fed up? How do we know when everyone is “fed up” The homeless/vagrancy problem is by far the #1 issue facing Honolulu right now. Homeless people are now “camping” in Makiki valley and behind sandwich isles substations in papakolea, under freeway underpasses and in canals under small bridges. The DLNR and the City now don’t respond to complaints, they are overwhelmed. The compassionate disruption solved one problem and created another. Until we have some real vagrancy laws, the problem is going to continue.These people don’t want shelters and they don’t want housing, they actually want to be homeless. Those that need help, get it and the fact shelters are not full reflect this. So it is time for the city and state to do something else, before some really unfortunate things start happening. People are complacent right now because the homeless don’t seem to be bothering anyone, but as they grow in number, they certainly will. It is a matter of time before this unchecked scourge becomes violent and we have something truly horrific to contemplate as a city.
agree…both the City and State have failed miserably to stem the tide. It will get much worse.
City and State can do nothing about it. Even if they fleece taxpayers and build 10000 homes for the homeless, more homeless will just appear as Hawaii is a magnet for all . I estimate that in 10 years we will have over 100000 homeless camping in the city and the beaches.
everytime the city/state does something the ACLU fights back for the homeless people
As long as our politicians designate projects such as trains and money investment development as priority the homeless problem will continue to grow. If bleeding hearts stop feeding them they will steal or do whatever it takes to survive. Survival is human nature even if it means taking what you need by force. Stop the entitlements and charity and provide viable alternatives. This will not go away without action.
What are viable alternatives? If I knew that, want to know how it will help. My input is find out how the homeless got there. There must be a reason why homelessness became a way of life. Could be simple as plain giving up working for living and choosing to live like how the local natives lived at the time Captain James Cook arrived in the islands, fishing, hunting and gatherers with grass shack overhead. The homeless currently prefer to live in an unstructured life, where one need not have to get up early do your morning routines to get ready and set of to a job. Drive to or commute like robots to the job site in the tangled traffic mess. On the job have responsibilities with milestones set by others which means there is a threat of losing your income. Then have to fight the grid-lock again getting home which commands attention for the constant repair and maintenance needed to keep up with the Jones. May have a grouchy wife and bratty kids to bat. Easy way out is to become homeless and be unfettered with the demands of society.
Addendum: Let the Mayor or someone else check on my welfare. Move when needed with the help from the City to clean after the debris left behind, pan handle when hungry and annoy the tourist and enjoy their bewilderment?, check in at the ER when not feeling good or fake passing out and get free ride on the ambulance for entertainment. Free from conventional rules of living and if ordained, die smiling.
More like die smelling!
The recent history of homelessness in this state, let alone nation, can be traced to a single factor– the liberal’s push to stop forced institutionalization for those who are mentally ill and/or chronically homeless. Before the liberals bloomed with their wonderful, Woodstock-inspired ideas in the 60s and 70s, the people had a ready, effective tool at their disposal. Crazy head over there, pi s s ing on himself in public obviously doesn’t belong living on the streets, so let’s use police power, in the name of public safety and health, to place the individual in an institution where he is safe as well as not a danger/nuisance to others. But no, the bleeding heart liberals have run amok, the ACLU now thinks that it is greater than the silent majority public, and we now live with the filth, the sad filth, that is the homeless.
Blame one flew over the cuckoos nest. And the ACLU.
I agree
Bingo! And you know it’s true when you see these extremely disturbed people on the streets talking/screaming to themselves. HOW is this humane?
Yes. It was that famous liberal Ronald Reagan who started the nationwide trend of de-institutionalization (the euphemism was local or community treatment) when he became governor of California in 1967. One of his very first acts was to shut down mental institutions such as the one at Camarillo. Within a couple of weeks, bunches of troubled souls were sitting on street corners in the Bay Area having conversations with Mars or (I witnessed this one) running down the street naked waving a sword. The communities essentially had no resources to deal with bunches of disturbed people and it was a total mess. Reagan’s actions became a model for the nation.
“Proposition 13”
Don’t misrepresent Reagan. Yes he signed the law, but the liberal California legislature was the impetus and created the law. Reagan then defunded many hospitals bc there was less need for them, thaks to said liberal-based law. Again, the liberals/ACLU is at the root of this problem. http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=37;t=001063;p=0
We just don’t have enough people who really care. Too many selfish and greedy people.
Get used to it! 10 years from now it will be even worse.
There have been “Homeless” since Time immemorial; e.g. “Jesus” was born Homeless and died Homeless.
Headlines : Hawaii unemployment lowest ever! Why are we having homeless people with no job? These people need to work for a living, for crying out loud. Get off from taxpayers’ back by supporting your laziness. (Exception: those with real health problem, which, of course, we should help). Gather them around and take them to do weedwacking or clean our streams and rivers. What, too good to be laborers?
The City & State need to “get tough”. Yes, there are people who obviously need assistance – like the old, tiny, frail ladies pushing their belongings about in a shopping cart. Then, there are many like the ones we see in homeless pictures – not old, some young, and able bodied. These people should be cited and placed in makeshift centers like jails – simple, chain link fencing, security, with areas where they can put up their tents. Put these in out-of –the-way places where they won’t be an eyesore and create problems. They will soon learn that they need to start working hard and supporting themselves. Lastly, there are some people with mental problems – put them in mental hospitals.
My guess is that the “real homeless” numbers are small. The majority are lazy bums that want something for nothing.
nailed it
The only solution to establish camps , and make homelessness a crime.unless they go into a camp at night.
A card-carrying NAZI?
There are people all over the world literally dying to be one of them. Hard to help someone who won’t even help themselves.
Because we got stupid and dumber for our politcians. Get smart and #VoteKaaihue