The exuberant Night in Chinatown Festival returns to Honolulu’s Chinatown this weekend. And this year, Chinatown’s residents and businesses may well feel they have reason to celebrate, as improvements in the district’s safety and cleanliness quotient are evident.
More work by city government and members of the community is needed — it will still be necessary to watch your back and your belongings when walking Chinatown streets after the festival ends, and you’ll need to watch your step (and hold your nose) passing certain doorways. But there’s a spirit of change in play that invites guarded optimism.
The return of the Chinatown festival on Saturday,
9 a.m. to 10 p.m., is one favorable sign. Last held in 2019 but canceled for the next three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s produced this year by a new group of volunteers, and will be sited in a new location, along Beretania Street from Maunakea Street to Aala Park. At 4:30 p.m., a parade welcoming the Lunar New Year will begin at the state Capitol and bang down Hotel Street to Aala Park. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce hosts its events at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza tonight, 5-10 p.m., and Saturday,
10 a.m.-10 p.m.
The celebrations herald the Year of the Rabbit, Jan. 22. They are also excellent examples of the way that cultural activities that draw people together in public “activate” a neighborhood so that its residents and visitors feel safe and welcome.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi made a commitment to address Chinatown’s problems of crime, homelessness, trash and waste upon his election, but pandemic restrictions and safety protocols hampered much action until last year. The coming year will test his ability to deliver more fully on that commitment.
The city has launched a coordinated effort between the Honolulu Police Department (HPD), city Prosecutor’s Office and social service providers to “Weed and Seed” Chinatown, coupling more aggressive arrests for drug offenses with the offer of drug treatment and housing support. There’s evidence that the approach is working: Crime rates fell significantly in 2022, as compared with the previous year.
Blangiardi has pointed to better cooperation between HPD, prosecutors and the judiciary as an effective way to get drug dealers and petty criminals off the streets; this approach should be continued, and continuously refined.
On Jan. 4, the mayor announced that the city was allocating $647,000 from federal COVID-19 relief funds to augment police coverage in Chinatown, acknowledging that problems persist.
The city has been noticeably falling short in placing police officers’ feet on the ground in Chinatown, placing the blame on staff and budget shortages. HPD must run with this new funding to establish a visible, and reliable presence. And the city’s support for law enforcement must continue.
This week, speaking on the Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” online program, Blangiardi noted that of 26 security cameras previously installed in Chinatown, only one is currently working; while the cameras by themselves don’t deter crime, they help police document crimes and prosecutors pursue penalties. The city ordered 52 cameras last year, the mayor said, but supply chain issues have been a problem; now, the first six have been delivered.
Providing housing for Chinatown’s unsheltered population and more targeted, effective drug treatment services also are essential parts of the solution. The city has work to do to build those services up, and must do so with urgency.
Hope springs eternal, especially with a new year. Gung Hee Fat Choy, Chinatown!
