The leadership team at Kamehameha Schools has come under what I consider unfair attack recently.

So many in the public are quick to judge and jump to conclusions without asking for more information or questioning the ever-present social media misinformation mill.

I appreciate that CEO Jack Wong has been willing to take the heat from the public to protect the victims of this terrible tragedy from as much media exposure as possible. The recent apologies from both Wong and Chairman Micah Kane were to the Kamehameha ohana, yet those critics who were demanding this apology then shared it with the world.

To take the time to sit with these alumni and listen, cry and pule, proves how far Kamehameha has come. To continue to dwell in the past is counterproductive.

Let’s move forward, look to the future and give these alumni the privacy they deserve and let the healing begin. I believe — I know — that my school will and is doing the right thing.

Brendon Kalei‘aina Lee

Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association, O‘ahu Region president

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Use native trees, not Manoa monkeypods

Moving to Hawaii in 1962, I found Mayor Neal Blaisdell and his “ABC” (Action for Beautification Committee) busy with The Outdoor Circle trying to plant thousands of rainbow shower trees in Honolulu to make it “more beautiful.”

Now a half century later, Hawaii has slowly come to embrace using and planting native or endemic flora instead of haole imports. Monkeypod, banyan and other trees were all the rage in the 19th century as “shade trees” in barren Honolulu.

Manoa Marketplace, like other developments from the 1960s and 1970s, saw the planting of monkeypod trees to shade parking areas. It is sad that there are now “tree huggers” who want to preserve and protect these foreign trees (“Making a plea for the trees,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 4).

Alexander & Baldwin should remove the monkeypod and replace them with something native and appropriate to Manoa Valley.

Willis H.A. Moore

Downtown Honolulu

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Social-fabric decay at core of problems

I wonder when the Star-Advertiser, local government and University of Hawaii social scientists will acknowledge the fraying of our aloha spirit, especially among certain young adults and teenagers.

News stories tell the tale: A 94-year-woman robbed. Innocents killed. Objects thrown at a tour bus. Well-educated young people destroying federally protected species.

Society is too busy to be outraged or recognize a decaying social fabric and lost trust. We accept that some of our young grew up without a conscience, lack respect, have no values, and live without fear of consequences. We become insular, retreating into our devices and locked homes while becoming helicopter parents.

I recall days of yore when we did not lock homes and cars, and belongings on the beach were untouched. No longer.

The main reason just might be no fear of God. Of course, the response to that thought alone will generate far more outrage than acknowledging something is wrong in our society.

Jim McDiarmid

Mililani

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Kahala joggers bear responsibility, too

My cycling friends and I are in full accord that there’s an element of rogue cyclists who should realize the dangers to which they expose themselves and others by their hazardous behavior (“Reckless bicyclists may cause accidents,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Jan 2).

In regard to the letter writer’s close call on Kahala Avenue, though, I believe that joggers bear some responsibility for their own safety.

Kahala Avenue lacks sidewalks and there’s a patchwork of hardscapes, driveways and landscapes for joggers to navigate, so it’s not surprising that many take to the streets. They should be mindful, however, that the roadways are the legal province of autos and cyclists.

My cycling friends and I traverse Kahala Avenue and sometimes encounter joggers running two abreast or solo, fully occupying the limited safe space available.

They have always yielded the right-of-way, but being squeezed between cars approaching from the rear and joggers or parked cars on the right is unpleasant and unsafe.

Ron Kodama

Mililani

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Everyone needs to help pick up trash

If each one of the hundreds of people who enjoy walking Kailua Beach carried a small bag to pick up beach trash, what a difference it would make.

On New Year’s Day, I walked from Kalama Beach Park to Castle Point and the amount of trash was astonishing. It was encouraging to see other seniors doing their part, but discouraging to see how many young people were indifferent to the trash around them.

For those of us with arthritis, bending is a form of exercise. For those with children, it could be a learning experience on maintaining the areas we love.

I hope we can all start the new year doing something positive.

Emilia Thomas

Kailua

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Equip vehicles with ambulance alerts

Every metro area is replete with congestion and urban noise. Add in frequent emergency sirens, and you have Ala Wai Boulevard in Waikiki. Thousands are impacted.

I have a great idea: Every motorized vehicle should have a beeper or flashing light embedded in or adjacent to its rear-view mirror, and activated by the ambulance a block behind. A similar technology already exists in restaurant beepers. Let’s endow a University of Hawaii engineering class to complete this idea. Pedestrians could be alerted simply with the ambulance’s horn.

Murray Leslie

Waikiki