Police officers, county workers and service providers assist homeless campers remove their belongings in front of the Kona Aquatics Center Wednesday morning. (Courtesy photo/Special to West Hawaii Today)
Despite demands from the American Civil Liberties Union Hawaii to stop park enforcement of homeless campers, police, Department of Parks and Recreation staff, and service agencies cleared homeless from the area fronting the Kona Aquatics Center early Wednesday morning.
After clearing 23 individuals from Hale Halawai on May 24, Hope Services issued a statement on its Instagram account that read “houseless sweeps are violence” and called upon the community to take action against the sweeps.
On Friday, ACLU Legal Director Wookie Kim sent a letter to Mayor Mitch Roth, Parks and Recreation Director Maurice Messina, Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz, and Corporation Counsel Elizabeth Strance stating in part that “when houseless people in the county have no safe place to go without being subjected to the county’s laws that punish sheltering in public spaces — enforcement actions like the Hale Halawai sweep and the planned sweeps violate the mandates of the U.S. and Hawaii constitutions.”
The letter continued to demand the county stop the homeless sweeps, including the one that eventually took place on Wednesday.
Although the homeless at both Hale Halawai and Kona Aquatics Center were given notice weeks in advance of the sweeps, and signs were erected stating prohibited activities at county parks, Kim said it wasn’t legally sufficient.
On Tuesday, Kim would not comment on what actions would be taken if the county went ahead with the sweeps.
Moszkowicz said it is a delicate situation.
“We can’t help people who don’t want help,” he said. “We are rule followers and are moving ahead with park enforcement. And it’s not just with the homeless.”
When police arrived at Kona Aquatics Center early Wednesday morning, 17 individuals were still camping along the sidewalk. Of those, 13 received services from on site providers Hope Services, Hawaii Island Community Health Center, 808 Homeless Taskforce and Care Hawaii. In addition, 808 Homeless Taskforce was able to relocate one family and one individual who approached them while they were offering services.
“These people did not experience violence, they experienced kindness,” said Regina Weller, president of 808 Homeless Taskforce.
Kailua Village Business Improvement District Executive Director Ross Wilson Jr. praised the county for cleaning up the parks, which are here for all of the community.
“The county’s approach to enforcing its Park rules are to be commended. The county worked with the social service agencies ahead of time to alert them that many of the folks living in the park would need services and help. The social service agencies responded and many campers left the park of their own accord. The county gave the folks living at Hale Halawai lots of notice. There were no surprises. The county offered to store their belongings. There were no takers. There were also no arrests. The county was compassionate in their approach,” he said.
Wilson said Kailua Village Business Improvement District fully supports the county enforcing their park rules to make the parks safe and for everyone’s enjoyment.
“Hale Halawai and the Kona Aquatic Center are tremendous community resources. We encourage everyone in the community to use the county parks during the designated hours. Kailua Village Business Improvement District doesn’t support anyone living in the county parks,” said Wilson
Paul Norman, executive director, Neighborhood Place of Puna, said nobody wants people living on the streets.
“There are no shelter spaces. It’s about building trust and relationships. Let’s do it in a coordinated effort,” he said. “If the County leadership really wants to end homelessness, they need to aggressively prioritize truly affordable housing and supportive services. Sweeps are cruel, and they don’t work. That’s the bottom line.”
In a media release, Norman stated Carrie Ho‘opi‘i, Hope Services’ Outreach Team Leader, said “People are afraid to engage. It’s hard to trust anyone on the outside when you are afraid that officers will wake you up at 4 a.m. and force you out into the night.”
Hawaii County Council member Rebecca Villegas district includes the areas that have been cleared of encampments. She has heard repeatedly from her constituents about the problems the camps have created for families and park users.
“I am deeply grateful for Mayor Roth’s courage and his decision to proceed with the responsible and appropriate park rules enforcement operation at the Kona Aquatics Center earlier today,” she said on Wednesday. “I am astounded by the false accusations made by Community Alliance Partners and Hope Services in an attempt to sabotage today’s operation by falsely reporting the nature of these operations to the ACLU. I am especially confounded by their actions when they were just allocated millions of dollars to provide services to the people in our community experiencing homelessness. I will continue to support the departments, agencies and people participating in these productive and pono operations.”
Community Policing Sgt. Brandon Mansur was at Wednesday’s operation.
“No persons were removed. Folks packed up and left voluntarily and very cooperatively, while being offered assistance from our partners.
No persons were arrested, and no persons were issued citations. We are there to help people, while also making the park safe for all,” he said.
“Today’s park rules enforcement effort at the Kona Community Aquatic Center reflects our unwavering commitment to safety, compassion, and the well-being of our community,” said Roth in a written statement. “We are not embarking on malicious sweeps; we are upholding the law while providing vital services and resources to enhance the quality of life for those affected by it. By working together with dignity and aloha, we are building a future where our public spaces are safe, clean, and inclusive for everyone.”