Back on May 30, 2015, I commented on the stupidity of arresting tourists for being on Waikiki Beach at night (“Here we go again with the unintended consequences“).
That post, in turn, quoted from a Hawaii News Now story:
The city’s crackdown on homelessness in Waikiki — meant to make things nicer for tourists, is causing some visitors big legal problems.
In order to keep the homeless from settling in overnight, the city began closing popular beachfront parks in Waikiki at midnight. A violation brings a criminal citation.
According to the City Prosecutors Office 20 percent of those citations, one in five, is going to visitors, for whom the criminal charge and its mandatory court appearance can be more than just an inconvenience.
Apparently the arrests of tourists trying to enjoy the beach they have paid so much to vacation on, the same beach that our visitor industry packages and sells with such effectiveness, have not ended.
I received an email this week from a woman who vacationed here in December. I think she and her husband are from Canada.
I came across an article you wrote on May 30th about Tourists being slammed with criminal accusations for sitting in certain sections of the beach in Waikiki. On December 15th, my husband and I became 2 of those Tourists.
Not only is this of the most insulting nature, it sounds like it will make us criminals. We cannot attend our court date, as we had to return to Canada. To work. And feed our 3 children.
I was curious to see if, as a Resident of Hawai, you had heard more on the subject and whether there may be a class-action lawsuit going on. It sounds like we are far from the only ones who got trapped in this net. The legal fees will set us back quite a bit to *try* and get the charges dropped.
I was wondering also if you may have resources for us to refer to. I have been unable to reach anyone at the court house to rearrange our court date.
This is beyond silly!
I can’t agree more.
Is there a terrible threat to public order when visitors stroll out of their hotels into the moonlight to enjoy a balmy evening on Waikiki Beach!
Of course not.
As far as I know, the city’s policy remains unchanged, and the various visitor industry associations haven’t provided a “fix” so that tourists can avoid suddenly having criminal records. Their crime: Enjoying their Hawaii vacations!
So I don’t have anything encouraging to report back to this couple.
What should I tell them?
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That our political and legal system are a very u-funny joke?
un-funny joke. Sorry
We all know government folks read your column. I find the silence of their responses deafening.
Well, it’s Saturday. Maybe someone will comment on Monday.
Ian –
Permission please to quote portions of your blog entry on my website.
Thanks.
Not a problem. Please do.
While it’s easy to believe that idiocy reigns, it’s important to seek facts rather than make assumptions.
You use the word “arrests.” But neither the original story nor the email refer to arrests. The first referenced citations, the second is unclear but an arrest seems very unlikely. There is a significant difference.
The specific facts are also important. Were any of those cited warned first? How many were actually tourists? Out of state ID does not equal “tourist.” It can also equal “druggie bum,” especially in Waikiki. Were any drinking or committing other violations? Regarding your emailers, it seems at least possible that the cops actually cut them some slack and wrote them up for violating closure hours rather than something a little more serious.
I really don’t know. And neither do you. It’s sure possible that Waikiki cops are out of control. But it’s also possible that your knee jerketh over.
In the meantime, both the City and State administrations can’t keep the determined homeless out of Kakaako Park. They immediately come back when removed. Homeless have also ruined Stadium Park. It used to be a pleasant rest spot for families cooped up in the apartments in the area. Now the homeless have taken it over to the point where no one else wants to go there. Someone who lives nearby said the other day, “The state should just sell that land to build high rises, since it’s no longer a decent park.”
Ian- I would tell these folks to ignore the summons; I doubt that our government wishes to create an international incident by extraditing Canadian visitors for sitting on the beach. The City has shown it has no clue how to deal with our homeless people whilst not killing the golden goose of tourism. This is another misstep by the administration (the idiocy of taking away 2 lanes for the bike lane on King Street is another)
I am not sure that ignoring a summons is good idea now that we live in a police state and people get harassed for any reason at airports. Contact public defenders for assistance.
“Cathy Goeggel” wrote:
“Ian- I would tell these folks to ignore the summons; I doubt that our government wishes to create an international incident by extraditing Canadian visitors for sitting on the beach.”
Ignoring a summons could possibly carry consequences if that person comes back to Hawaii in the future. If he/she has another encounter with the law, even for something like a routine traffic stop, a stopper for any unresolved violation/citation will pop up on the cop computer, and then will come the time for reckoning.
I’ve always been a bit confused on this. My understanding is that while the City can close a beach park, the beach is under the State. Regardless, under shoreline acess rights, doesn’t anyone has the ablility to go on the beach to fish, surf, etc. 24 hours a day?
I can’t see a Canadian couple, with three kids and jobs back home, doing something “more serious” than wanting to be down at the beach in the tropics at night. I suspect their skinny dipping days are slightly behind them, as they are for most of us.
Common sense does not apply here. Following stupid rules is very important……. in a brainwashed bureaucratic state.