The third story in Stewart Yerton’s series on the situation of residential tenants in Union Plaza, a 9-story commercial building in downtown Honolulu, was published this morning (“Honolulu Officials Are Doing Little To Help ‘Hell-Hole’ Tenants“). It documents the abysmal failure of the system to respond to the situation. Although courts have ruled in favor of tenants and ordered changes, these court orders have not been enforced. Police, elected officials, and other agencies have managed to tip-toe around the need for action.
Here are links to Yerton’s earlier stories in Civil Beat:
October 1: They Signed Up For Co-Living In Honolulu And Got A ‘Hell Hole’
November 10: ‘Hell-Hole’ Building Tenants Gain Traction In Court As Conditions Deteriorate
But while public officials and government agencies are missing in action, others have stepped up.
Honolulu Tenants Union has been a presence in the building, offering education on the laws of tenants rights and helping to spread the story of what’s going on in the building.
Food Not Bombs Oahu, a group that for years has fed the hungry and homeless on Sunday evenings at Thomas Square. “Solidarity Not Charity” is their motto.
And legendary Hawaiian songwriter and musician, Liko Martin, along with longtime Hawaiian Peace activist and musician, Laulani Teale, have quietly emerged as key participants, using music, along with their simple presence, to lessen tensions and seek peaceful solutions.
Here are two of many videos available online, either on YouTube or Instagram. Additional video can be found on the YouTube channel of @Aloharevolution.
The first video was made at a gathering at the building on Thursday evening, November 20. It provides an overview of the situation through stories of tenants and supporters.
This is an excerpt from a longer video made last week at Union Plaza with Liko Martin and Laulani Teale, who said they try to be there at crucial times to diffuse some of the hostility, which reaches dangerous levels.
“It could get somebody killed, it is that tense,” Teale said.
“But it’s really awesome to be restoring some kind of calm and peace, what we’ve been trying to do,” she said.
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Here’s the playbook: Tennent complains about the overflowing cesspool, calls it a health and safety issue, stops paying rent. Landlord says, I am sorry, current law prevents me from fixing the cesspool and I cannot afford the $50,000 to put in a septic system. It is best for both of us that you just move out now. Tennent says, no. I will stay here rent free and sue you for forcing me or tricking me into live in an unhealthful environment. Landlord says, I am sorry, you are free to move out. Tennent says no I like living here rent free while I sue you.
Perhaps. But how about other factors. Landlord recruits tenants and accepts rent knowing that he did not have needed permits from city. Some tenants accept offers to do work in the building to offset part of their rent, and do the work. Landlord, trying to hide from city citations, turns off electricity to force tenants out without refunding their rents or paying for their labor, hires muscle as backup in case utility shut-off doesn’t work. And perhaps I’m confused, but an overflowing cesspool is a health and safety issue, not just “called” that by the tenant.
Lol, that is all true too. Bottom line is very few can afford to rent in Hawaii, and being a landlord is terrible. The situation is almost spiraling out of control. Liko is right. There is difficulty finding aloha in this environment.
Yes, we’ve heard enough horror stories to agree that being a landlord is terrible. We made clear decisions along the way in our own lives to avoid become landlords, and looking back we are clear that these were the right choices.
The only person operating by any kind of “playbook” is the Landlord.
As a recent tenant of this building, I can confidently report that no tenants sued the Landlord for any conditions within the building before the Landlord disconnected the power to the building.
The Landlord is trying to push a narrative in which the tenants are in the wrong in this situation, and it’s just not true.
I find it interesting and also disturbing how many people aure automatically jumping to the conclusion that the tenants are somehow not the victims here but the perpetrators, or that they are at least partially to blame.