Things Under The Rug
Thoughts on Things I Observe
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Thoughts on Things I Observe 〰️
So I’m nineteen and from the East Coast. I have been on Oahu for about two months. My goal here is to get involved in the community, figure out the needs, and try to meet them or at least begin to meet them where they are. I am staying not far from Waikiki, a beautiful city where tourists and first generations meet. The beach is fun, lots of college students, and there is generally a safe atmosphere. Honolulu Police are friendly and present. As well as security, often creating a welcoming environment. It is good, and it is inviting. Vacations are brief; fresh faces come and go. Everyone is friendly!
I hope it makes someone reading this take an extra minute to think about things under the rug.
I went to Chinatown here in Honolulu for the first time and made some of my friends who grew up here gasp because they suggest I avoid it at all costs… but I’ll share a few things I observed:
It felt like I was brought back in time. Lots of old brick buildings and the streets were perfectly paved and looked like they maybe get swept often. Not many cars and none to line the street. Some buildings had little grass courtyards where people came to worship Budha. The grass was always well-kept. Things looked well maintained but equally falling apart. The majority of the buildings were slightly tilted over. Shingles and all signs were hanging loosely. There were 24-hour massage parlors around every corner.
Let’s talk about the massage parlors. They predominately sit facing the business district with the police department around the block. Every business had one locked door, no walk-ins, and an employee lingering behind the door to let the customers in.
The massage parlors were strange to me, so when I returned, I asked a few friends if they had heard anything about them. How could they stay in business?? Especially with so much competition. I was then told that my friend and her mom walked into one once, not realizing it was a massage parlor. They had thought it was a store and were promptly told to leave. But they got a glimpse of the room and claimed they saw little cubicle sections along the walls with twin-size beds and what I suppose were missuses standing next to the beds.
Strange... I asked around some more, hearing similar accounts, and was curious if things would get reported to the police… even though the police department is maybe 800 feet away. Anyway, I was met with confusion and then frustration. Building code violations and zoning code violations wouldn’t allow twin-size beds in commercial buildings when there are no windows to escape from... fire hazard right?
Found a Yellow Pages book at a thrift store from the early 2000s. Was met with about a page and a half dedicated to escort businesses.
Honolulu police department has more sway than the state police.
The previous Honolulu police chief resigned. She was a woman.
She replaced the other chief of police because he and his wife, who was in a high position in legislation (she decided how the duration of imprisonment for felons) got arrested for drug trafficking and embezzling money.
Also, there were suspicious deaths in their family. Some police under them supposedly left the island or went to the mainland.
Police get randomly transferred out of their area and are rarely permitted to transfer back in.
When HPD does rescue operations, children who run away from foster homes to their grandparents’ houses will be marked as trafficking victims in statistical categories.
I also noticed some things in the homeless community.
There are homeless encampments across from an elementary school
I worked with a large church to deliver Christmas gifts to the students at this elementary school. They had a professional camera person. They got lots of pictures. The kids were happy.
A few weeks later, I worked at the homeless encampment. Said "Hi" to a few kids I met at Christmas. Gave out new camping gear and batteries.
Talked with families and people living in a tent city. Every tent was occupied, and there was a public pantry within the tent city. Almost every structure had a few or more dogs chained to their home. The pathway around the property was swept regularly. People were coming home from work when I was there. Multiple generations of families lived there. Held a few new babies. Cleaned wounds for a few people. Is CPS aware of these things? Can the police do anything? What about the dogs, can they be taken somewhere?
The “city” was zoned out into 6 large sections.
Honestly, there is a lot more than this, but for now, this is all I think I should share. How would you help these situations?
