LIHU‘E — Easter Seals was forced to call the police for help last week after a homeless person wandered into one of its classes while in session and became belligerent when asked to leave, says the organization’s Kaua‘i director Ellen
LIHU‘E — Easter Seals was forced to call the police for help last week after a homeless person wandered into one of its classes while in session and became belligerent when asked to leave, says the organization’s Kaua‘i director Ellen Ching.
This was not her office’s first experience with the homeless, she said, but because of the confrontational nature of the incident, it was the first time help from the police was required.
“There used to be some who were sleeping on the lanai when the staff came to work,” Ching said. “Or, we would see them coming out from behind the property when we would come to work.”
But recently, she said they have become bolder — on one occasion, getting into the kitchen and using the microwave to prepare food belonging to the clients.
Then last week, one came and entered the classroom, Ching said.
“When one of the staff asked that person to leave, the individual became huffy, retorting, ‘You folks leave!’ Our first concern is for our participants, so we called the police,” she said.
But the incident didn’t end there. The following morning, there appeared to be retaliatory action because the door to the kitchen was scarred using some kind of sharp object, Ching said.
Retaliation is one of the concerns of business owners who are having to cope with Lihu‘e’s homeless. Another business owner who has also had to rely on police for help in dealing with some members of the homeless population remarked that it is expensive to replace items broken in retaliation.
“While we strive to support the homeless and to bring each individual into a situation where they can access adequate food and shelter, we also recognize that all citizens — including the homeless — must abide by our laws and face consequences if laws are broken,” said Beth Tokioka, the county’s Director of Communications.
Gerald Ako of Hawai‘i Government Employees Association, with headquarters located adjacent to Easter Seals’ Lihu‘e facility, said he used to allow the homeless to sleep on the lanai.
“They would use the outlets, cook and play music,” Ako said. “They were even considerate. Once when we were going to be visited by some O‘ahu people, I explained what was happening and they went away until after the visit.”
Noting some of the recent vandalism on his building, Ako said it probably would not have taken place if the homeless people were still sleeping on the lanai. But HGEA erected a chain-link fence in September to prevent the homeless from using the building.
“It was okay when they were just hanging out,” Ako said. “But when they started drinking (alcoholic beverages) and using the bathroom on the lawn and around the place, that was too much.”
One pastor of a Lihu‘e church also said he used to allow some of the homeless to sleep on the church grounds, but when they started smoking marijuana and drinking, he also drew the line.
Preston Myers, owner of Safari Helicopters, located at the intersection of Aikahi Street and Ahukini Road, said he erected a fence adjacent to HGEA’s new fence because when it went up, they started sleeping on his property.
“We have a caretaker on property and they became concerned when the homeless would sleep in the alley next to the cottage,” Myers said. “With the fence, they stopped coming.”
He said Safari Helicopters has also had to have the police help them cope with problems from homeless people. He remembers when the lot across the street was overgrown and had a deteriorating cottage that the homeless frequented and used for sleeping. He recalled how one of the homeless came out naked one morning and started harassing his customers. That was about five years ago.
Another business, fearing retaliation, said their staff called police for help within the last two weeks because one of the homeless was smoking marijuana on its property and the odor was coming into the facility.
That was not the first time they’ve had to call police for help.
“They would sleep in the front and use the bathroom on the lanai,” one staff member said. “They would use the bathroom at different places around the place and we would have to clean up the toilet paper and wash down to take away the smell.”
They have also dealt with the homeless pan handling customers for money while the customers wait for the bus.
“Visitors don’t expect this kind of behavior when they come here,” another staff member said. “This is not the vision of paradise they have when they come here, and they get upset. It’s just not the aloha spirit.”
Tokioka said Kaua‘i Police Department does its best to uphold the law in these cases, while treating the homeless person with the utmost compassion and respect.
Ching said they currently do not have a fence at the front of their facility and would not want to have to put up a fence and gate.
Easter Seals serves infants, children, adults and seniors with developmental disabilities and those with special needs by utilizing therapists, teachers, care coordinators, social workers, direct support workers and other health and human service professionals to provide opportunities to help each person overcome challenges to independence and reach their personal goals.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
