Letters for Thursday, May 12, 2022

Great season, Menehune baseball

I may be biased, as a student at Waimea High School, but I am very proud of the Waimea baseball boys for making the state championship in Division II this year. I know that just losing out on the first-place finish must’ve been a hard pill to swallow, but seeing that they made the championships alone was a huge boost to my school pride and island pride.

Also, seeing a video of the moment they won against Nanakuli and qualified for the championship showed me how hard they worked for it and how happy they were to make it to the finals (you can find the clip on the Menehune TVthree Facebook page as a part of the video from May 9).

Overall, seeing the results of their journey in the state tournament was amazing, from their 9-0 win against Waipahu to their 3-2 comeback against Nanakuli.

Once again, congratulations on your performance in the baseball state tournament, Menehune!

Matthew Gabriel, Kalaheo

Police, county need to end homelessness now

The time has come to stop sweeping under the rug the insurmountable problem of homelessness on Kaua‘i and shine a light on this dark topic to increase awareness among every resident until something is done to provide a solution.

I am a retired teacher who worked for Department of Education on Kaua‘i for approximately 20 years. Throughout the 25 years I’ve lived on this island I have devoted my life to helping others and improving things on Kaua‘i.

My efforts include 15 years of volunteer work for suicide prevention and feeding hungry people. I participated in training for suicide prevention with Kaua‘i Police Department officers who were the first police officers in the country to receive that training.

Therefore, I know it is possible for police officers to be educated to improve how they interact with people by increasing their knowledge and skills. Most recently I volunteered my time for a Day of Hope event on Easter Sunday this year, feeding hundreds of people in our community at Kapa‘a Beach Park with my church ‘Ohana Christian Fellowship. This is just a glimpse of who I am.

I have sent you numerous emails in the past two months regarding KPD officers harassing homeless people without any solutions offered by you to improve circumstances for the homeless population on Kaua‘i.

Here are my questions:

Where can I go to sleep at night?

Why do police officers tell me I have to leave wherever I am (like a public beach) and stay moving around? That is no solution.

Is this an attempt to keep homeless people out of sight as if we don’t exist?

What makes me any different from any other person who is there enjoying the beach?

Why am I treated like a less than human being by KPD officers just because I don’t have money or a place to live?

Am I any less worthy of having a home or being treated with dignity and respect then you are Mr. Raybuck?

What can you do to educate KPD officers in compassion training programs to improve how they interact with and treat homeless people?

What is the solution for homeless people on Kaua‘i?

The one shelter at KEO has a one-year waiting list and does not have enough beds or room to accommodate the hundreds of homeless people on our island. I had a Section 8 housing voucher which was insufficient to help me get housing due to the rents currently being charged which exceed what HUD allows and many landlords not willing to accept HUD, so the voucher expired.

I have completed all the paperwork and I’m in the computer system for housing solutions, but that has done nothing to help me get housing. I am also on the waiting list for Hawai‘i State Public Housing. I am doing everything I can to secure housing.

Although I am disabled with heart problems I am still an integral part of our community, and Kaua‘i is my home. Just because I am homeless KPD officers should not be treating me like a piece of trash that needs to be thrown away.

As the chief of police on Kaua‘i it is imperative you work diligently to remedy these issues and provide a place for homeless people to go when you are instructing police officers to make homeless people leave public beaches, tell them to keep moving around, when there is nowhere for them to go, and tell them they are not allowed to sleep in their vehicles.

Carla Hart, Kapa‘a

College education should be accessible for all

Colleges have been proven to not only enrich the academic capabilities of their students, but their understanding of culture, too.

Though it isn’t as approachable to minorities and poor income communities, there is a point where college expenses outweigh the educational benefits. Though it still may be nearly unapproachable to many families, I still argue that cultivating knowledge and immersing oneself in higher education is key for a steady future for the individual.

While colleges are definitely flawed in some aspects and aren’t a viable option for many people, I still believe that college can be vital to our future, both for the community and individuals, and everyone should have an opportunity to go without making large sacrifices.

College education is essential for learning advanced subjects as well as subject advancement.

An online article describing the value of a college education states: “…And the relationship between a college education and success will become more and more significant in our information-driven global economy.”

Information will be essential in allowing communities to take more advanced jobs, and besides personal experience, colleges can give people that knowledge. But colleges aren’t only beneficial for learning information; they’re centers for cultural enrichment.

An excerpt from a text focused on the importance of college education states: “More and more people are returning to college — not necessarily to get a degree — but to learn new skills and improve on their hobbies and interests…”

Colleges also help enrich students by surrounding them with art and culture. Colleges assist in cultivating artists and the understanding of different cultures. So, colleges can not only help grow general knowledge in the community, but cultural knowledge as well.

And it may even be the key to more job opportunities for the new generation.

Another source states: “Education is the cornerstone of public progress.” And stronger knowledge and education can lead to a new range of opportunities for those who go to college.

It may even be a point of survival. An excerpt from a newspaper article on the trend towards college enrollment states: “Nudged by economic trends showing manufacturing, farming and other blue-collar jobs disappearing or being shipped overseas, public schools are telling students — even low-income and underperforming students — that they need college degrees.”

The accessibility of colleges needs attention. An article in USA Today states: “…Recent studies also show that many low-income and minority students who aspire to college are poorly served by their schools and their families, arriving at college unprepared and forcing colleges and universities to spend an estimated $1 billion a year on remediation.”

And, “…says Thomas Toch, author of ‘High Schools on a Human Scale,’ ‘We’re telling kids that they can do it when we’re not giving them the academic tools to be successful in college.’”

College is very beneficial, but it isn’t easy to access for low-income families and can even be hostile to minorities. The cost for attending college itself is a barrier for some.

To conclude, colleges are a boon for information and cultural enrichment, so much so that they may be a key part in the modern economy. But the cost and accessibility makes it much harder for lower-income communities to access that information. College may play a key role in the near future and believe that everyone should have access to it no matter who they are or how much money they have. But as of now it is very difficult for low-income communities and minorities to access them.

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Dane Lo is a student at Waimea High School.