• Safety in numbers Safety in numbers There’s a gravel road in Kapahi with 16 houses representing eight cultures. Under one roof of multiple houses are three generations, some of whom were born and raised on this narrow spit of dirt,
• Safety in numbers
Safety in numbers
There’s a gravel road in Kapahi with 16 houses representing eight cultures. Under one roof of multiple houses are three generations, some of whom were born and raised on this narrow spit of dirt, once home to an avocado orchard bordered by pineapple fields.
The 92-year-old, who named the street, was the first to build on this bumpy, unlit private road. One resident just retired at 86 from a market chain, and another at 80. There are teachers, tradesmen, restaurant workers and a food-store manager.
Working families all. Working families being bullied by drug addicts and thieves.
We smile and wave as we pass each other on the road. We exchange fruit across our fences. We shake our heads and scowl when yet another junk car is dumped on our road. Finally, the thefts and domestic calls to KPD reached critical mass and we decided it’s time to unite and collaborate. No more damage control. We are done being bullied.
Officer John Mullineaux came to a gathering of 20 neighbors Saturday to discuss how to make our homes safer, and to teach how to be better observers in order to provide the information Kauai police need to make arrests.
We started a Neighborhood Watch Program.
Mullineaux listened to our laundry list of troubles and gave no-nonsense direction on how to proceed. We felt heard and empowered. More importantly, we devised a plan to shed more light on our dark road and agreed to collaborate on ways to make the neighborhood safer.
Sixteen years as a resident on this road, my husband and I thought we had to tough it out when trouble arrived. Alone was a scary place to be.
I grew up in a family foster home with 10 teenagers and my mom’s most repeated advice was, “Stick together kids.”
Pam Woolway, Kapahi
