LIHU‘E — Horns blared incessantly, motorcycles screamed their high-pitched street sounds, and the street cars growled Saturday to greet the several thousand people who gathered for a Black Lives Matter peaceful rally along Rice Street and ‘Eiwa Street, overflowing the lawn of the Historic County Building to include the Kaua‘i Museum grounds.
“I didn’t expect this kind of turnout,” said Tiffany Sagucio, the reigning 2019 Miss Kaua‘i Filipina. “When I saw all the people, I wanted to cry — I was so happy. I’m so glad the community came out to show solidarity with the black community.”
The crowd, including a large portion of teens, rallied around Black Lives Matter, a movement brought back into the international spotlight after George Floyd was killed while in custody of the police in Minneapolis late last month. The incident has sparked protests and peaceful marches against police brutality, injustice and racism around the world (see related stories and photos, A4 and A5).
A caller kept the energy buzzing, walking up and down Rice Street that was filled on both sides with BLM sign-waving advocates. The energy was fueled by the incessant car horns blaring, punctuated by runs of street motorcycles and street cars cherry-bombing the crowd to action.
“I got help from my friend Mayumi Fulgencio, who organized the environmental sign-waving campaign last year,” Sagucio said.
“I’m still learning about this whole Black Lives Matter and everything. But living here in Hawai‘i is a privilege because we are away from those traumatic events that are happening in other parts of the country, and in the world,” she said.
“People here have aloha and
respect for each other, and I’m hoping that this small thing can have an impact in changing things. When I heard about George Floyd, I realized we need to improve things. Black Lives Matter — they’re human beings.”
Sagucio said she also got sponsorship from the YWCA of Kaua‘i, which offered a tent with small-kine refreshments and a resource table that included a book she put together with a listing of resources.
Earlier in the morning, it was reported that about 300 people participated in a peaceful paddle-out in Hanalei (see the story below) to honor the slain Floyd. Kaua‘i Police Department Chief Todd Raybuck was one of the featured speakers at that paddle-out before making his way to join other KPD officers in Lihu‘e.
“It’s great to see the community come together to peacefully talk about all the pain and frustration we’re all feeling right now,” Raybuck said before turning his attention to other people wanting a few words with the chief.
Lexi Jones of The KQNG Radio Group agreed.
“It’s so amazing to see the community come together like this,” she said.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
