After a number of residents reported living in fear of drug houses in their neighborhoods, Kilauea residents are banding together to get information on how to take their communities back. The Kilauea Neighborhood Association and the county’s Ka Leo O
After a number of residents reported living in fear of drug houses in their neighborhoods, Kilauea residents are banding together to get information on how to take their communities back.
The Kilauea Neighborhood Association and the county’s Ka Leo O Kaua‘i group will be holding a community meeting tonight at 6 p.m., before the regular monthly Ka Lei O Kaua‘i meeting, at the Kilauea Neighborhood Center.
Interim Kaua‘i Police Department Chief K.C. Lum, county anti-drug coordinator Roy Nishida and state Rep. Mina Morita, D-North Kaua‘i, are expected to attend to share with community members what they can do to assist in the effort and provide an update on ongoing efforts to address the issue.
KNA president Linda Sproat said that community members are looking for a place to turn when a household threatens the peace of a neighborhood.
“We have to know where to turn, said Sproat. “We hope to learn how to diffuse this kind of problem in our communities.”
Sproat mentioned several instances where residents tried to report drug houses in their neighborhood and were not satisfied with the results.
“KPD were called and came a couple of times a week. It was really bad,” she said. “All the neighbors around them were really frightened.”
Information about a neighborhood watch program will also be presented tonight.
While the focus will be on some of Kilauea’s concerns, the event is open to the public, said Tim Bynum, information specialist for the county Office of Economic Development. “Anyone on the North Shore who is interested can come,” he said.
Immediately following at 7 p.m. will be the monthly Kilauea Ka Leo O Kaua‘i meeting.
Tom Finnegan, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
