• Rage and hate Rage and hate The report of an alleged hate crime at Po‘ipu Beach brings up one of the touchiest subjects in Hawai‘i – inter-racial relations. While Hawai‘i is known as the “Land of Aloha” and one
• Rage and hate
Rage and hate
The report of an alleged hate crime at Po‘ipu Beach brings up one of the touchiest subjects in Hawai‘i – inter-racial relations.
While Hawai‘i is known as the “Land of Aloha” and one of the friendliest visitor destinations in the world, racially prejudiced attacks against locals and against “haoles” are known to happen.
What’s new is the stiff penalties imposed if the term “hate” is added to a crime because it is motivated by race, sexual orientation and other factors. Look for stiffer sentencing, if the court decides the incident at Po‘ipu was a hate crime.
The alleged attack comes the same weekend as a report of the spray painting of cars in a hotel parking lot at Po‘ipu Beach, as well as the vandalism associated with damage to a monk seal interpretive sign located along the beach at Po‘ipu Beach Park.
When put together, these events point to a minor crime wave in one of the most popular, and safest, beach resort destinations in Hawai‘i.
What is behind these incidents?
Is it the pressure cooker cost of living on Kaua‘i that is taking the pleasure out of paradise for some workers as they attempt to survive on Kaua‘i? Is it the growing development of the Island, fueled by low interest rates in housing, and the fleeing from California and other places of those who can afford the safety and beauty of Kaua‘i by being able to afford the price tag of a luxury home? Is it less access to beaches on the Westside and Eastside making local residents feel shut out of areas open in the past to generations of Kauaians?
Perhaps at the top of the list is the epidemic of “ice” use. The drug easily leads to an angry temper and potential violent behavior by those who use it. On the loose in society, this violence can result in “hate” attacks, deadly vehicle accidents, beatings of spouses and children.
No matter what the cause of a “hate” crime is, it is time to stand up to those who inflict such harm on someone else. Pressing charges in the recent attack at Po‘ipu is the right thing to do, both to bring whoever is found responsible to justice, and to serve as an example to others that on Kaua‘i you just can’t get away with beating someone because of their skin color.
This kind of action might have been gotten away with in the past, but today we are in a new world and intolerance is a hot button to push. Our society just won’t take this kind of actions any longer. The widespread reporting of such incidents, and their aftermaths – through newspapers, TV, radio and the Internet – has made such incidents somewhat sensational and widely known, creating a popular demand for justice.
The solution to avoiding such racial incidents is many faceted. Racial prejudice when found in our schools needs to be dealt with severely, as well as in business, in organizations, in government.
The fight against racial prejudice is something out of the 1960s, but a fight that now also needs to be fought on Kaua‘i in the first decade of the 21st century.
