Thankfully, the County of Hawaii is taking a first step to protect the jewel of a resource for our community and island, known as the Old Airport Park, by removing those who are squatting and camping illegally.
The article in Sunday’s West Hawaii Today paper only scratched the surface, and it incorrectly referred to the illegal occupants as “multi-month residents.” (Really — are they paying property taxes, rent, a room fee or transient accommodation taxes?) No, the correct label is that of “habitual long-term trespassers and illegal occupants squatting on the land and littering, while creating conditions that are intimidating lawful users and threatening to public health and safety.”
Nobody resides at the park. Law abiding citizens cannot buy permits for camping, so why have “free accommodations” been given to illegal occupants as the county chose to ignore the problem and the courts did not impose consequences to deter the action? Indeed, it is long overdue for the county as the property owner to evict the squatters from our park.
Will the county now finally and permanently remove all of the illegal occupants at Old A, not just those along the road but also those camped along the shoreline vegetation, conveniently locating their camps near the restroom and shower facilities while being hidden from view from the driving and parking areas? Will the county enforce its anti-littering laws, as they litter the ocean, beach, and other areas? Will the county also clean up the trash and drug paraphernalia left by the illegal occupants around the ball fields and tennis courts? Will the county clean and sanitize the facilities that are filled with stench and filth from the illegal occupants using the walls and sidewalks as their toilets? And finally, when will the courts protect the public by getting tough on the repeated habitual trespassing, littering and drug use, instead of instituting a “catch and release program,” whereby the offenders are given a few hours of “community service” to perform — you guessed it — at Old A Park?
How about giving them 10 days in jail instead, as a true deterrent? It is an insult to law abiding citizens when the courts cannot distinguish the difference between a jogger in the park at 5:45 a.m. versus habitual illegal squatters, and thus use the example of the jogger to justify taking no action against the squatters.
The conditions at Old A Park have deteriorated and created a very threatening situation, to the delight of the illegal occupants because it gives them the upper hand as they take over prime oceanfront public land. In addition to the squatting, there are other incidents of intimidation and the accusations of a rape in 2016.
What is being done to prosecute the accused of this alleged crime and send a message that the county will protect the park and its lawful users? The inmates have been running the asylum of our island for far too long while the taxpayers have paid for this park and the salaries for the county employees who should be managing it as responsible stewards.
I’m hopeful and I applaud those who took this recent action to ensure that the county fulfills its responsibility to preserve this phenomenal jewel for our community by permanently keeping the park safe, free of all illegal activity, and clean so that families can come here for the intended purposes while feeling safe and secure.
Sue Garrod is a resident of Kailua-Kona