Death puts focus on Kalihi cockfights

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

The beating death of a man on Bannister Street over the weekend has turned a spotlight on a dirt yard outside a small house in Kalihi that has served for years as the best-known cockfighting spot in Honolulu.

Police generally have not spent a lot of time chasing cockfights, owing to ambiguous laws, soft penalties and social acceptance of the sport. But the murder has added more pressure to shut down the Kalihi ring, Fujioka said. "(The family) is probably just going to shut it down temporarily, if they are smart."

Police arrested three men Monday in connection with the death Friday night after a post-cockfight argument at 686 Bannister St. They face second-degree murder charges and were being held at the main police cellblock last night.

Two men were beaten by a group of at least a half-dozen men. Leon R. Fernandez, 39, of Kane'ohe, died Saturday at The Queen's Medical Center. The other victim, 41, was in guarded condition.

Residents of the area say people start showing up for the weekly cockfights around 4 p.m. every Friday, some bringing their own birds in cages. Within hours the fights are in full swing.

Fujioka said the atmosphere at such events is often like a carnival, with food, beer and gambling. A lot of money changes hands, he said.

A small old house at 686 Bannister St. is reputed to be the only place in Honolulu that holds regular cockfights. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

Residents acknowledge that the cockfights are a bad influence, but say they're used to them.

"I'm not worried about the cockfighting. It has been going on for so long," said one long-time resident who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation. "The only thing I worry about is if somebody comes back with a gun and don't shoot at the right people. Other than that, we are used to it already. It has been going on for 40 years or so."

The home at 686 Bannister is located along a narrow section of the three-block-long street. It was built in 1919 and is owned by Sarah Johnson, according to city records.

A Hawaiian flag hangs over the sagging front porch, and a tarp is tacked to the roof to cover a large hole. A patchwork of chain-link fence, corrugated metal and old boards obscures the view into the property, but dozens of homemade cages sit in clear sight, some with birds inside.

A resident of the home admitted that cockfighting goes on at the property, but said no one there was involved with the fight and subsequent slaying.

"We stayed out of it," said the woman, who did not give her name but said she is the granddaughter of the property owner, Johnson. "It was all up the street. We have chicken fights so they blaming us."

Fujioka said the operation has been hard to shut down because the one entrance makes it difficult to get officers inside the yard. Police cannot make any arrests unless they see fights start or see the slashing knives on the birds' legs, he said.

Arrests are usually for a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals, Fujioka said, making it very unlikely that cockfighting operations will be put out of business.

Cockfighting "is very ingrained in the culture," he said.

Steven Kop, owner of Aloha Hula Supply on nearby Laumaka Street, said business owners feel safe during the day, but take extra care to lock things up at night.

"It's not too bad. But night time, we kinda put extra locks on everything," Kop said. "The murder was right kitty-corner from where we are. There was another murder farther down Bannister.

"Some of these people that visit over there don't look very savory. (But) mostly they leave us alone. They don't really bother us."

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.