Campsite closing affects Waimanalo's homeless
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
WAIMANALO — A campsite that has been home to the homeless for years, perhaps decades, will be closed for three months beginning Sept. 4 in a move that neighborhood board members hope will rid the area of crime and other problems.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
City officials will close the campsite at Waimanalo Beach Park at the request of the Waimanalo Neighborhood Board, whose members acknowledge that part of the reason they want the shutdown is to rid the area of homeless people blamed for problems such as fights, domestic violence, indecent exposure and drug use.
Keith and Nora Ventura sit in their "home," a parked van at the Waimanalo Beach Park campground. The city will close the site for three months for a renovation project.
A city park official said the purpose of the closure is to give the campground a major face-lift, including new grass, picnic tables, signs designating campsites and vehicular barriers.
But the impending closure follows action by the city in January and February to move homeless people out of public parks and off downtown streets, including 'A'ala Park and Fort Street Mall.
"We don't want to close it forever," said board chairman Wilson Ho, referring to the campsite. "We just want to clean it up, get our park back, kick out the riffraff."
He said it was a difficult decision because many of the homeless are Hawaiians from Waimanalo.
But he noted that the board also hopes to move the homeless to more appropriate shelters such as the Weinberg Village about two miles away.
At any given time, dozens of homeless people inhabit the park, which to passers-by looks like a tent city. Some of the campers are there legally, with city permits. Others camp illegally.
Some of those in the park yesterday said they have lived there for at least two years.
Waimanalo residents expressed concern over what might happen to the homeless, but regretfully acknowledged that this will be positive for the community.
Glenn Haywood Kalima, president of the Waimanalo Ramp Fisherman's Club, said the area has seen much violence over the years, including beatings, stabbings and a shooting.
Still, he is worried about the shutdown. "Where the homeless going stay?" Kalima asked. "Where our locals going stay?"
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Kawahine Kamakea-Ohelo, executive director for the Waimanalo Health Center, which treats many homeless patients, said campsite improvement is good but a place for the homeless should be found before the park is closed. Having spent time on the beach herself, Kamakea-Ohelo said she understands the plight of the homeless.
Breaking camp after a recreational outing at Waimanalo Beach Park: from left, Brahma Furtado, Allen Capilla and daughter Caitlin Capilla.
"I would like to see this community come together and talk about securing land, if we need to, securing whatever funds to create shelters," Kamakea-Ohelo said, "or look at existing shelters and change some of the rules so these folk can move into these shelters."
One of the campers, Leslie Capilla, said the city could eliminate conflict among campers by specifying who should be where.
A homeless couple at the beach park said they think the shutdown is just another form of harassment that won't accomplish what the officials want to do.
People blame the homeless for the problems at the park, although many are good citizens who have had a bad break, said Nora Ventura, who lives in a van with her husband.
It's a matter of perception, Ventura said, recalling how she shared the same regard for the homeless when she lived in a house across the street from the beach park.
The Venturas said they are seeking employment and are on welfare. They have joined the Work First Program that is helping them find jobs while they volunteer three days a week.
Neighborhood board chairman Ho said the homeless people who lived outside the camp had gone too far with indecent exposure and domestic fighting and that is why the board acted July 8 and requested the three-month closure and cleanup.
But Ventura said she felt that the board members made their request based on complaints about a few ill-behaved homeless people.
"They've never been here," Ventura said. "They see one thing happen and they assume everything else."
Wilfred Ho, Windward district manager for the Department of Parks and Recreation, said of the campers: "The ones from Waimanalo, they know the rules. They get their permits. The others are there illegally."
Police Lt. Andrew Speese said police records show a total of 18 complaints at the beach park from January 2000 to July 2002, including liquor law violations, harassment, drunkenness and nuisance complaints.
"There was some complaints that there was all this crime going on but, when we looked at it, the numbers weren't that great," Speese said.
But in the past 15 years the area has gained a bad reputation because of numerous auto break-ins, fights, drug use and stealing from campers.
During the three-month closure, the beach park will still be open to the public for swimming and picnics, but no camping permits will be issued. The city issues permits on a first-come, first-served basis and does not discriminate against homeless, Ho said.
"If the homeless follow the rules and regulations, get the proper permit, keep the campsite clean at all times, and remove all their personal belongings at the end of the camp week, they have a right to use the campground," he said.
Sharon Black, who operates Kau Kau Wagon, which feeds homeless people in Chinatown, said the city's project is just a veiled attempt to clear out the homeless.
The problem won't go away, said Black, who predicts that only the locale will change because the problem is sociological and not a matter of criminology.
"Until we as a society really get our heads together and make a commitment to look at the different possibilities and solutions, the problem is going to get worse," she said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
