'Ewa gets its own anti-drug program

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

The federal Weed & Seed program, which recruits area residents to help reduce drug activity and related crime in their neighborhoods, officially kicks off the 'Ewa portion of its program next week.

Some 1,000 volunteers will participate afterward in a community-wide cleanup at area schools and parks, the first step in a program that will set up neighborhood patrols and crime prevention programs in 'Ewa.

Resident Coby Lynn and others who have pushed for the Weed & Seed program for the last two years hope that will get things rolling.

"It's been kind of stop-and-start the last several months," Lynn said. "It's easy to get everyone excited in the beginning. The toughest part is keeping that excitement going."

The 'Ewa Weed & Seed will be the third on 'Oahu. The program also covers Kalihi-Palama/Chinatown and Waipahu. It is a coordinated effort among city, state and federal law enforcement agencies and residents to target violent crime, drug abuse and gang activity.

Weed & Seed relies on community efforts and tough legal penalties to "weed out" crime, then applies crime prevention, intervention, treatment and neighborhood revitalization to "seed" a safer community.

Bringing the program to 'Ewa — a region that covers 'Ewa Villages, 'Ewa by Gentry and 'Ewa Beach — comes in response to crime problems that many residents say are related to drugs.

Of O'ahu's eight police districts, District 8 (Wai'anae Coast-'Ewa) in 2000 had the most negligent homicides (10), rapes (39), aggravated assaults (188), and sex and family offenses. It ranked second in murders, burglaries and other assaults.

Weed & Seed got its Hawai'i start in 1998 in Kalihi-Palama/Chinatown, which saw a 70 percent drop in crime from 1997 to 2000. The Waipahu site began in late 2000, and drug crimes there have fallen by 78 percent.

While previous sites have focused on low-income housing areas, the 'Ewa site is spread over several square miles.

Hawai'i program executive director Maile Kanemaru said yesterday that about 100 residents had volunteered for three committees: drug prevention and treatment, community policing and community restoration.

She said the first step would be to take on the area's high truancy rate, working with Ilima Intermediate and Campbell High schools. Campbell had the highest drop-out rate in O'ahu (10.8 percent) for the 1999-2000 school year.

Acting Major Gregory Lefcourt of the Kapolei police station said officers already had set up an 'Ewa Beach office to meet with residents on their concerns.

The Weed & Seed program will also allow better coordination with the drug courts, he said.

Meanwhile, Lynn said two local neighborhood watch patrols had formed since last year, and organizers will try to revive neighborhood patrols that have fallen by the wayside.

In the end, Kanemaru said, community participation is the only way the program will succeed.

"The people decide what they want, and Weed & Seed works with them to accomplish their collective vision," she said. "But if they don't volunteer, it's simply not going to happen."

Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-2429.