TV blitz, forums put harsh glare on ice

By Dan Nakaso and Will Hoover
Advertiser Staff Writers

The allure of ice and the human cost it brings became the focus of an unprecedented hour in Hawai'i television last night as 11 stations simultaneously broadcast a powerful documentary by filmmaker Edgy Lee.

Big Island resident Amber Pagan was among those watching Edgy Lee's documentary on ice at Wai'anae High School last night. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

The evening put an extraordinary focus on a growing problem that was told in personal and clinical terms — from ice-addicted newborns to the morgue.

The film by Lee and producer Jeffrey Mueller showed the connection between ice and violent crime, abuse, theft, rising insurance and medical costs and the toll on everyday people.

Matt Levi, a Honolulu private detective and former investigative reporter, narrated the film and opened by saying that for two decades, ice has "rooted itself to our family tree."

After the showing, KFVE took another half-hour to talk to tearful teenagers about Hawai'i's ice problem and how it ripped apart their lives. KHON featured another hour-long panel discussion that included Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona.

"We are going to beat this problem," Lingle vowed.

At the same time at Wai'anae High School, Maile Hallums said after watching the film that "one person can make a difference and so can one community."

The film covered a vast amount of territory, from the origins of ice to the emotional and financial impact on everything from medical care to prisons.

It included interviews with recovering teenage addicts, sobbing parents of abusers, healthcare officials, Honolulu's medical examiner, Hawai'i's congressional leaders, the state's top law enforcement officials and foster parents caring for children born with ice in their systems.

"Don't look at the people on Hotel Street and think they're different," said an attorney and recovering addict. "... It may take six months or it may six years, but sooner or later it will destroy you."

One 14-year-old, a recovering addict on Lana'i, said dealers often sell to children as young as 6.

"The smarter ones deal," he said. "The rest just steal."

There were several searing moments, such as the father who ended up at the Institute for Human Services shelter with his two children when he could not support them without their ice-addicted mother.

The man, identified only as "Jeff," held his children and addressed ice dealers directly as he said: "These are the ones that are affected. So think about that."

Not everyone in the film believed in Hawai'i's ice problem.

A Maui teacher and ice user who was asked about her husband's concerns answered: "I don't know what's his problem ... I'm not hurting nobody, I'm not beating nobody up ... Everybody parties."

Amber Pagan and 60 others watched the film on a 15-by-20-foot screen in the Wai'anae High School cafeteria.

Pagan, 27, is from Waimea on the Big Island but has spent the past six weeks in Wai'anae trying to recover from her ice addiction.

Throughout last night's film, Pagan wiped at her eyes. "It was a difficult film to watch," she said.

The hardest moments for Pagan were the segments that dealt with ice's effect on children.

Pagan's two children — a 9-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl — are cared for by her mother-in-law because of her addiction.

Pagan, 27, started smoking pot at age 16 and moved to ice two years ago, when her focus shifted away from her children.

"You don't think of that when you're using," she said. "But when you're clean, it's a different thing."

Neal Rivera, 27, of Waimanalo, has witnessed the change that ice has had on family and friends.

"I've seen how their life and everything about them is going down," he said. "It tears the family bond."

Luella Tinoga, of Wai'anae Valley, served as the facilitator for the Wai'anae town-hall discussion and is also helping to organize a discussion tonight of a group called Pa'i, or "People Against Ice."

"Now that we've identified the problem, we've got to keep the momentum going," Tinoga said. "It's time to work on the solution. If we want to take back our streets, we've got to get off the couch."

The broadcast came at the start of the new fall television season and meant rescheduling several network shows.

Because the film ran without commercials, it also cost the top five stations an estimated $10,000 each.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8085. Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8038.