That I know of, a sign such as that depicted situated in or around Pahoa. Image courtesy of Weed and Seed St. Louis.

Know that there is a community meeting tonight in Pahoa.  At 5 p.m., there is a Mainstreet Pahoa Association meeting, followed by a Weed and Seed public meeting.

I don’t think I’ll be able to attend, given I have a sick child.  No offense to our board, since I’m serving as secretary, but the 5 p.m. meeting is expected to be uneventful.  The action, I imagine, is going to be at 6 p.m.  

Weed and Seed wants the public’s opinion on the state of Pahoa and whether or not Weed and Seed has had much of an impact.  

It’s just as well that I don’t attend the meeting tonight.  I might be considered a party pooper.  

The fact that I serve on the Mainstreet Pahoa Association board and I co-own a business in Pahoa makes me think I should paint a rosy picture. However, you know by reading this blog that I’m not that way.  Pa’a ka waha, some may tell me. Alas! I can’t keep my mouth shut.  I believe in speaking up and vocalizing and, call me idealistic, coming up with meaningful solutions through dialogue and consensus.

Nothing against those who have and currently are serving on the Pahoa Weed and Seed  board.  Individually, they are all quite personable and I have friendships with some of them.  I recognize they are trying to do what they believe is right and I admire their community service.  With respect for the good-hearted volunteers in mind, I have to tell you, from my observations in Pahoa, Weed and Seed is not really a worthwhile endeavor.   Read the rest of this entry »

(A version of this story appears in the Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 edition of the Big Island Weekly.)

By Tiffany Edwards Hunt

Sandy Webb photo

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Hawai’i has put the Hawaii County Council on notice that police helicopter flyovers for marijuana eradication are believed to be in violation of the Hawaii Constitution, the state’s medical marijuana law, and the county’s Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance.

“We are particularly concerned that the Hawaii County Police Department (HCPD) is violating individuals’ privacy under Article I, §6 of the Hawaii Constitution, along with the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance passed last year, and that HCPD may also be violating state law by targeting medical marijuana patients during these ‘marijuana eradication’ efforts,” ACLU of Hawaii Senior Staff Attorney Daniel Gluck wrote the council’s Committee on Public Safety and Parks & Recreation on  Oct. 6. Read the rest of this entry »

Family and friends of Chris Randrup surround supervisory deputy prosecutor Mike Kagami after the Aug. 31 change of plea hearing. Photo by Tiffany Edwards Hunt

 (A version of this story appears in the Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 edition of the Big Island Weekly.)

By Tiffany Edwards Hunt

Public opposition mounted in the week after Randal “Randy” Randrup offered a guilty plea for the shooting death of his son, Hans Christian “Chris” Randrup, in exchange for the prosecution’s recommendation that he serve two years in jail with credit for time served.

The word around Isaac Kepo’okalani Hale Beach Park (Pohoiki), where Chris Randrup regularly surfed, is that the plea deal sends a message that there are no consequences for murder here on the Big Island.  Residents blogged, sketched cartoons, and wrote letters to the editor to the newspapers to voice their opposition.

Francine Souza, of Pahoa, wrote (Da Kine), “When we citizens go to court, we are told ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse.’ So, tell me, what excuse have the courts, judges and attorneys? The police blame the courts, and the courts blame the police…” she wrote in questioning the Randrup plea deal and another criminal case.  Souza questioned whether the prosecution would make such a sentencing recommendation if Chris Randrup were “your son shot and then thrown off a cliff? What is your excuse? Ignorance of the law? Come on, people, this is the time when all of Hilo should protest at the courts with signs, and let our voices be heard, ‘Enough!’” Souza wrote.

Chris’ mother, Lois Randrup, meanwhile, in Cardiff By The Sea, Calif., having heard about the change-of-plea hearing from friends and relatives on the island, was in a state of shock “trying to absorb this latest blow.” Read the rest of this entry »

(A version of this story appeared in this week’s edition of the Big Island Weekly.)

Randal “Randy” Randrup is expected to plead guilty to manslaughter this week for the shooting death of his son, Hans Christian “Chris” Randrup, in exchange for the prosecution’s recommendation that he serve two years in jail — with credit for time served — and 10 years on probation.

Sylvester “Bud” Blackwood, Chris Randrup’s maternal grandfather, is appealing to the public to convince the Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office not to go ahead with the plea deal at the hearing scheduled for 8 a.m., Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 in the Third Circuit Court.

“I couldn’t keep quiet anymore,” the 80-year-old Blackwood said from his Cardiff By The Sea, Calif., home on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, two days after hearing about the agreement the prosecution made with Randy Randrup.

Prosecutor Jay Kimura confirmed on Sunday that a plea agreement had been reached, saying, “There really is not much I can say.  It’s an unfortunate situation, where the father was responsible for shooting his son. But our decision was based on the admissible evidence at the time of the decision.”  Read the rest of this entry »

(Art Courtesy of Velvet Banana, a pro feminism & equal rights blog. Click here to visit.)

Lincoln Ashida

I just perused Corporation Counsel Lincoln Ashida’s June 23, 2009 opinion prepared for the Office of Information Practices regarding Hawaii County Council Member’s recent Sunshine Law violation. I have got to say that I’m pretty disappointed with our head county attorney.  I do understand that Lincoln Ashida is in the precarious position of defending the County Council, and really that is the only way I can justify the five pages of b.s. that I just read. 

Of course, Lincoln Ashida can’t come out and say that council members are guilty as hell of a misdemeanor and every one of them who is in violation of the Sunshine Law should spend some time on the side of the road picking up litter or holding a sign for passersby that reads, “I promise never again to violate the Sunshine Law.” No,  Lincoln Ashida has to craft an opinion in which he tries to convince his buddies at OIP that the Sunshine Law violation was inadvertent, that it’s not the blatant disregard for the open meetings law and the public’s right to know that it appears to be. Read the rest of this entry »