11-14-2007, 03:13 PM
I disagree that drug abuse is due to a lack of "jobs". I am not an expert, but a little more expert than many. I have sat in on Drug Court many times. In my experience, there are a combination of factors, most of which are personal to the drug abuser, and some of which are situational and connected to the larger culture. There is a connection between drug abuse and other crime, where crime is used to support the habit, but getting at the root is a complex societal problem that has no immediate solution. We should, of course, focus on it, and I see that Hawaii County has been given a sizable grant for its Drug Court. Drug Courts are very successful programs and I wish it well.
However, in the meantime, we have a crime problem. Broad daylight? What is odd, of course, is that these people are not stealing from wealthy people. Twenty-seventh and Maku'u is very nice, and it is home to us, but it is not Rodeo Drive. These people are stealing from people who, for the most part, have worked hard to get where they are.
But these people don't care because they are lacking in morals. I agree with Rob that the BEST method dealing with this is to perform a sting operation. Hawaii (all islands) should have been doing this for awhile. When you rent a car in Kauai and open the trunk, it tells you in giant red letters "Don't put anything in here because it will get stolen".
Well, Kauai is a small island. It should be a simple matter to stake out a few major tourist parking spots (Ke'e, Poipu) and bust somebody, so people don't have to be paranoid about leaving a $100 camera given to them by a dear friend in their trunk.
I remember when I lived in Paris in the late 70's (as a very poor, and hungry student), that there was a murder in a parking garage. It was page one news. Why? Because murders were so rare in Paris. People were genuinely shocked. Paris was, by and large, an unusually safe city. People could, and did, walk everywhere at night.
We need to have that same fresh shock over every burglary and share our neighbors' pain when it happens to them.
And start calling our representatives' offices. And raise the rafters. Every. Single. Time. It. Happens.
Zero Tolerance for Thieves. Sting operation.
Arrest, and prosecute them, then send them to Drug Court if they meet the criteria.
Edited by - glen on 11/15/2007 06:50:22
However, in the meantime, we have a crime problem. Broad daylight? What is odd, of course, is that these people are not stealing from wealthy people. Twenty-seventh and Maku'u is very nice, and it is home to us, but it is not Rodeo Drive. These people are stealing from people who, for the most part, have worked hard to get where they are.
But these people don't care because they are lacking in morals. I agree with Rob that the BEST method dealing with this is to perform a sting operation. Hawaii (all islands) should have been doing this for awhile. When you rent a car in Kauai and open the trunk, it tells you in giant red letters "Don't put anything in here because it will get stolen".
Well, Kauai is a small island. It should be a simple matter to stake out a few major tourist parking spots (Ke'e, Poipu) and bust somebody, so people don't have to be paranoid about leaving a $100 camera given to them by a dear friend in their trunk.
I remember when I lived in Paris in the late 70's (as a very poor, and hungry student), that there was a murder in a parking garage. It was page one news. Why? Because murders were so rare in Paris. People were genuinely shocked. Paris was, by and large, an unusually safe city. People could, and did, walk everywhere at night.
We need to have that same fresh shock over every burglary and share our neighbors' pain when it happens to them.
And start calling our representatives' offices. And raise the rafters. Every. Single. Time. It. Happens.
Zero Tolerance for Thieves. Sting operation.
Arrest, and prosecute them, then send them to Drug Court if they meet the criteria.
Edited by - glen on 11/15/2007 06:50:22