Confrontation last evening.....

[nanasohana]

We live at the very back corner of TikiGardens, (its really Aina Pua but thats another story). It is very peaceful back here and everyone enjoys that.

We have been having some trouble with people that don't live in this area coming on their 3 and 4 wheelers and cutting paths through private property and doing all kind of damage as they make those paths, leaving trash behind, and really making a lot of noise.

The neighbor adjacent to the lots has been trying to get them to stop, has called out the police several times and came to us and asked that we call the police when this occurs. We saw him have a personal confrontation with the group which resulted in some loud, aggressive comunication on both sides.

But none of that has stopped it.

Yesterday evening, a good sized group of people on 3 and 4 wheelers and dirt bikes and a pickup passed by our home and proceeded on to the property.

I thought of calling the police but acting on impulse, as I have occasion to do, I grabbed my camera, put on my flipflops and headed down that way, my husband in the shower scrapping off the grease from a hard days work, totally oblivious to my actions.

I approached them and started clicking. Got their attention. They called to each other and pulled out off the land.

I got closer and kept clicking. Then one rather large guy by his pickup asked me "Heh, what you taking pictures for? Why you take picture my license?"

I sort of shrugged my shoulders and said "I donno? Heh, so you know that you are on private property and its illegal..heh, man, I know you all are just trying to have fun but can't you go somewhere else?"

I guess my words were very irritating and he got in his pickup, while yelling at me in a very colorful way and peeling out, with a little girl standing beside him on the seat trying to hold on...and all the others followed behind him, off down another street. At least one of the guys shot me a "shaka".

[Rob Tucker]

A picture is worth a thousand words...

[billy]

You are a brave lady nancy, so did the police see the pics and what will they do?

[nanasohana]

I haven't turned over the pics to the police but I will if they come back....and take a few more.

[Crizzy]

You go girl! I admire anyone who still has a fighting spirit left and a backbone to stand up against "evil forces," as Willie Nelson and Toby Keith sing in their song "Whiskey for My Men and Beer for My Horses." May we all work together to keep our community OURS.

"It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."
Old Chinese Proverb

[kani-lehua]

bravo, nancy!

malia paha o lohe aku

perhaps they will hear

[james weatherford]

You did the right thing.

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[missydog1]

Ouch! Brave to stand up for your rights ...
Smart to click away at them ... could have rebounded on you!
Sounds like this group is not too mean, because you got a shaka.
But if they were mean types, you could be all bus up right now.

In your place, which I have been before, I would not go out without a backup witness. A second person does act as a restraint.

I would try to talk before taking the photos. I've had some experience of how people can flip out about photos. But maybe you couldn't talk to them on their loud bikes.

Calling police -- yeah, the bikes would be long gone by the time anyone showed.

I have gotten bad responses before on "private property" -- many people seem to have grown up without a lot of "do not cross this line" restrictions, as one might expect with large ohanas where everyone visits and uses everyone's land. Not an excuse for the behavior, but I think that's where it's coming from.

Numerous times I've been told that it's not the custom and not Hawaiian to really care where the property line is and ask people to respect it. (This is NOT true of Japanese property owners in Hilo; the ones I know are very into their lines and don't want trespassers, but for Hawaiians the culture was not based on private property for a long time.)

[nanasohana]

Yeah, I know, thats why I said I have a problem of doing things on impulse sometimes. Won't go alone next time.

[Rob Tucker]

It is a fact that in the old days property lines were rather unimportant and if a back yard was a shortcut it was available.

Things change of course. Two things, in my opinion, are colliding to create friction.

1. Older times involved more general respect for one's neighbors and elders. This was not taught at school it was taught at home. Across the nation simple civic respect has diminished. So quietly taking a shortcut to a friends house has devolved to riding dirt bikes at odd hours on private property.

2. Mainland attitudes about what is private property lead led to some resignation and resentment as fences, walls and gates proliferate. I watch mainland folks buy a lot in a gated community and the first expense is more fencing and more gates for their lot. I find it a bit sad.

We might hope that we can find more ways to work together and appreciate each other instead of walling ourselves off.

Nancy and her neighbors are entitled to take pictures and show disapproval at the actions in their neighborhood. It would be nice if that departing shaka might lead to more dialogue.