Despite vigilante criticism, lawmaker hammers on

Despite a firestorm of controversy on Monday, state Rep. Tom Brower once again picked up his sledgehammer and went out to rid his Waikiki-Ala Moana district of shopping carts that homeless people use.

Abandoned shopping carts filled with trash blighted several sections of Kala­kaua Avenue, the main thoroughfare for the state’s top tourist area. The carts are a typical sight in a district that has been overwhelmed with people living on the streets without storage for their belongings.

But advocates for the homeless say Brower’s tactics — confiscating the carts and sometimes using his sledgehammer to destroy them — are misguided.

Institute for Human Services Director Connie Mitchell said Brower’s actions could traumatize homeless people and incite street violence.

"What would your response be if you saw someone coming at you with a sledgehammer?" Mitchell asked. "If people don’t feel that they are being respected, it’s only a matter of time before they react."

Marya Grambs, executive director of Mental Health America of Hawaii, said what the lawmaker is doing is unconscionable.

"He’s terrorizing people, and he’s modeling that it’s OK to commit violence," Grambs said. "I cried when I read about what he’s doing. We need to have compassion. Every person that is on the street is there because something bad already happened to them."

Brower (D, Waikiki-Ala Moana) is not backing down, saying that reaction has been overwhelmingly positive since the Hono­lulu Star-Advertiser published a story Monday about his latest strategy to curb homelessness. He said people have told him that they appreciate the work he has done in the past several weeks to clear the district of stolen and abandoned carts.

"Reactions have been about 70 percent in favor and about 30 percent against," Brower said. "The people that say it’s not OK are not the ones that live in this neighborhood. I don’t have anything against the homeless, but I’m working on cleaning up the neighborhood and one of the biggest eyesores are the stolen and abandoned shopping carts."

If the carts are clearly marked with a store’s logo, he says returns them. If they are not, he pounds them with his sledgehammer and either drops them at a recycling center or leaves them for the city’s bulky pickup service.

Brower and supporters also say the theft of carts drives up the cost of business for retailers and the purchasing costs for consumers. When abandoned or confiscated, they say, the carts also create problems for city officials who are running out of space to store them.

The state House member received kudos from Dennis Egge, chairman of the Salt Lake Neighborhood Board.

"I’m definitely in favor of what he is doing," Egge said. "Carts are a problem in my neighborhood, too. Brower is sending a ‘we, the people, urge you to get your abandoned (aka stolen) shopping cart collection act together’ message to our mayor."

Brower’s actions also have been supported by Waikiki Neighborhood Board Chairman Bob Finley and to some degree by Linda Wong, chairwoman of the Diamond Head/Kapa­hulu/St. Louis Heights Neighborhood Board.

"I’m only OK with it if the carts have been abandoned," Wong said. "I’m not in favor of him taking people’s stuff or taking carts from people. If he’s doing that, he’s crossed a line."

Colin Kippen, state homeless coordinator, encouraged Brower to take a different tactic.

"I’ve heard from many pillars in the community, and they aren’t OK with this," he said. "I would urge him to use the power of the pen and his place as a legislator to be a beacon of hope rather than to encourage this kind of vigilantism." 

Homeless people also criticized Brower.

Antone Lopes, a homeless man from Kapolei who makes his living recycling in Waikiki, was hauling cans in a garbage bag Monday.

"It’s wrong what he’s doing, bustin’ up the pushcarts," said Lopes, who usually uses a borrowed Safeway cart to collect recyclables. "They aren’t his to bus’ up. The bags, they get heavy. I need to fill three of them if we goin’ eat."

Samuel Willams, who has lived on the streets of Waikiki for seven years, said Brower’s actions are designed to intimidate.

"Everything that I own is in this cart," Williams said. "If he tried to take it … well, let’s just say he’s going straight to hell."

Brower’s actions are creating upheaval among homeless people, said Paul Wilbourn, who has lived on the streets of Waikiki since he lost his job two years ago.

"I heard people talking about it at Care-A-Van today," Wilbourn said. "Some people were rushing around because they didn’t want him taking their carts."  

Kippen cautioned people against following Brower’s lead, which he said is not only unsafe, but could have legal ramifications.

"Encouraging this kind of mean-spirited action is not safe," he said. "I’d hate to think that because a well-respected legislator did it, someone would pick up a sledgehammer and destroy property that doesn’t belong to him. He should be held accountable for the things that he says and the ways that he acts."

The Honolulu Police Department did not return calls from the Star-Advertiser on Monday. However, Brower defended his actions, saying that in his mind the "cart cleanup" is no different from any other similar community effort.

"I feel comfortable with the legality. The only thing that can stop me is the police, and the indication that I got from them at the Waikiki Neighborhood Board meeting is that they wouldn’t have a reason to stop me," Brower said. "Some people are criticizing me, but they are kind of disregarding that these carts were stolen in the first place. They are getting mad at me for stealing them back."