Waikiki’s old charm soon will be history

I take strong exception to the comment about the King’s Village Shopping Center, saying "its heydey was in another era" ("King’s Village soon to be a memory," Star-Advertiser, Off the News, Dec. 14).

It’s bad enough that the International Market Place is history, but why tear down everything that is left of Waikiki’s charm?

I think that when we have nothing in our community but "condotel" property, we will lose our tourist industry and sense of place.

Ray Yourchek
Waikiki

Tourists might start avoiding Waikiki

Just a month ago, I wrote about the proposed loss of the International Market Place. Now it is King’s Village.

No longer are there outdoor restaurants with the island atmosphere. With both the International Market and King’s Village being replaced by concrete, there will be nothing left in Waikiki to meander through.

It will all be indoor restaurants and concrete monoliths, and all tourists will be able to do is wander in and out of the stores, as if they came to Waikiki to shop.

I didn’t know Waikiki was a shopping mecca.Auwe!

Diedri Young
Shakopee, Minn.

Kakaako unfriendly to outdoor activity

I have lived in Kakaako for more than a decade now and not once have I been able to take a pleasant neighborhood walk in the cool of the evening. There is no place for it. It is all "citified" and overbuilt and commercial. There is nothing pleasant about the neighborhood.

I had hoped that new condos would feature setbacks and public open spaces. Thus far, the only places to sit and watch the world go by are outside Subway on South Street, and a bench or two in Mother Waldron Park.

Speaking of Mother Waldron Park, is this open space expected to serve the needs of thousands and thousands of new people? People are living there already.

Close-packed high-rises to warehouse workers were built on the mainland and became instant slums. There was no place for the young people to go and be safe with healthy activities.

If people are overcrowded, with no place to enjoy the outdoors, there will be trouble.

Is there no urban psychologist on Oahu to address what is being planned for Kakaako living?

Beverly Kai
Kakaako

Ryan-Murray deal would hurt military

When I first saw and heard about the Ryan-Murray budget bill, I thought it was great that a Republican and a Democrat could focus on goals and objectives, identify what was essential to them and identify what was negotiable to come up with a budget.

Later I received reports from the Military Officers Association of America and the National Association for Uniformed Services, national organizations that support the military, that the bill placed promised military pay and benefits on the chopping block along with Medicare.

It was very uplifting to hear Rep. Colleen Hanabusa state on TV about making promises to the military (active, retired, reserves and veterans), and then taking them away, that led her to vote against that bill.

Many politicians talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk. Here’s one that is doing both.

Rudolph Yap
Kaneohe

Police overreacting to knife-wielders

Decade after decade, Honolulu police continue to kill knife-wielding suspects using the same self-defense procedure for people armed with guns:multiple shots to the torso ("Police fire fatal shots after alleged threats," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 15).

Can we accept that knives pose less danger in most cases? That the threat is less imminent, compared to that of a potential shooter? That police have more options, including temporarily maintaining a safe distance while trying to defuse the situation?

Frequently these suspects have mental disorders or are distraught.

How about a carefully placed shot to the leg first? Then maybe one shot to the lower torso.The killing of knife-wielding Rodney Laulusa in Palolo in 1998 by three HPD officers who released a barrage of 20 bullets highlighted the problem, and it continues unresolved.

On Saturday in Waipahu, police again fired multiple shots against a knife threat.Why insist on such a lethal response?Can we discuss this HPD procedure?

Mark Dougherty
Waikiki

HPD acted quickly in serial rape case

Kudos to the Honolulu Police Department for the arrest of Asofitu Fio in the vicious rape on Cedar Street ("Suspect in 3 rapes confessed to 2, prosecutor says," Star-Advertiser, Dec. 19).

I believe women in our community were spared by Fio’s arrest.

I surmise our police department recognized they had a potential serial rapist on their hands and spared no expense in addressing the problem, with 60 officers and more than 1,000 hours committed to apprehending the suspect.

HPD deserves thanks for taking prompt action and making our community safe.

Ron Bode
Kaneohe

Legalize gambling and keep cash here

I heartily concur with Michael O’Hara ("Let residents bet in state lottery," Star-Advertiser, Letters, Dec. 21).

Not only do many Hawaii residents go to Las Vegas to gamble, but they are spending money on air fare and hotel rooms out of state. All that money could stay right here in Hawaii, benefiting education. Tourists would certainly purchase lottery tickets; even if they did not win, our tickets would be souvenirs.

Many of the politicians who vehemently decry gambling here at home are scrambling to get on flights to Las Vegas.

Could there be collusion with airlines and Las Vegas hotels?

Joan Huber
Diamond Head