Most of the homeless living on the streets of Kakaako near the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center and Kakaako Waterfront Park believe they know why they were rousted Thursday by city maintenance crews, police, deputy sheriffs and the Hawaii Community Development Authority.
"They just came ’cause they’re going to do a movie tomorrow until Monday," said Bahji Launoa, 30, who was back in her usual spot under a canopy along Ohe Street on Friday afternoon with her 2-year-old son, Jovial. "We just took our stuff, put it in the park. After they finish, we just move back."
"Hawaii Five-0" crews were preparing Friday afternoon on Olomehani Street for their shoot Saturday. A huge red crane with a fake wrecking ball was positioned off Olomehani, which is on the makai end of Ohe Street and runs perpendicular to it.
Olomehani remained clear of homeless encampments, but many had pitched their tents back up on Ohe Street.
City spokesman Jesse Broder Van Dyke took issue with the notion the city was clearing the streets of homeless encampments specifically for the filming of the TV show.
City Facility Maintenance crews enforce the sidewalk nuisance ordinance around the island five days a week, and about once a month in Kakaako, he said.
"The Honolulu Film Office notified ‘Hawaii Five-0′ when the enforcement was occurring, and they planned around it," he said. "Five-0" obtained a street use permit to film in the area.
A car stunt is scheduled for filming Saturday, Broder Van Dyke said, adding that people probably don’t want to be on the sidewalks when that happens.
On Thursday city crews removed 4.3 tons of rubbish and 10 shopping carts, stored one bin of items that may be recovered later, and issued one sidewalk nuisance ordinance ticket in that area.
So far this month, workers have removed 11.69 tons of trash from the street during these enforcements. Last month they removed 22.55 tons.
The frequency of enforcement is based on the number of complaints the city receives. The city receives more complaints from Waikiki, so two enforcements were made in Waikiki this week and one in Kailua, Broder Van Dyke said.
Some homeless folks weren’t as lucky as Launoa.
Kionina Kaneso, 59, who camped on Olomehani, said she lost her wok, stove, food, some clothes, a shopping cart and her granddaughter’s plastic toy cart during the sweep Thursday.
"I can’t cook because I don’t have stove now," she said. "I’m angry. I don’t have food because they take my rice away."
But she said her sister suffered the greater loss when city workers ignored her protests and took a bag containing her passport, birth certificate and identification.
"She’s hurt because she lost everything," she said.
Kaneso said she used to live with her son and his family in public housing, but neighbors complained because she was not permitted to live there, so she moved to Kakaako.
"It’s hard stay on this street," she said.
Broder Van Dyke said Facility Maintenance crew members actually give the homeless an opportunity as a courtesy to retain personal items. They read a script saying they can take ID cards, prescription medication and other personal items, and crews are not allowed to take their entire backpack.
Michael Ho, 34, who lives in a tent on Ohe Street, is familiar with the drill but said, "I feel for some of the people because they have a language barrier. They should have a translator instead of just yelling at them."
Micronesians, many of whom are new to the area, don’t understand what they need to do to get their possessions back, he said.
On Thursday morning, Ho claims, they were given no previous warning.
"People came down the street," he said. "That’s the only kind of warning we had."
The enforcement occurs at random hours, sometimes at 4 a.m. or at other times, Broder Van Dyke said.
