City official says plan coming for ‘safe haven’ for Kakaako homeless
PHOTO BY DENNIS ODA ON JUNE 30,
20150630-6233 CTY KAKAAKO HOMELESS Last night, Rep. Tom Brower was involved in an alteration in the homeless encampment in Kakaako next to the Children’s Discovery Center. Rep. Brower suffered a concussion and two swollen eyes from the alleged assault. He was then transported to the trauma hospital in serious condition but has been released. Brower, 50, was videotaping some homeless people on Ohe St. when two juveniles asked him to stop. Brower was then allegedly assaulted. According to Hawaii News Now, the two are Jonah Iose (14) and Isaiah Totoa (17). Rep. John Mizuno and Sen. Will Espero along with Debbie Spencer-Chun, Mac Schwenki, Tevita Williams and Cidney Tabilang (all from the Adults Friends for Youth) went to the encampment. Mizuno said they were just going there to retrieve Brower’s belongs that he lost in the scuffle. Passion Totoa, Isaiah’s sister (23) said her brother asked politely to stop taking pictures when Brower started to laugh. When the scuffle occurred, she ran out of her home (a makeshift shelter on the sidewalk near the corner of Ohe St. and Olomehani St.) and stopped the scuffle. She said Brower ran away when his camera fell to the ground. She said no one stole it from him and that someone from the AG’s office already came down to retrieve the camera. This is the tent city that has grown on Ohe St. with children playing in the street. PHOTO BY DENNIS ODA. JUNE 30, 2015.
20150630-6233 CTY KAKAAKO HOMELESS Last night, Rep. Tom Brower was involved in an alteration in the homeless encampment in Kakaako next to the Children’s Discovery Center. Rep. Brower suffered a concussion and two swollen eyes from the alleged assault. He was then transported to the trauma hospital in serious condition but has been released. Brower, 50, was videotaping some homeless people on Ohe St. when two juveniles asked him to stop. Brower was then allegedly assaulted. According to Hawaii News Now, the two are Jonah Iose (14) and Isaiah Totoa (17). Rep. John Mizuno and Sen. Will Espero along with Debbie Spencer-Chun, Mac Schwenki, Tevita Williams and Cidney Tabilang (all from the Adults Friends for Youth) went to the encampment. Mizuno said they were just going there to retrieve Brower’s belongs that he lost in the scuffle. Passion Totoa, Isaiah’s sister (23) said her brother asked politely to stop taking pictures when Brower started to laugh. When the scuffle occurred, she ran out of her home (a makeshift shelter on the sidewalk near the corner of Ohe St. and Olomehani St.) and stopped the scuffle. She said Brower ran away when his camera fell to the ground. She said no one stole it from him and that someone from the AG’s office already came down to retrieve the camera. This is the tent city that has grown on Ohe St. with children playing in the street. PHOTO BY DENNIS ODA. JUNE 30, 2015.
The city has plans to open a "safe haven" in Kakaako in the next month to accommodate homeless people there, Honolulu Managing Director Roy Amemiya said Thursday.
Amemiya, speaking at a City Council Zoning and Planning Committee meeting, said the project would be on government-owned land.
But pressed to give more details — both by committee members at the meeting and by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser afterward, Amemiya declined.
Citing the need to finalize details, Amemiya said Council members and the media would be informed in the coming weeks.
