Micronesian ambassador hopes Iremamber Sykap killing elicits less violence

The ambassador of the Federated States of Micronesia to the United States hopes recent conversations with the Honolulu Police Department following the shooting death of 16-year-old Iremamber Sykap lead to fewer violent confrontations with officers and a deeper understanding of his people’s unique culture.

Ambassador Akillino H. Susaia said recent meetings with HPD, and the department’s commitment to cultural sensitivity training beginning with August’s metropolitan police recruit class, are steps in the right direction, but a lot of work remains.

He is cautiously optimistic that justice will be served following murder and attempted murder charges against the three officers who fired into the stolen vehicle Sykap was driving following a high-speed chase from East Honolulu to Kalakaua Avenue on April 5.

“Anytime a person’s precious life is taken by law enforcement authorities, the community as a whole should be concerned,” Susaia told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “So obviously, the Micronesian community is no exception in feeling concerned about the fatal shooting of an unarmed citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia. We should all be concerned as members of the community. I say the Micronesian experience in Hawaii is unfortunate because the problems seem to be confined to the State of Hawaii and to some similar degree, the US Territory of Guam.

“Obviously, there are bad apples in every community, but the Hawaii experience is a bit over the norm. Our Government has reached out to the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) and we have agreed to collaborate going forward. While our community was outraged by the shooting of an unarmed Sykap, we must allow the system to take its course in resolving this matter. This is the way things are handled in a democratic society, that due process of law must take its course. We have confidence in the system and we should move forward and allow those officers to have their days in court.”

Interim Honolulu Police Chief Rade K. Vanic did not reply to a request for comment on the ambassador’s observations. Vanic has met with the FSM’s mission in Hawaii and two other community advocacy groups to promote recruiting, engagement activities and establish cultural sensitivity training.

HPD’s 2019 use-of-force report revealed that Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders — who make up 25% of Oahu’s population — were the subject in more than a third of the incidents involving police use of force in 2019.

Attorney Eric A. Seitz, who represents Sykap’s grandmother and mother in a civil suit against the city, HPD and the officers who shot at Sykap, said despite the criminal charges against the officers and repeated requests, the city has yet to schedule a deposition of the medical examiner or turn over police reports, videos, tapes of 911 calls or radio transmissions, or ballistics reports.

“The family was encouraged that criminal charges were filed and that someone appears to take seriously the facts that their brother, son and grandson was shot repeatedly and killed without simply blaming the victim or dismissing the events because they involved ‘a bad person’ — as others have done. They are hopeful that the case will be prosecuted fairly, objectively, and successfully,” Seitz said. “In my experience — especially of late — ‘cultural sensitivity’ is an unknown concept to HPD.”