A week ago, a mass shooting rocked Maili when two men allegedly opened fire at an illegal cockfighting venue, killing two people and wounding three others. The incident revealed a host of complex concerns: gang violence, firearms access, drug dealing — and the crimes brought into the community by cockfighting. Much like illegal gaming rooms, cockfighting draws criminal elements into a residential neighborhood, and the activity raises the danger level for all. Residents in Maili, Waianae and Nanakuli are right to call for more police presence and help, to shut down these illicit hubs before things grow intractable.
To be sure, the Honolulu Police Department is struggling with a staffing shortage islandwide, and its long-promised Waianae Substation remains unfinished. Still, attention must be paid to the Leeward Coast before things get more out of control — and HPD leaders should provide a plan for a new Waianae patrol district by next year, as requested by a City Council resolution passed last month.
As Nanakuli-Maili Neighborhood Board Chairwoman Patty Kahanamoku-Teruya noted: “(It’s) not just chicken fighting but the gambling establishment has increased too, and people are afraid.”
A March 4 bust on Hawaii island shows too vividly the combustible mix at cockfights: When police and FBI agents raided a 500-acre Kealakekua property — several gunshots were fired from within that scattered the 800-1,000 people gathered — they found drugs and illegal firearms, and confiscated some $8,000 in cash. They also found four dead roosters, 14 live ones and cockfighting paraphernalia.
Cockfighting is illegal under state and federal law, but persists in rural areas throughout Hawaii, as well as in many other U.S. states and countries like the Philippines.
In fact, last week’s Maili tragedy has spurred introduction of congressional legislation to strengthen the federal law against cockfighting and dogfighting. Titled the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, it seeks to amend the Animal Welfare Act with enhanced enforcement by banning simulcasting and gambling of animal fighting ventures; halting the shipment of mature roosters shipped through the U.S. mail; creating a citizen suit provision to allow private right of action against illegal animal fighters; and enhancing forfeiture provisions to include real property for animal fighting crimes.
Two males, ages 23 and 16, have been charged in the Maili incident, for murder, attempted murder and firearm offenses. On Thursday night, a prayer vigil for the victims brought together many, including Waianae Coast legislators, police officers, faith leaders and Leeward Coast residents. Now is the time to channel widespread grief into the community will to crack down on illegal hubs that can quickly turn violent.
