Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 3, 1 March 1993 — Nohili Sand Dunes, Kūlani Prison, much-needed health and human direct services [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Nohili Sand Dunes, Kūlani Prison, much-needed health and human direct services

by Moanike'ala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i At Wo Fat Restaurant on Jan. 30, a retirement dinner was held to honor Unele Tommy Kaulukukui, Sr. After his 12

years as OHA Trustee, 1*11 miss Unele Tommy being on the board. He is both a gentleman and the most fair of trustees, as well as its past chairman. "Coach," a past All-American player at the University of

Hawai'i, believed in teamwork, and was one not to be led by self-interest or ego. His compassion and genuine desire to help his fellow Hawaiians will be missed on the board.

Nohili sand dunes Last October 1 wrote about the Nohili sand dunes. I was saddened recently to learn that Judge Thomas Kaulukukui, Jr. has allowed the Kaua'i "Star VVars" project at Nohili, whieh is located next to the burial grounds of our ancient kūpuna, to proceed. I find this sacrilegious and disrespectful to our ancestral 'ohana. They will not be allowed to rest in peaee as rockets blast beside and over them. A Jan. 26 Honolulu Advertiser article states "Judge Kaulukukui rejected a request by Sierra Club and Kaua'i's 1,000 Friends to extend a temporary court order that barred the state from agreeing with the military to close the area around the facility for rocket launching." The court order expired on Jan. 25. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources refused to do its own environmental impact statement, and instead will go along with the one already done by the feds.

Who is to protect our ancestor's bones, Kaua'i's community, and the surrounding 'āina? The feds want 1,700 additional acres for the Nohili project, whieh include parts of the much-used Polihale State Park as well as ceded and DHHL lands whieh will be closed off during these "Star Wars" launchings. These acres should become part of our Hawaiian sovereign nation, not a buffer zone for "Star Wars!" This endeavor adds more insult to injury as we moum the 100-year anniversary of the armed invasion of Hawai'i aided by U.S. Minister Stevens and 162 marines from the U.S.S. Boston. Judge Kaulukukui, Jr. announced recently that he was

going to retire and help the Hawaiian people. Some help — according to DNLR director Bill Paty, this ruling may well have enabled "Star Wars" launches to take plaee by the end of February. The commencing of

"Star Wars" launehes at Nohili only compounds the harm done to the Hawaiian people while tying up an additional 1,700 acres of Hawaiian 'āina for military purposes. This land could instead be used for native housing as 68

percent of the homeless are Hawaiians. This is a sad state of affairs and it disturbs me that a Hawaiian judge who wants to help his people is allowing this act to proceed!

Kulani Prison expansion There is mueh alarm about the proposed expansion of the Big Island prisons at Kūlani. In fact, the Honolulu Advertiser's editorial on Sunday Jan. 31 referred to it as "a prison wish list that would floor Santa Claus." Public Safety Director George Sumner initially asked for a $117 million expansion of the minimum to maximum security facility from 175 to 1,000 prisoners! Even with that increase in bed space at Kūlani, Sumner says the state will need more prison space and should consider building, for another $100 million, an additional minimum to maximum security prison on the Big Island! This was a front page headline story in the Honolulu Advertiser on Jan. 27. Sumner stresses that he realizes that his proposal will not fly unless it is acceptable to Big Island residents and eommunity representatives. Senator Andy Levin (Puna-Ka'ū), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, feels Sumner's proposal "would require explanation and justification."

Sumner adds that the crowded prison ean delay "building some new beds for a few years if lawmakers put up money to parole more inmates, create alternatives to prison, and relax some mandatory sentencing provisions" relating to the victimless crimes. The Legislature will entertain some of these sentencing options this session, and wise judges such as Marie Milks and Leland Spencer are encouraging legislators to seriously consider these alternatives. The projected cost for the expansion of Kūlani prison is $217 million, whieh is only the

beginning for two proposed facilities. In addition, it still costs about $30,000 a year to house eaeh pa'ahao (prisoner). A year's tuition at Yale is a bit less! Yet the recidivism rate proves they are not being rehabilitated. Officials say the sentenced felon population is expected to grow at a rate of nearly 7 percent per year. The Honolulu Advertiser's Jan. 31 editorial says, "We can't as a society support a 7 percent annual increase in the prison population with a taxpayer base growing far more slowly than that. Prevention — meaning more education and social services — and altematives to imprisonment will be essential!"

Perhaps we should examine what it is in our society that creates so many criminals. Why is our projected prison population rate to grow faster than our eeonomie growth? I am especially concerned about the Kūlani Prison situation as trustee because it is our kānaka maoli that make up a large percentage of these pa'ahao. Better alternatives need funding While Kūlani could use some expansion, we need viable alternative projects. We need rehabilitation projects in working with the 'āina. This gave strength and halanee to our ancestors. Cooperative lifestyles, rather than competitive ones whieh put Hawaiians in prison, may be one avenue worth investigating. The Honolulu Advertiser calls social services essential as a partial remedy to reduce the high prison population. As chair of OHA's Health and Human Services Committee we have requested, as part of OHA's hiennium legislative budget for 1993-94, funding of $600,000 to provide grants for mueh needed heahh and human services throughout the Hawaiian islands.

This includes $200,000 for statewide domestic-violence programs, and $80,000 for beds in an adolescent care home on Maui — an alternative to transporting troubled young people to O'ahu and away from 'ohana and friends. There is another proposal for $100,000 to take the Wai'anae Diet statewide; another $100,000 to address the "hidden homeless" problem; and more for a drugaddicted mothers and babies program as well as mueh needed direct servk:es to help our Hawaiian 'ohana and nation. Because needed direct services whieh serve Hawaiians are being slashed statewide there is more

need for them to be made up from other sources. These cuts exacerbate a festering kāki'o (sore). If we speak of re-estab-lishing our sovereign nation it is imperative that it be a more healed nation, for the sake of all of Hawai'i's people. Sovereign nation or not, we all reside on these islands together. A more healed society is in everyone's best interest and consistent with the perpetuation, resuscitation and regeneration of the mueh lauded and mueh abused aloha spirit.

Please eall these legislators and support the OHA Health and Human Services Budget for $600,000 in grants to direct services for these mueh needed programs. In the Senate: Ways and Means chair, Ann Kobayashi — 586-6750; Human Services chair, Rey Graulty — 586-6670; Health chair, Bertrand Kobayashi — 586-6860; Hawaiian Programs chair, Anthony Chang — 586-6930. In the House: Finance chair, Calvin Say— 586-6200; Hawaiian Affairs chair, Tom Okamura — 586-6340; Health chair, Julie Duldulao — 586-6140; Human Services chair, Suzanne Chun — 586-6130.

During these past eight years that I've been trustee, little attention has been devoted to kōkua direct heahh and human services programs for the Hawaiian people. Yet this is an area of great

need. On its own, OHA ean fund programs for Native Hawaiians of 50 percent blood quantum — but, at this point, we must go to the Legislature for funding for those Hawaiians with less than 50 percent blood quantum. We must get funding, through negotiations with the State, for resources to serve Hawaiians with less than 50 percent blood quantum. They are 60 percent of our population. The Legislature agrees they owe OHA more than $112 million (we have not received a penny). However, you must remember this is only for programs for the 50 percent blood quantum. This is an issue still to be rectified with the state in the near future.

Onee we have collected pastdue resources for all Hawaiians, and are receiving a continued ineome stream and ample land base on all islands for our sovereign Hawaiian nation, we as Hawaiians will be able to help direct our own future. This has not happened for us thus far, under federal or state jurisdiction. We have been cheated too long. We must paddle our own eanoe as a nation of sovereign Hawaiians and I feel OHA would be wise to be a part of that nation. This trustee intends to be. So let us get on with the ho'oulu lāhui, to raise the nation. Mālama pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono.