 Think Tech Hawaii. Civil engagement lives here. Aloha. Welcome to What's on Your Mind Hawaii. I'm Tim Apachella. Hawaii's main economic driver is still tourism. For 2018, tourist arrivals continue to visit our shores in increasing numbers. To date, it stands at 6% increase from 2017. Last year, 9.3 million visitors came to our estate. What would happen if those numbers would start to fall? What factors could contribute to the reversal of robust tourist visits? In a word, crime. A rash of crime events have made their way onto the pages of the Star Advertiser in the last many weeks. Specifically, articles of a Japanese tourist seriously beaten in the face in Kakako. A purse-snatching, a female tourist punched in the face at Kohio Beach. A female tacked and slashed with a box cutter in front of longs on Kawakawa. What did these events have in common? They all occurred in the midday, in broad daylight. Nighttime can be worse. A murder of a 23-year-old Marine, William Brown, visiting from New York. A 20-year-old female, beaten, raped and burned outside a Waikiki nightclub. For decades, locals and some returning tourists know that after midnight, it's best to watch where you go in Waikiki. The visitor to Aloha Society of Hawaii helped 1,640 victims of crime in 2017. In January of this year, the Department of Defense issued a list of several establishments in Waikiki that soldiers and sailors were not allowed to enter. That list was published in the Star Advertiser. That list was deemed bad for business, bad for profits. Is a police presence enough in Waikiki? Is there enough presence in the daytime? If more news stories about brutal assaults or murders persist, how long will it take before tourists take note and maybe fly somewhere else? Our interview with a local resident explores the lack of awareness tourists may have when they come to Hawaii and other aspects of crime in Waikiki. We'll also follow up with a dog owner to discuss the recently passed law, Senate Bill 2416, in the last legislative session, this law prohibits any attempts to pass off a pet as a real service animal. With fines from $100 to $500, this new law may be prompting a few pet owners to take note. And now, those interviews. Aloha, this is Tim Apachello for What's On Your Mind Hawaii for Think Tech Hawaii. I'm here today with speaking with Jeffrey. We're down here at the beaches of Waikiki. And the topic of the day is some recent reports in the news regarding some crime, mid-day crime here in the Waikiki area. Jeffrey, thank you very much for agreeing to be on our show. Appreciate it. So, Jeffrey, we were talking before this interview about some recent news stories that have come into the paper. And it's not just crime that's after midnight, but in some cases, this is crime that's occurring here in Waikiki in the mid-day. Have you read about those stories at all? Not as of recently. You know, I've been here for a couple years now, and it's usually reports at night. You know, it's that after dark. It's, you know, nothing happens good after 12 o'clock at night, which my dad always told me. However, it's concerning more now than ever that it's happening during the day. As a resident here in local, it's disheartening to hear that. You know, people come here to have that time, to have that Hawaiian experience, to have that aloha, you know, that world famous for. To have mid-day, you know, beatings and or thefts, it's very concerning for everyone. It should be concerning to the state, to the immigrant, to people at home, you know, everyone, especially now here at the beach. We're associated with a tourist agency, so you know how easily tourism can be affected by bad news stories. And before this interview, we were talking about your time in the Cayman Islands and other places, you know, where the tourists like to go. And so, to what degree do you think a news story could actually dampen or actually hurt tourism? You know, some people say that, you know, all news is good news, but it's not. I've seen it happen on the cruise lines in Cayman. I've seen it happen in Mexico recently with Tulum and Cancun that has deterred foreigners from coming there, you know. And having a million, you know, millions and millions and millions of dollars that is revenueing this state, it's very, very concerning. You know, it's not only that it should be reported on, but it's more of, you know, what are we doing to solve it? You know, that's the big issue. Like, how can we, how can, me and myself, how can we get this solved? You know, what is the state doing? What is, you know, the police doing? Is there more increase in patrolling in the area? That kind of certain thing. Well, that's a good point because, I mean, we know that tourism is the largest industry we have. And we know that we'd love to have other industries that kind of diversify our economy, but tourism is it still? So the question is, to what degree is the state, the city county of Honolulu, trying to address these midday crimes that does not affect, are basically the most important industry we have, not only in Oahu, but the entire state? Making it more aware to the local population, so then it does spread, you know. Social media, how it is right now with Facebook, Instagram, that kind of thing. Using platforms like that to tell people that it is still a loha. You know, we are doing the best of our ability, you know, as the state of Hawaii run and to, to nip this in the butt to, you know, we're going out there at extra lengths and measures to make sure everyone's safe and having a good time. Yes, part of the irony is that we had a midday assault right at Kohio Beach, yet the Honolulu police station is stationed at Kohio Beach. And then, of course, I did a show earlier about the shade pavilions and all the crime and alleged drug activity that's going on under the shade pavilions and there's a bill proposed by Trevor Azawa, a council member, to pull those shades out of there so that will expose the sun and there won't be this haven, alleged haven for drug usage. I guess the question is, is that really the solution or you suggested more activity, more visibility of the police department here on the streets of Waikiki? Yeah, you know, more good news. You know, there's no point being negative about, but it is, it's important to tell the public what's going on, but it's more important to tell them what we're doing about it. That's the most important thing to me, knowing that, you know, there are more police officers vigilantly going around town and cracking down on, you know, maybe not the homeless, but the troublemakers and the bunch, you know. I don't want to sit here and tell you that, you know, there is a homeless problem here, but there's a lot of circumstantial reasoning why they are homeless. Not to say that, you know, everyone's had a bad year or something like that, you know, get them on their feet, but, you know, there are ones in the crowd there that are the issue, are the problem, because they'll go at great lengths to feed the addiction. Well, to Mayor Caldwell's credit, he did initiate a sit-and-lie ban here in the Waikiki area and then he's expanded those zones. And, you know, that has helped as far as the sidewalks and people panhandling on the sidewalks and things like that. That actually, I think, was a good thing to make sure our tourism continues on the way it has, and it has. I mean, our tourism is growing. The question is, does a sit-and-lie bill actually stop crime? And I would say probably not. I mean, it's not like it drove people away from the Waikiki zone. It just says you can't sit and you can't lie. Any thoughts about that? You know, the weather here, and because of where people live, where we live here, it makes it easier. I was telling you before, St. Thomas has similar characteristics to Hawaii where you can take that one-way ticket here to Paradise, and you don't have to leave. The example was I was in Maui and I landed and the two gentlemen were getting off the plane, and I asked them, you know, what were you guys up to, where you headed? And, you know, they had two backpacks and had no clue, which is glorious in some ways, but then you just hope that they don't end up in a sit-and-lie situation where then they are attracting and they're panhandling and they're disrupting the beauty and culture of Hawaii. Well, that's a good point. And it actually points in a direction of what is the average awareness of the average tourist that comes to Hawaii, Waikiki, or wherever, no matter what island, to what degree are they informed about some of the cultural issues that they should be attentive to, but also what are some of the, you know, the current events of the day? Are they attuned to what's going on with crime or things of that nature? And I think that's usually a problem that people aren't usually tuned into that because they're so busy trying to get ready for the trip that they're not really paying attention to those sort of details. Well, you'd have to look far and long or wide to not know someone who's seen a postcard of this beach behind us here, you know? And that's what brings people here, you know, that Aloha spirit and these beaches, you know, not only in Oahu here, but, you know, Maui and Kauai, all that. And I think that people are, they overlook some issues which may help the industry here. You know, if people were more aware of it, maybe it would deter them from coming. But it's not about the deterrence, it's about progress moving forward. You know, that forward movement of, no, there is less panhandling than 10 years ago. Which I was here 10 years ago, I would, it's hard for me to say. I don't think there is. I think it's about the same. I don't think, if you walk down Waikiki Strip here, there's acts going on, it's a busy, busy area. Again, it's, I can't imagine the law enforcement in the, their ability, what they're doing is great. It has to be the most difficult thing in the world, you know? I have no idea what clue to how to deter that. But just knowing the steps involved and that they are making jumps and leaps and bounds towards a bigger and better Hawaii would be great. Well, we all know that crime statistics ebbs and flows. It's up, it's down, statistics are just that, they're statistics. And there's averages, there's median, you know, meat statistics. So we may be at a period where right now maybe the media is just picking up something that's always been occurring. And it's just being picked up on and being put on the front page more and more, more and more than normally. That could also be what's going on here. So before this interview also, we were talking about, you know, some of the causes of crime, particularly in tourist zone areas. And you had mentioned that, you know, perhaps we have some issues relating to drugs and addiction. Do you think that's, that's part of this? Very much so. I would say when you have a small area with bars and restaurants and that, that vibe that Waikiki and Honolulu gives off. You have that late night party goers. You have those people on vacation wanting to take and have, maybe have that extra drink. Maybe have those extra five drinks. That then causes, it causes a disruptions and it causes, you know, things behind the scenes to happen. You know, the bad, you know, the stuff after 12 o'clock that you maybe not, you don't want to see out. And that's, and that's what people thrive on. And, you know, just sit here and say that, you know, you can directly affect that and make that all go away. It's not, but I think that when you have high tourist density in a small area, you do have a pickup in nightlife. And there's just a lot, there's a lot going on and not all of it's good. Not that you're a law enforcement consultant. But from your observations of being here for many, many years and you've been other islands, you know, internationally. Do you think there's a common solution or perhaps something that can alleviate some of the tourist crime that occurs here? It's all about deterrence. You know, you want to make a stand that, you know, it won't be allowed. That's the biggest thing. You know, if people are scared to do something, they're more inclined not to do it. If they're not scared, if they think they can walk nearly, nearly around here and hit up people for, you know, spare change or rob during, you know, during daylight hours on a beach. That's when you have serious problems and that, and that stems, you know, further and deeper than, than most, you know. Yeah. Well, in my mind, part of it also is a proactive education of tourists. Even before they set foot in the airport, the land at the airport is maybe there's no ability or opportunity to say, oh, by the way, and not only just with crime, but also just water safety. I know that Hawaiian Airlines are now actually having some proactive statements in their video before the airplane lands about water safety. Hiking. You get a lot of hiking accidents. And I'm not saying that tourism's don't realize that the law of physics don't apply when they're on vacation, but sometimes it seems that way. I mean, it's one thing to experience a wave in the middle of a big lake that you are, you know, that you live next to versus a big wave from the ocean with a surge in the power of that wave. So to what degree do you think the stage or the city and county of Honolulu should try to take proactive measures to try to educate tourists rather than have a reactive response to something that could either be tragic or, you know, a misfortune? You know, that's a great point. And I think that using Instagram and Facebook and all these social media apps, maybe if they can get that word out that you're saying that, you know, water safety is a priority. Policing is a priority here. Using those apps in that media that's essentially free and that people are using more now than ever before can help. I think that I think that it would go a long way, especially with some, you know, posts, you know, about Hawaii and, you know, about the culture and history. But then also the day to day stuff, you know, the current situation of 2018 Hawaii. That's, that's, that's important as well. You mentioned the social media. That's a great idea. And maybe in conjunction with the hotel industries and the airline industries, everything that kind of intersects with tourism and where tourists are getting their information about even tours itself. I mean, you're, you're in that industry and to what degree would anyone get involved to try to educate something that isn't exactly positive, but very important. You know, in the tourist industry, and I think those listening and watching can tell you that if you asked me a place to go, I would tell you where to go, how to do it, and then I exactly where not to go. You know, and that's a good and a bad thing, you know, places that I wouldn't go. I would tell them that, but I'm also a realist now, and I'm truthful to people as well. You know, there's no hiding that silver lining. You don't want to, especially when it comes to safety. That could be water, you know, going out to makapur, sandies, you know, hey, like, you know, just really be careful. Watch yourself or, you know, out past 12 o'clock 1am, you know, on the streets of Honolulu downtown or here on Waikiki. Well, there's that fine line between balance. I mean, I remember the military actually publishing in the Star Advertiser a number of drinking establishments that were now off. Were a warning to the military about places to avoid. And I won't mention any names right now, but they were published in the newspaper. And boy, was that news story squashed very quickly after that because, again, tourism is such an important economic driver to our state. That was kind of not a good news story, but it was an important story. And, you know, and that, and that warning list was actually a public service to those, you know, those military personnel that are going to come into Waikiki. So how do we gauge that balance? How do we, how do you think we try to balance information and, you know, helpful information versus trying to scare the tourist and drive away the tourist? It's about being truthful in all sorts of the matter, you know, truthful in statistics. What are the current statistics of, and demographics of Waikiki, of Honolulu, of Oahu itself? You know, statistics drive tourism, it drives money, it drives capital, you know, from every sense. You know, if you get those statistics out there to the people, maybe they'll, maybe they'll make, it'll be a deterrent and they'll make a better choice when they do come. You know, that's a good point because the police often say we can't combat crime if we don't know what's occurring. The only way we know what's occurring is because people need to report it. It becomes a statistic and then we can, then we can respond to that data. So that's, it's a good point that you brought up. So if you were, you know, if you were in front of city council and you had the whole council in chamber and, and, and you were at the microphone and the podium. What would you say to city council, to the mayor's office about maybe what can be done a little bit better here in our home, our community about, you know, these unfortunate stories are starting to take place about crime in Waikiki. And this whole area. That's a great question. If I, if I was personally in front of the city council, you know, I would first just tell them that I'm, I'm grateful to live here. I love the culture. I love the aloha. I love the spirit of Hawaii. You know, there's certain, you know, when you get off the plane here, you, there's something in the air that, that's why that drives people here. You know, and let's keep it that way. You know, I would say that there's nothing right now that's, that's negative that they're doing that maybe say that they're not doing enough for this or that, or I know the solution. That's not it because I don't. But I would say that letting people, keeping people informed is the route to having them come back. You know, hey, we're going to make it better. You know, just like if you leave a hotel, how is your stay? I hope you had a great time. You know, Mahalo, thank you for coming. You know, and then you, you may want to come back. You know, I've been coming to Dukes here for more than 10 years right in front of Waikiki because this is, this is, this feels at home. It feels like a good place where I can, I can sit here and have a beverage and, and relax. So to them, I would say, you know, thank you for everything and just, just keep everyone informed. Well, if I was on the council and I heard that response, I'd suggest you throw in your nomination for the next council position. So Jeffrey, thank you very much for being on What's on Your Mind Hawaii. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. This is Tim Apachella for What's on Your Mind Hawaii for Think Tech Hawaii. Aloha. All right. Well, that's our first interview. So we're going to take a commercial break and we'll be right back. And Aloha. My name is Calvin Griffin, a host of Hawaii Uniform. And every Friday at 11 o'clock here on Think Tech Hawaii, we bring in the latest in what's happening within the military community. And we also invite all of your response to things that's happening here. For those of you who haven't seen the program before, again, we invite your participation. We're here to give information, not disinformation. And we always enjoy response from the public. But join us here, Hawaiian Uniform, Fridays, 11 a.m. here on Think Tech Hawaii. Aloha. Hey, Stan Energyman here on Think Tech Hawaii. And they won't let me do political commentary. So I'm stuck doing energy stuff, but I really like energy stuff. So I'm going to keep on doing it. So join me every Friday on Stan Energyman at lunchtime at noon on my lunch hour. We're going to talk about everything energy, especially if it begins with the word hydrogen. We're going to definitely be talking about it. We'll talk about how we can make Hawaii cleaner, how we can make the world a better place. Just basically save the planet. Even Miss America can't even talk about stuff like that anymore. We got it nailed down here. So we'll see you on Friday at noon with Stan Energyman. Aloha. Welcome back for What's on Your Mind Hawaii. And now our second interview that's going to cover the issue of pet service law that was recently passed in this year's state legislature. And now that interview. Aloha. I'm Tim Appichella, the host for What's on Your Mind Hawaii for Think Tech Hawaii. Today I'm out here at Hawaii Kai, the dog park. And we're going to do a show follow-up from the law that was passed about the prohibition of animals in public areas and public restaurants and hardware stores and all that because of fake service dogs in the past, fake animals. So I'm here with Dave. And Dave, you're here with Iggy and Fonzee. Fonzee, yes. Yeah. And we were just talking before we went on air here that you have an opinion about what you think about the new law and how it's been passed and what was behind it that made it pass. So what do you think about the new law? Well, I think for people that really need service dogs, you know, it's great, but I don't believe that if somebody's taking advantage of just getting something for their service dog and they're not a service dog, I don't agree on that. I hope it doesn't make it harder for people that really do need the service dogs to get into public places. Now, when this law was passed, it was acknowledged that probably 97% of the population will A, recognize it's a new law and B, respect it. But there is that acknowledgement that 3%, even though they know it's a law, they're still going to bring their animals in with a fake service vest that they buy for $19.99 online and still try to pass their dog off as a service animal. What do you think about that? What does it say about our society? First off, doing it in the first place, but then doing it knowing that it's illegal. Yeah, I mean, you're going to get that 3%, that small percent that do that. I just hope it doesn't affect every other dog owner or pet owner that needs that. That's my opinion on that. So have you ever, oh, Fonzie, have you ever been, I won't edit this out by the way, have you ever been in a situation where you have been in a restaurant or in a public space where someone brought their dog in and it was either with a fake service vest or not and the dog was a problem into the restaurant or whatever? No, no, I've been into a lot of restaurants and I've been with friends that have service dogs and the dogs are fine. There was no disturbance in the restaurant and they're perfect for that. I haven't seen anybody bring in a dog where you say, oh, that's not a service dog. So most people that have the service dogs are mindful and it's for a legitimate reason and I've traveled to and traveled in other countries and people with service dogs. You know, I remember before the law, before Costco down the way here posted their science service animals only and I remember Costco having a lot of pets in the carts and on leash and they didn't necessarily have any vests on and things like that. Do you remember that in those days? Yeah, it was funny, my wife tried to bring one in, our puppy in and that was before we didn't see any signs and they said, oh no, it needs to be a service dog and so we had just got our puppy and so we said, okay, then we just took the dog out. So, you go to Home Depot or any of the other hardware stores and same thing, I used to have a lot of dogs in there and a lot of pets and have you noticed a difference at all? I've never seen pets in Home Depot or Lowe's or City Mills so mainly in restaurants I've seen service dogs or Costco every once in a while, I'd see that. Do you fly? Yeah. Do you see pets these days on carriers? Oh sure, yeah, all the time. What kind of size of pets do you see? What kind of animals? Pretty big size dogs, you know, like 30, 40 pound dogs, really well behaved. Those probably are real service animals then. Yeah, I would think they are. So, do you think, now the airlines have been cracking down on this for the last several months now, United, Delta, they're all coming out with very strict policies about certifying that their animal is legitimate service animal before the flight, not at the time of the flight. Do you think it's appropriate and what else measures do you think they should do or not do? I think that'd be appropriate, you know, to have, I guess, the basic paperwork you need to just before you fly. It's just like when you fly overseas, you've got to show your passport so some sort of record that this is a service dog for whatever reason that you need it for. I think that's a good thing. It did amaze me that Hawaii is when, actually one of the first in a few states is actually starting to implement these kind of laws and, you know, sometimes we're kind of trailing the pack on certain laws. So, you think it's a good idea to implement nationwide as far as a concept? Yeah, I think, you know, just so everybody's on the same page, you don't want to say, well, in my state, we don't need to do this or in my state, we do it this way. I think it's kind of a general rule of thumb. A general guideline would be good, you know. Well, you have three dogs. You have Iggy, you have Fonzie, and you have, who else? Nacho. Nacho, okay. So as a pet owner, what do you think would be the next step that would help pet owners but also preserve, you know, other people that are not pet owners? Do you think there's anything out there that hasn't been addressed yet as far as laws or statutes? I can't think of anything right now. I think with a lot of things, everything has to go to your local representative. So I think maybe that's the next step you have to do is to bring that in so it goes to the House or Senate and they could bring that up, you know. Alrighty. Well, as a pet owner, I appreciate you sharing your opinion. Yeah. Anything you want to tell our audience about pets and what do you think's out there? You know, pets are our family. So you have to, yeah, so you have to treat them with love. You have to give them all the attention that you would give a normal family member. So that's why I'm here at the dog park, my wife, Michelle. She's on a trip right now. So I am doggy daddy. You're doggy daddy and you're actually the one giving the interview. You said normally it would have been her, right? Yeah, she's here more than I am. Well, I think you bring out a really good point and I think people forget that is if they're not pet owners, they really don't realize the significance of a pet, be it a cat, a canary, you know, whatever. That this is a part of the family and, you know, it's a big loss, you know, when that pet does pass on. Do you think there should be a little more awareness and a little more understanding, particularly in Hawaii, where there is a feeling of aloha? You know, I think nowadays pet owners are very mindful of how you treat your pet. Like I said, it's like a family. It's like a child. So you have to give them the love, the attention, the care. The discipline. The discipline. I'm not too good at that. An indulgent parent, are you? No, no, no, I just, you know, before you got here, they were like bucking and I had to, you know, pull a rain of men. So, yeah, yeah. All right. Well, hey, I want to say thank you very much for appearing on What's On Your Mind Hawaii. All right. I'm Tim Appichella for Think Tech Hawaii. What's On Your Mind Hawaii? Aloha. Aloha. All right. Well, that's our show for this week. I really encourage you to call into Think Tech Hawaii if you feel like you want to be on the show and I'd be happy to interview you. Our next show is on July 31st, and we'll see you then. Aloha.