Drug Problem? (Kihei, Kailua: homes, crime, university)

[islandsunshine]

Can anyone tell me if Hawaii has gotten their drug problem under control? We are considering moving back and I was just wondering if the crime is still up from drugs?

How's Maui these days?

Mahalo

[brikag]

I left two years ago b/c it's getting out of hand. I was mugged at knife point in the university area by a man who obviously needed his fix. The HPD are doing their best, but the demand is to high. Politicians (Mufi, the mayor, and Linda, the Gov.) have all the hot air to blow up a balloon but not enough to blow the problem away. I live in LA now. I feel alot safer here than I did in HNL. Don't get me wrong, HNL is a wonderful place, but I'm finding the lil' suburb of LA a much better place. Don't move back. Maui is probably a different story though. I always love Maui. Whenever I go back to Hawaii, I have my family met us in Kehei.

Good luck.... and ALOHA.

[brikag]

Ohhhhh I forgot. A friend that lives in Portland.Or. used to live in HNL and still has family there. Her youngest brother goes to Iolani. They arrested some six students for drug distribution in the school. Believe it or not, they kept it hush-hush from the public by the order of the higher ups. Not totally, there was a small column on page 12 in the HNL advertiser. Not being ignorant of the fact that there are drugs in schools. But with the reputation that Iolani has, you wouldn't expect something like that.

[TERRIE]

two teachers got arrested today for selling ice and pot....high school teachers, but don't remember which one....this was on oahu..

[islandsunshine]

Iolani? Oh NO! I guess even private schools are not safe. But teachers selling to students?OMG!

I left Hawaii in 1990 because the drugs there were getting too scary. Now I want to go home but I am leary from the reports.

I remember 4 years ago I was visiting Kauai and I saw broken glass on the beach, a syringe (not a diabetic 1cc syringe) and I wanted to cry. I pick up about 30 pieces of glass (various colors so you knew it wasn't from 1 broken bottle).

That same time a lady (30 yrs old) asked her Dad to watch her kids while she ran to get cigarettes during the day. She went and stole a Cadillac from a dealer and tried to run down a cop and they killed her. (all day in the broad daylight) they shot and killed her.

It came out she was an ice addict.

Then there was another man shot and killed in Kihei on the beach. Once again ice related. So I left saddened at the fact that they still hadn't gotten the problem under control.

Looks like there isn't any improvements.

Aloha

[islandsunshine]

PS Brikag-

You know I fee the same away about LA as you. Last year I was there on 6 occasions and other than the fashion district, there wasn't really any scary parts.

The only things I dont' like about LA is the traffic and the homeless! OMG I have never seen so many homeless in my life. Santa Monica park in the AM is wall to wall homeless. Very sad.

But all in all, I liked California. Have you been to LaJolla? It kind of reminded me of Hawaii.

[brikag]

IslandSunshine,
Yes... It reminds me of the Diamondhead homes, but with alot of commercialization. We live in West San Fernando area. We go to San Diego every once in awhile. What do you like about La Jolla? The homeless are harmless in LA. There is a revitalization of downtown. The LAPD and mayor are trying to push the homeless out of the district only to migrate to the smaller annexes of LA. Just like HNL. The homeless population is growing in HNL because of the "ice" problem. They're pusing towards the Ewa side of the island. Word is that there are camps of the homeless in the Makiki area, the mauka section overlooking UH. But that is just rumor. HNL is going to hell in a hand basket. Sorry Guys... Get a politician that knows how to clean up a city and knows how to stand up for ALL people of Hawaii.

Aloha

[islandsunshine]

What do I like about LaJolla?? Everything. The homes are awesome, the views are to die for, cool shops, the seals, etc. I don't think it is as busy as the Diamond head area. I had friend who liked in Black Point area so I hung out there a lot.

I realize the homeless are harmless but I just think it is so sad. When I say scary, I mean scary as in scary that they have no place to go and people don't care. I find it very upsetting that we as a society have turned our back on these people.

The Fashion District is just plain gross. The last time I got home I wrote a letter to Arnold about it! LOL He actually personally wrote me back and addressed each point I made. Well it was probably his assistant but it wasn't a form letter. It was personalized.

So HNL has a ton of homeless now? When I lived there they were all in Ala Moana Park. I never go to HNL I just fly right to Maui or Kailua-Kona. If I do it is only to connect to a flight out.

I can picture Makiki being filled with homeless. It was never great but not horrible. Sad, yeah? I graduated from UH so I was always around that area.

I thought Lingle was bad as a Mayor of Maui. I was shocked when she was elected Govenor.

I wonder how bad the Big Island is now. I just can't believe that they have not gotten anywhere with this ice problem.

I know they have to give the police more power. They have those goofy laws to protect the drug dealers and not help the cops.

What do you think? Should I just forget it or should I look into Maui? Kona? I don't intend to even think of Oahu. It was bad when I left!

Aloha

[islandsunshine]

I have a friend who lives in West Hills. That must be close to you. My favorite place to eat is in that area is "Follow your heart".

[heidinbend]

My brother lives in Kona and says ice is a huge Prob over there! I lived in San Diego for a while.. La jolla is nice... pretty spendy... Guss so is Hawaii though.. I would raher be on the big Island any day over CALI!