why so many homeless and working girls in Hawaii? (Honolulu: violent crime, living)
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I maintain residence in Honolulu ... but I travel more on the mainland. I understand the views of tourists vary from residents', but I fail to understand how what a tourist sees is not valid in itself with regard to Waikiki and the homeless and prostitutes. The Waikiki experience is a tourist experience ... even Waikiki residents are living a Hawai'i that is more uniquely tourism than any other place in the state. When I am in Honolulu, I spend a fair amount of time in Waikiki ... I get a kick out of it in measured sessions because I tend to spend most of my time in isolation in forests and on my boats ... Though I wouldn't want to live Waikiki full time, I don't find the homeless or the hookers particularly difficult to co-exist with when I am there.
I guess thats why a lot of people prefer to live outside the metro area. We go to Waikiki for happy hour on Friday and thats about it. I don't like the hassle of seeking parking, don't care for the crowds and will not frequent the beaches that have been over run by the homeless.
Mcfrosty dont even live here, he clearly said he came on vacation, and the other person Tigerbeer live in Japan? so how can you talk about facts you dont see everyday like we do.
Jennypal, even though you have only been there 6 months and I have spent WAY more time there then you have, does not make my opinion of what I have experienced any more valid than your opinion of what you have experienced. So, let's look at what I have wrote on this issue and see if maybe I made a mistake, because I have made many in my life.
First I wrote, "As far as "working girls" goes, I think it has actually gotten a lot better. Back in the 90's we used to walk down Kalakaua and would count about 10 per block. Hooker counting was a fun game back then!"
Do you dispute this? Was what you saw back in the 90's in Waikiki actually better than today when it comes to the issue of "working girls"?
I then wrote, "In the 90's they were all up and down Kalakaua and you didn't even want to walk down Kuhio at night."
I am wrong again? Did you experience something different there over the last 20 years?
After that I wrote, "What I always found interesting was how if the hookers were on the mauka side of Kalakaua they were left alone by the police. Although, IF they crossed over to the makai side, they were busted almost immediately!"
I still find this interesting and wonder why this was? My only guess was that maybe they wanted people who were really uncomfortable being around "working girls" a side of the street to walk on where they could escape them. But that is just a guess. I could easily be wrong again, since I don't currently live there.
For my last post I wrote, "As for the homeless there, I have sat down and had some of the best conversations ever with some of the homeless in Hawai'i. I was very surprised to learn that many who are homeless, actually have jobs! They get up early, go clean up in the bathrooms at the Ala Moana Mall, International Market Place, Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center etc... and then go to work."
Your response was, "you are talking about some homeless you happen to talk while you were here VISITING. I live here and the homeless Im talking about are the ones I see everyday on the bus stops on Kuhio avenue, totally drunk, talking non-sense and disturbing on people. obviously you dont see them ..cause guess what ..you do not live here, you dont see the same scene everyday as I do. so your opinion is inaccurate."
When we go to Hawai'i and we are not spending time with my family that lives there, we do not go out and do the normal touristy things. I get up early each morning, go for a long walk, take breaks along the way to sit down in the parks and I talk to who ever happens to be sitting there. Where we live is beautiful, but very cold for most of the year. So when I go out for walks here I often am the only one out at all, and never see homeless people. Over the many years that I have gone to Hawai'i I have learned that not all homeless people are as you described. Sure, there are many that are, but not all. What I was most surprised to learn was what I discussed about how many of Hawai'i's homeless actually have and hold jobs. If you read what I wrote you will see that I never said that those you speak that are "totally drunk, talking non-sense and disturbing on people" don't exist. I know there are those because I see them every time I am there. I also see the same thing every time I go to Portland or Seattle. However, the homeless people I talked about do exist as well. For you to say that my "opinion is inaccurate" shows me that you are ONLY looking at one side of the coin. My suggestion would be to flip that coin over, get out and spend a little time with these people. Go to the parks in the morning, check out the local areas they go to clean up and get ready for their jobs. Learn as much as you can about ALL the homeless in your area. Then, once you are armed with such information and facts, do something to help the situation and make life for EVERYONE who lives in Waikiki better.
I am wishing you the best of luck and a brighter tomorrow.
Anyway, back to the original question of why there are so many homeless in Hawaii, I'm guessing there is a plethora of reasons as to why it would seem that the OP's particular portion of Waikiki is covered with, hmm, let's call them "night workers" since we may or may not be sure of the gender on some of them.
1. there are tourists willing to pay, so there are folks willing to service the demand
2. it's starting to get cold on the mainland so more of them will move here. After all, it's hard to work the street if there aren't any potential customers out on the street, too.
3. It's apparently not stringently enforced for whatever reason.
That's just three to start with, but I'm sure there are tons more reasons.
What has been bypassed has been the very original question of "Why are there so many homeless in Hawaii". Forget about hookers, we have a huge homeless population no matter what their possible source of income is. If someone is homeless, where are they going to work? Can they even get a basic "do you want fries with that?" level of job if they don't have an address, don't have anywhere to leave their meager belongings during working hours, have anywhere to clean up to get ready for work, etc. Perhaps being a hooker is one of the few "employment" opportunities available to these people. Did they finish high school? Do they have training in anything? Can they find any other employment?
"Why so many homeless and working girls in Hawaii?"
Not everybody can afford rent and there is no other place for them to go. Yes, I know you would like for them to disappear into thin air so you can enjoy your bus stops but it isn't going to happen until the issue is seriously addressed by the government. Right now they are too busy pandering to APEC and pushing the homeless out of the highly visible areas so foreign dignitaries can get the illusion that everything in Oahu is hunky dory.
I know what it means to be poor. Jennypal, you have this holier than thou attitude that makes me wish reality would deal you a sorry hand so you can get humbled. Sad to say the internet does not offer me that luxury.
My family and I can afford life's little luxuries thanks to my career but I don't look down on anybody because of their socioeconomic status.
We are all just shells. Just because yours looks different doesn't mean you don't let out a stinky fart every now and then.
Living in South Florida around metro Miami and a large radius, you see the homeless and female "friends" everywhere, but, low key. Not females on the streets so much, but still there, but more so, available just under the radar.
In winter, there is a huge influx of all types of every category, including scams, cons, and migratory liars. They migrate down to Florida and make as much money as those tourists or residents, will give. Sad thing is that tourists THINK a warm climate automatically is up front and no problem, just because they are "on vacation". Tourists usually do not grasp that everyone there is NOT necessarily a permanent resident and has come simply to prey on their vulnerability while THEY are "on vacation"! Warm climate brings all the vermin outside to to be visible. Vermin can be everywhere in the world/country, but you do not SEE them as often, because they stay warm INSIDE. The old adage, "out of sight-out of mind" applies. Now, homeless are just that, and are not automatically some psychopath or loser w/o capabilities. Brilliant & talented people can easily become homeless when money is lost for various reasons, not always due to their decisions either. Think, Bernie Madoff scam "victims" or similar ripoffs. See, but try not to condescend. We all walk the same terrain.
For everybody, about the prostitutes..
I looked it up ,prostitution is ilegal in the state ofHawaii so why the police plays blind about this problem?Big mistery How do they know these women practice prostitution? they patrol the area everyday,they see as everybody living in Waikiki the same women at the same spots EVERY NIGHT, working out loud,always trying to grab man's attentions, making negotiations on the streets, yes, anybody walking down Kuhio can hear them, they seem quite agressive when it comes to japanese turists a little bit more reserve with the others. A total shame.
It's disappointing since Hawaii is such a beautiful place to record good memories. To suddenly come upon these woman makes it uncomfortable to walk the normally clean area, in the evening. I hope the police will crack down to have this behavior stopped so we can all feel better enjoying the beautiful nights of Waikiki.
About the homeless. Im not talking about the type of homeless that work and can't afford to pay an expensive rent so they go homeless, I understand some have tougher times than others BUT Im NOT talking about that type, The ones I mentioned are the homeless on Waikiki that seem to be in drugs and get drunk during the day, while everybody is working to live a decent life. Is there a excuse for a homeless to get drunk during the day and bother on people using aggressive vocabulary? to all of you living in Honolulu,I invite you to go to the bus stops I mentioned before, and confirm it by yourself.
I asked a police officer yesterday about this...guess what his answer was...hey, its waikiki, no!...
I have also lived in Miami and worked in South beach which would be the equivalent to Waikiki, and honestly the situation in Waikiki is much worst.
..A shame with Waikiki, not saying the rest of the island is, but Waikiki has some serious problems going on.
I think your just pissed off cause the competition is too much for you and your not making the money you need to continue living on Hawaii. This was something you should have researched in detail before getting on the plane and hoping to set up your trade in a new place.
I have only been here six months, I expected stories and other informational opinions on the matters I adressed before since there are people on this forum who has been living on the island for years, I was curious on what the law says and what happened in the past or what do they know about it. Instead I got excuses on how homeless here are ''smarter'' than others, or how the hookers in Waikiki look ''high class'' compare to others. I mean..come on..
And Im not saying they are wrong, what Im saying is that they only have an opinion based on a short period of time vacation, so their opinions are subjective on what they saw while they were on happiness time..its different and much more believable when you live on a place and you see the same problems everyday, then defintely they can understand, but an opinion based on a vacation is not the same, im sorry it isnt and please take the time to read what these people think on the problem I adressed so you can understand where Im comming from.
Moving to Waikīkī and complaining about na kuewa (the homeless) and "working girls" (and "guys") is analogous to moving to Alaska and complaining about the cold.
Although the tourists are told that "Waikīkī" means "spouting water" in Hawaiian, it also means "spurting semen." Ever since it was formed out of swampland during the early 19th Century, Waikīkī has always been a "tourist ghetto", despite the propaganda of the Hawai'i Visitor's and Convention Bureau and the tourism industry. The purpose of most "tourist ghettoes" is to extract as much money as possible from its visitors, and prostitution and na kuewa are simply part of the "extraction process." Waikīkī was originally envisioned as a place where people could go to relax and have a "good time", not set up a permanent residence. The nature of Waikīkī is one of transience -- one goes there for a while and then moves on. Those of us that were born and raised in Hawai'i know this and others eventually learn.
I think your just pissed off cause the competition is too much for you and your not making the money you need to continue living on Hawaii. This was something you should have researched in detail before getting on the plane and hoping to set up your trade in a new place.
That post should bring an interesting response.
Jenny - all you are doing is fueling your frustration by posting on this message board. If you want to do something about it - take action. Write letters and emails to your congressman, senator, local police station. The situation here isn't unlike Vegas (much worse), Miami, or many other places.
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... Though I wouldn't want to live Waikiki full time, I don't find the homeless or the hookers particularly difficult to co-exist with when I am there.
Good weather and outside lives
