Mr. Kenoi, you've got mail.
Just when you thought ‘harvest’ was over and it was safe to relax…More helicopter marijuana eradication missions in Puna! It appears that now it is nothing to do with harvest but everything to do with using up funding they know they might not have again. .. after all the funding for these missions are completely illegal in Hawaii County and the only way they got the funding was through a loophole and in the back door using supposedly “leftover money” from a previous budget. Attorney General Mark Bennett approved the funding but it has been Mayor Kenoi who has turned a ‘blind eye’ to the fact that our County Police have gone on paying for and participating in helicopter missions that are against the Hawaii County law called the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance.
Yesterday Mayor Kenoi received a letter from the Board of Peaceful Sky Alliance asking him to stop the Helicopters. We are asking him for a Moratorium.
Just pick up the phone, Mayor Kenoi and tell the Police Department to stop flying.
All we need is a phone call Mayor Kenoi and our County Police will stop flying.
The problem is that they have over $200,000 to use up. See below for the memo that was written by the Chief of Police reporting back to Council after they were asked on October 20 to clarify how much spending was made. Even though they KNOW the funding is illegal and the fact that our Police are still participating in the missions is also illegal, they can’t seem to stop of their own accord.
That’s the reason we need a Moratorium, to protect us from the people who are meant to have our protection as their first and primary goal. That’s why Mayor Kenoi needs to step in and call the choppers off.
A letter from the Board of Peaceful Sky Alliance was published in West Hawaii Today on Thursday December 10 here;
…and here’s the ‘Open letter’ from the Board of Peaceful Sky Alliance that Billy Kenoi received from the Board of Peaceful Sky Alliance:
_______________________________________________
December 10, 2009
Dear Mayor Kenoi,
Aloha. The election of November 4, 2008 which brought you to office also recorded 35,000 votes in favor of a new county law; the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance. As a result of this change in priorities, the Police Department has been directed to respect the sanctity and privacy of our homes and gardens and to refuse spending funds that involve county personnel in any marijuana eradication programs.
In spite of the ordinance, helicopters have continued flying most of this year. The Peaceful Sky Alliance, an organization advocating for residents under this law, have received numerous complaints from residents. Based on testimony and documents supplied by the police, all of these missions were supported or coordinated by Hawai’i County Police personnel. One comment made by an Ocean View resident reflects the feeling of the majority; “This is like a war zone”.
Of great concern to us was a statement your Executive Assistant, Mr. Hunter Bishop, made to us in a letter dated October 27, 2009 that: “Mayor Kenoi has complete confidence in the ability and desire of the Police Department to administer these laws enforcement grant programs in the best interests of the County of Hawaii and all of our residents.” We certainly don’t see that these programs are in the “best interests of the County of Hawaii” because they are costly and take law enforcement resources away from more important matters of safety, law and order for communities on our island. We certainly don’t see that these programs are in the “best interests of residents of Hawaii County” because they are noisy and intrusive and cause distress in our community. Further, what Mr. Bishop failed to recognize in his statement is that they are now against the law.
We are disappointed that some of the leadership in law enforcement appear to be in open defiance of the wishes of residents. We hoped to see that as Mayor you would direct our Police Department to stop all surveillance and eradication missions, as the law clearly requires them to do. Instead, it appears that you have turned a “blind eye” to the continuing ‘business as usual’ attitude from our Police Department. As head of the Executive Branch of County government it is your responsibility to ensure that all departments, including the Police Department and Prosecuting Attorney, are briefed as to the changes required by the ordinance. Please act now as our Mayor by declaring a Moratorium on all helicopter missions. Show the voters that you were listening when they asked for change. We would like you to honor the voter’s wishes and direct our Hawaii County Police Department to obey the new law.
Enclosed is a memorandum showing that as of October 28, over $200,000 remained in the Police Department budget for marijuana eradication. These funds are in violation of the Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance but they do not expire until January 1, 2010. When we wrote you and asked if you approved the “leftover funding” from last year’s budget for marijuana eradication programs your office responded that this procedure was in fact approved by Hawai’i State Attorney General Mark Bennett. Regardless of who approved the measure, it was nothing short of a “loophole” that this program was allowed to be funded. Whether it was you or Mr. Bennett who approved the funding, the fact is that it goes against the wishes of 35,000 voters.
Mayor Kenoi, we would like assurance that no more helicopters will fly using County funds and personnel. Please grant us that Moratorium before this year is out. Please let voters know that you heard that they want the helicopters to stop.
We would like to wish you and your family a very peaceful and happy holiday season. We wish that for all the residents of Hawai’i County.
Sincerely,
The Board of Peaceful Sky Alliance
______________________________________
Here’s the attached memorandum from the Police Department that shows that as of October 28, 2009 there was over $200,000 remaining in funds for marijuana eradication.
Peaceful Sky Alliance obtained a copy of this memorandum after Police Chief Kubojiri and Deputy Police Chief Paul Ferreira were unable to answer questions about the remaining funding in a special hearing held October 20
Here’s who got a copy of the letter:
Mr. Mark Bennett, Attorney General, State of Hawaii
Mr. William Takaba, Managing Director, County of Hawaii
Council members of Hawaii County Council
Mr. Dominic Yagong, Chairman of Committee for Public Safety, Parks & Recreation
Mr. Guy Enriques, Chairman of Committee for Intergovernmental Affairs
Hawaii County Police Commission
Chief Harry Kubojiri, Hawaii County Police Department
Mr. Jay Kimura, Office of the Prosecuting Attorney
Mr. Lincoln Ashida, Office of Corporation Council
Mr. David Bock, Editor, Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Mr. Reid Flickinger, Editor, West Hawaii Today
Ms. Tiffany Edwards-Hunt, bigislandchronicle.com
Ms. Magaret Wille, margaretwille.com
Ms. Sherry Bracken, radio station Lava103
Mr. Brad Freeman, radio station KHBC
