So, Did everybody hear? Three rats are leaving the nest.

Well, I don’t call them rats, I call them people. But according to the Mayor, these 3 people, including the adorable little girl (“Blondie”), are actually worse than rats. Can you imagine that the mayor thinks this family is the equivalent of, sorry, is worse than a rat infestation? Little Blondie there is just part of the infestation.

Can you read and hear the anger and sarcasm in my tone?

In case you missed the article, “Homelessness Worse than Rat Infestation”.

Most people that know me know I am typically one of the most tolerant, calm, “we can work through this” type of people. Those comments in the article? Slammed down my “ON” button. When I read that article, it was an “Instant On”, no middle ground, I was more pissed off than I have been in about a year. In fact, even writing this now I am getting fired up all over again.

Why?

Well, for starters, I guess I used to be part of that infestation. I have no secret about this. I used to be homeless. I spent years trying to get my life put back together. And while it was a rough point in my life, I would not trade it for anything. During that time I discovered what was truly important in life. Much like the writings of our friend Joe Bright, I discovered myself during that time.

So to have someone who is supposed to be our “leader,” someone who has probably never had a concern in his life about where his next meal is coming from, hold such a level of contempt for people, makes me want to run outside and vomit. This is the same guy that is supposed to be a driving force of recovery for this city. A driving force for getting us railroaded, sorry, I mean getting us rail. This is someone that we are supposed to trust? And he is supposed to be helping to solve the homeless problem? You can’t help someone you have contempt for and hate.

What I want to know is, where is the outrage? Can you imagine if instead of referencing the homeless, he instead referenced some other class? “Blacks” are worse? “Micronesians”? “US Veterans”?? If he had used any of those or other terms in saying “they” are worse than a rat infestation, there would be such an outrage — the whole country, not just the people in this city, would be demanding his resignation. But instead, it appears the socially popular cool thing to do is to blame the homeless for problems we allow to happen.

So, here are some of my comments for feedback regarding the mayor’s comments on our infestation.

(a) “you would have been better off to have a rat infestation”
Really? Chinatown has a rat infestation. The videos on youtube and the local news stations got a lot of attention. People for a while stopped buying at the stores in Chinatown and the news did articles on how merchants were affected by those videos. Isn’t there new evidence that rats caused the deforestation of Easter Island and even the Ewa plain? And were even carriers of the plagues in Europe?
If I am correct, something like 15% of all of the homeless in Hawaii are US Veterans. This article says that the number is as high as 33% of the homeless are veterans.

So, a rat infestation is better than veterans that society has tossed aside?

(b) “The cigarette butts are all over the place.”
Go to any section of public roadway at any stoplight on the median strip. Or any bus stop, you will see thousands of cigarette butts. Are the homeless responsible for all of those? That lady today driving the Mercedes tossing her cigarette out the window gets no reprimand. She will blame the homeless too.

(c) “Carlisle said he regularly receives letters from mainland visitors who say they’re never coming back to Hawaii because Waikiki ‘smells like a urinal.'”

Mr. Mayor, I lived in the heart of Waikiki for three years, and like downtown Honolulu, there are NOOOO public bathrooms available anywhere. Can’t even wash your hands before a meal. No wonder we have such high rates for staph infections. At 2 AM – 4 AM, when 50-100 nightclubs leave out, you can see drunken visitors and locals alike urinating and squatting in the bushes, between cars and in the corners of buildings, EVERYWHERE. Just like I have seen several “classy” ladies with their dresses hiked up between cars in my parking lot – Nice and convenient to blame the homeless.

Maybe instead of spending millions on resurfacing sidewalks, you should install some toilets and sinks? I can’t wait till the APEC visitors are told “NO, NO PUBLIC BATHROOMS!!!!” Get some 60-year-old delegate that HAS to go, NOW, when no one will let him use the toilet…. and he will be pissing in the bushes, too. Also can’t wait till APEC visitors discover that roughly 75% of all of the hotel rooms in Honolulu are infested with bed bugs. Is that the fault of the homeless?

(d) “Carlisle said there’s ample shelter space that goes unused.”
“Ample”, really? What percentage represents ample? 15%? 25%? I think this has been fact checked about 5 times already and every time the answer is the same. FALSE. Most shelters have or had waiting lists. Historically, only 1 or 2 of the shelters ever has space open, and if you ask many of the homeless, you will quickly find out there are reasons for that. And don’t give me the “they don’t like rules” excuse. All shelters have about the same rules.

(e) “These people are all hanging out there, half-naked some of the time”

Do you mean unlike the dozens of hookers working and walking in Waikiki? Let us not forget, that they expect the number of hookers to SURGE during APEC.
“(APEC) will bring hundreds of Asian businessmen with diplomatic immunity that may not view prostitution as a crime,”
Yea, that will be great for our “Family Friendly” image.

(f) “Those who are temporarily out of the work force are generally more willing to seek assistance,”
Really? What is that based on? People that are “temporarily out” often think it is just that – “temporary” and try to make a go of it on their own. Like I was, many are stubborn to their own ability to pull themselves up and embarrassed that they have to ask for help. By the time many ask for help, it’s often already too late and they are on the streets or couch surfing.
If “the homeless” maybe a few hundred people in that camp are worse then a rat infestation, then what are your thoughts about the roughly 100,000 people here in Hawaii that are classified as “hidden homeless,” many, one or two paychecks away from living on the streets. These are people that are living multiple households to a single address, multi-generational families to a single apartment. Like the 50 people living in a house built out of scaffolding because it was the only thing they could afford to pay rent on. We have had THOUSANDS of houses foreclosed on in the past few years. How many of those people “need treatment” for their drug or mental problems? So when they had a house, were they “model citizens” and now that they lost it all they are just part of the infestation?

I would like to know how many people out there feel the same outrage that I do. Tell it to the mayor.

Mahatma Ghandi said, “A nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members.”

How will we be judged, equating our fellow man as an infestation?

About the author: Here’s Mr. Kropar’s bio posted on his member profile page.

My “Career” in IT started at the age of 14 when my mother enrolled me in computer classes – “College for Kids” at a community college in Pittsburgh PA. Even though she had to borrow the tuition of $25 for the classes, Her unquestionably logical argument was : 1) “If you keep up what you have been doing, your going to end up in jail.” – 2) “I DON’T visit people in jail.”

After my first 3 classes, I was hooked. I was a converted geek

Thanks mom !

My Career as an IT guy spans the last 29 years.

Career path includes (many time overlaps):
15 years teaching. – inner city youth, gang kids and adult education.
25 + years as a programmer.
15 + years as a hardware nut.
6 years as a mad scientist electronics tech.
4 years in medical research. (stay away from the RED freezers)
15 years self employed.
7 years homeless – and proud of what i learned during that time.
100% geek

Currently the Executive Director of Hawaiian Hope – a Technology based non profit organization. (He added in an email that his organization manages data for several of the state’s largest homeless shelters and just gave away 105 computers on a single night.)