Scores of socially distanced people filled the parking lot Wednesday evening at the Umeke’s location under construction at Pawai Place in Kailua-Kona.
With a common goal of increasing awareness about a growing concern of missing children on the Big Island, speakers including leaders of local organizations such as the Hawaii Island Coalition Against Human Trafficking and Hawaii Predator Hunters aired their grievances with a perceived lack of support from police and local leadership.
Dispersed among stories of personal experiences and suggestions for how the community can look after one another, a pattern of common frustrations emerged.
Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas acknowledged the crowd’s frustrations with police, who were not present at the meeting, but warned against vigilantism.
“This place must remain pono,” Villegas said. “We must perpetuate the ohana lifestyle of aloha and connection and trust. We have accountability to one another.”
Various statistics show progress being made in regard to missing children; according to the Hawaii Police Department, the total number missing children reports fell from 853 in 2008 to 417 in 2019 and 152 so far this year. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports five active missing children cases on the Big Island, and the National Human Trafficking Resource Center reported a total of 35 human trafficking cases in Hawaii as a whole for 2019, down from 47 in 2018.
Despite these statistics, multiple speakers expressed distrust of official figures and traditional avenues for dealing with missing children.
“We’re fed up with going the regular routes to try to get things resolved,” said Melody Stone, founder of the Hawaii Island Coalition Against Human Trafficking. “I’m not a vigilante, and I don’t encourage people to do that either, but there are ways we can do this on a grassroots level.”
Though many in the crowd were bothered by unanswered questions, Umeke’s owner Nakoa Pabre insisted those questions would be addressed moving forward. Villegas added that local government would also become more involved.
“I take it upon myself to follow through with this capacity and to find out each and every detail, to work with the police department and the police officers I have known since hanabata days and graduating Konawaena, who know and love their daughters and their sons and their granddaughters and their grandsons in this community.” Villegas said. “… It cannot and will not continue to happen here. We stop it now.”
Email Tom Linder at tlinder@westhawaiitoday.com.