Open the restrooms
The public restrooms at the downtown Hilo Post Office/Federal Building have been locked for three years.
Numerous verbal and written complaints to Hawaii congressional representatives and senators have gone nowhere.
Rep. Kai Kahele’s office informed me that the General Services Administration and other officials at the building made the decision to close the public restrooms, but no names were provided.
Federal Building officials blame the homeless for dirtying the restrooms. The U.S. spends $800 billion or more annually on its war machine but can’t keep its federal building public restrooms open and clean? Something is wrong with that picture.
There are four or more public restrooms in the Hilo Post Office/Federal Building. At least open the men and women restrooms on the ground floor to the public.
Friday will mark our peace organization’s 1,100th weekly Friday peace vigil at the downtown Hilo Post Office/Federal Building. That’s 21-plus years. We started the day after Sept. 11, 2001.
I give two other senior citizens a ride from Keaau nearly every week. One is an 89-year-old Hawaiian kupuna. It’s insulting and demeaning that she and others have no public restrooms to use.
Come on, officials and federal employees. Stop showing contempt for the public that pays your salaries. Unlock the public restrooms.
As Bob Dylan said, “Don’t stand in the doorways and block up the halls.” You vote billions for wars but provide zero for clean public restrooms in the Hilo Federal Building.
Auwe! Shame on you!
Jim Albertini
Malu ‘Aina Center For Nonviolent Education &Action
‘Be considerate’
Electric vehicle owners: Those EV charging stalls, located close to retail establishment entrances, are designed for you to recharge your car. They are not there for the comfort of parking your EV without charging.
Often I see a few EVs parked in charging stalls without the charger line inserted into the car’s charging port. Please be considerate for those EV owners who need to legitimately use these stalls for charging.
Many EV owners have apps that would inform them when the car is fully or partially charged. And when you get that fully charged signal, please remove your car as soon as possible and not just continue window shopping and/or dining at a restaurant. Others maybe waiting for your stall.
Rick LaMontagne
Hilo