Public Safety
Feeling safe is not a privilege that only a few may possess. Public safety is about addressing the root causes of behaviors, while protecting the safety of all involved, as best as possible. It’s equipping direct lines with the tools and knowledge of how and when to act.
Pedestrian Safety
I joined the St. Louis Heights-Kapahulu-Diamond Head Neighborhood board because of one crosswalk (4th x Wai‘alae Avenue). My neighbors and I regularly wake up to screeches of tires stopping for pedestrians or to avoid other cars, during the day we would see people of all ages waiting on the sidewalk for 2-5 minutes just to cross while still dodging oncoming cars. My advocacy for one crosswalk quickly turned into a movement for more, repainted cross walks, bike and motor lanes, improved bus routes, safer school zones, and adhereance to slower speed limits in residential areas. Commuting should not evoke fear of becoming a casualty; it also should not be spent primarily dodging parked or speeding cars.
Homelessness
Progress is being made; more people are moving from homelessness to housing. While at the same time, we are seeing more people become homeless for the first time, due to salaries not keeping up with rent prices, unexpected expenses, mental health issues, natural disasters, government shutdowns, and more. Shelter is only one part of the housing spectrum; maintainable housing is another. Our State’s Safety Net—the services that support people on the brink of homelessness—is fraying, due to increased demand and operational costs with unstable, insufficient funding.