Aloha Prevails in Hawaii Black Lives Matter Protests

We’ve seen horrific scenes of protests gone bad across the country; enraged reactions to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota. However, in Hawaii, communities came together in peaceful protest, a stark contrast to violence experienced elsewhere in cities across the US. The scene in Hawaii resembled that more of a democratic society exercising it’s constitutional rights to free speech. Not that of a police state, too ready to turn its clubs and guns on the very citizens who pay the salaries of their assailants through heavy taxation. Despite the significant presence of those in uniform, the Aloha spirit was prevalent.

In Hawaii, police showed up in Aloha shirts instead of riot gear. They handed out water to those parched by the midday sun. They faced demonstrators with respect, making a concerted effort to show they were there to protect those exercising their right to free speech and not squelch them. It’s not that police in Hawaii aren’t without faults and corruption. In a recent article by Anita Hofschneider, the Civil Beat online news source revealed that “Unlike Minneapolis, Hawaii police departments don’t maintain publicly available online databases of complaints against police officers.” An outdated law allows the names of officers accused of misconduct to be omitted from records unless the offense results in their termination from the department. Even then, it’s still possible for that information to be kept a secret.

Honolulu police officers donned Aloha shirts instead of riot gear while escorting demonstrators during a Black Lives Matter protest against police brutality and racism in Honolulu, HI, Friday, June 6, 2020. (Erica McMillan photo HonoluluVibes.com)

Yet, for the most part, in Hawaii, people are brought up with tolerance for different races and cultures, a result of our melting pot society. We’re raised with the Hawaiian concept of Aloha. Though it’s not practiced to perfection in all facets, Aloha is a pervasive ideology woven into the cultural fabric of the islands. Additionally, a majority of officers on the police force in Hawaii are not white but hail from various mixes of what are considered minority races in typical American communities.

Organized mainly by students, the protest marches were well attended colorful displays bringing together thousands, united in their determination to end police brutality and racism. Despite all the beauty, emotion, and positivity of seeing people excited and united around a just cause, something was missing… the next steps. What do we do with all this generated enthusiastic energy? I can’t help but ask when everyone goes home and returns to their routines when the handmade signs end up in the trash, and the dust settles, where do we go from there?

The fight doesn’t end here on the streets, as time passes, the real work will begin. We must remain united, organized, and activated. We must be the watchdogs that will hold our leaders accountable, change unfair policies, educate our communities, and participate in our civic duties to vote for those who will stand with us on the right side of history.

Black Lives Matter supporters march through the streets in Waikiki, in protest of prevalent police brutality and racism in the USA, Friday, June 5, 2020. (Ronen Zilberman photo HonoluluVibes.com)

Works Cited: Hofschneider, Anita. “If George Floyd Died in Hawaii, We’d Know Little About the Cop Who Killed Him” 5, June 2020, https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/06/if-george-floyd-died-in-hawaii-wed-know-less-about-the-cop-who-killed-him/

Hundreds of protesters paddled out to gather at the Black Lives Matter Memorial at Ala Moana Beach Park to honor george floyd who was killed while in police custody. (Photo by: Ronen Zilberman)

by Honolulu Vibes