Police started to enforce a new city law that camping restricted in public parks overnight, possibly more than a hundred people staying at Kapiolani Park. Some homeless sleeping at the park and they’d rather wait and see if the police start evicting people, than move into a shelter.

Homeless people camping overnight in Kapiolani Park face eviction from police. A man who pushed his cart along Kalakaua Avenue at the park yesterday evening. He said “I’m usually not here”. He has been without work and/or a home for about two years. He answered to the police that he recycles trash and helps clean the park by sweeping the sidewalk.

Chuck Mailo, resident in Kapiolani Park for about two months, he moved to Kapiolani Park from Aala Park. He said “it seemed safer. It’s kind of a hard situation, there are lots of people medically disabled. If the police come, he will comply that they need to give home people another place to camp. It’s pretty callous”.

The camping law was passed about a week ago and the authorities delayed enforcing it so the homeless at the park could find another place where they want to stay. The Honolulu Police Department said the camping law may be enforced at any time now. From the news release, the department is not restricting its efforts to any specific locations or parks on the island. The enforcement will be done in a fair and impartial manner.

Darlene Hein, a directory of Community Services fro Waikiki Health Center, she said the focus at Kapiolani Park, where there have been complaints about the homeless living in tents, which appear something like mini-villages in the vast park. She said, more than 100 people live at the park and they has been notifying to help them from Health Center on the law.

Hein said there is a room for homeless people at the Institute for Human Services and in Kakaako Next Step but some homeless don’t want to live in Shelters because of the regulations, scrutiny and crowds. The homeless people said “It’s the sleep we need”.

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