Police threats of “jaywalking arrest” for leafleting at Friday Hilo peace vigil
Police threats of “jaywalking arrest” for leafleting at Friday Hilo peace vigil
Aloha kakou,
Two Hawaii County Police officers, P. Rose, badge #398 and C. Antonio, badge #380 showed up around 4:15PM at the Friday, Nov. 24th Hilo Peace Vigil at the downtown Post office, our 844th consecutive weekly vigil. The officers said they had a complaint of people handing out leaflets in the street. No name of who complained was identified. Officer Rose spoke to me. I gave the officer the weekly leaflet dated Nov. 24, 2017 we were handing out plus another leaflet also being distributed about the Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 community meetings on the Pohakuloa Cultural Impacts Environmental Assessment. The officer asked me for identification info –name, age, DOB, address (mailing and physical address), last 4 digits of SS #. Then officer Antonio, who was the senior of the 2 officers, joined in the conversation and said it is jaywalking to step off the curb to offer a leaflet to drivers of cars stopped at the red light heading south on one way Kino’ole St. He said they will cite me for jaywalking if they have another complaint and observe me off the curb leafleting to drivers in stopped cars. As the 2 officers drove off (driver P. Rose) I noticed the license plate of the police car had a “combat vet” license plate, causing me to wonder if the complaining person of our peace leafleting was the officer himself. If anyone has any ideas for an arm extension for leafleting so I don’t have to step off the curb, it would be appreciated. In the 844 weeks I have been leafleting, I estimate I have handed out at least 250,000 leaflets on the corner of Kino’ole and Waianuenue St. to passing motorists.
Jim
