WAILUKU – Members of the Kahekili Resident Patrol were commended recently for their efforts to keep drugs and violence out of their neighborhood.
It wasn’t possible on the night of Feb. 7, when one of the original patrol members – Robert Keanini – was critically injured while responding to a fight allegedly instigated by a truckload of youths and adults. Two men since have been charged for the incident and await trial.Keanini, 42, was hospitalized with a broken right arm, fractured skull and bleeding in his brain. Police have said that the attack against Keanini was unprovoked.
The incident easily could have undone months of organization that went into the Kahekili Resident Patrol, but it didn’t, noted Gladys Baisa, executive director of Maui Economic Opportunity Inc.
She spoke March 18, when Keanini and his neighbors were brought together for a Kahekili patrol spring celebration. Coordinated by MEO’s Free to Grow project, the celebration featured the presentation of more than 30 certificates to residents, including youths, who participate with the patrol.
Keanini also received a letter of commendation from Gov. Linda Lingle, who recognized his courage during the Feb. 7 incident.
In addition to the recognition of the residents, certificates of appreciation were presented to Cliff Libed, a manager with the Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawaii, and Sgt. Jamie Becraft of the of the Maui Police Department Community Relations Section.
Also given a certificate but not present at the ceremony was Craig Bajadali, a Wailuku community relations police officer.
Free to Grow is a program aimed at supporting preventive measures with families at risk of becoming involved in violence and drugs. The program helped Kahekili Terrace coordinate a patrol in 2003, after residents said they were tired of the drug dealing and violence in their community and wanted to do something about it.
Patrol members wear bright yellow T-shirts and jackets bearing the group’s name as they walk the streets and alert law enforcement to suspicious activities.
The police and the Housing and Community Development Corp., which manages Kahekili Terrace, were key partners in forming the patrol.
Speaking at the ceremony, Becraft credited Free to Grow for its persistence and continuous support of the resident patrol, and Libed praised the residents’ commitment to improve their neighborhood.
Baisa said the resident patrol “could have been finished (after the Feb. 7 incident), but it isn’t. . . . That’s the true test of anything, and you’ve made it. I, myself, feel really proud to have worked with you.”
Aside from Keanini, resident patrol founders include his wife, Mary Naauao, and Sharon Fernandez, Ernie Ramos and Cindy Kaanana.
Free to Grow has been involved in other programs, including helping female inmates at Maui Community Correctional Center organize Christmas and Mother’s Day events and parenting education classes at Ka Hale A Ke Ola, the homeless resource center.
