If you want an issue to display the ineptitude and laziness of our leaders, walk through downtown Wailuku or visit Kanaha Beach Park.

All over Maui, hundreds of addicts and people out on their luck litter the streets.

Homelessness is at a ridiculous level for our island. To blame just our local leaders would be misguided. The homeless issue represents failures at every level of government in leadership and execution of duties.

As most readers are probably aware, Maui is only one of thousands of U.S. cities to be burdened with homelessness. There are numerous articles and videos highlighting the occupation of walkways in San Francisco or public parks in Portland by these people.

I recently visited San Antonio, a relatively clean city, and was greeted by my first encounter with human excrement on a public walkway. I am glad to say I have never encountered that on Maui. However, I did not encounter any sidewalk screamers, which is a daily occurrence in Paia, a town 0.0015 percent the population of San Antonio.

If the homeless crisis is to be addressed, it must be done at every level of government. That being said, it’s also up to each of us. We need to elect people who will address the issue, volunteer, donate to the needy, help struggling friends and stand up to the homeless who bully and abuse others in our community. We possess the ability.

Charles W. Dugas

Paia