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I encountered a most disturbing situation the other day.
My regular job with my nonprofit includes some community outreach at the request of clients. It takes me into areas across the island.
I'm careful, respectful and cautious about treading on people's lifestyle so I stay on county property unless I'm invited to private property.
I recently was told by someone who was visiting a neighbor that I could neither drive, walk or park on county property because I didn't live in the neighborhood.
In the process, I was threatened and harassed and prevented from doing my job that one of their neighbors had asked for help with. The person threatening me also did not live in the area.
Because of this, I asked for police assistance. The attending officer neither knew the law pertaining to county property nor assisted me in staying safe, saying I should leave the area because I didn't live there.
This opens a huge issue with sightseeing tourists who may drive down a street to view the island but don't live there, bed-and-breakfast residents in local neighborhoods and service people (delivery persons and repair persons) accessing the area as I was (and as in fact the officer was) to do their job.
This is the kind of ignorance, bigotry and prejudice I see displayed in video format almost daily on Facebook. Why did I think I would never see that here?
Maui needs help.
Leslie L. Farnel
Kihei