Honolulu
Star Bulletin Vol.
12, Issue 244 - Saturday, September 1, 2007
Downtown
prostitution sting captures 9
Response from Tracy Ryan, Chair, The Libertarian Party of Hawaii
September
1, 2007
To the Editor
Honolulu Star Bulletin
Dear Editor:
Pathetic! Embarrassing! Wasteful! What other words can be used to
describe the story I read in today’s Star about police officers
dressing up in drag to entrap johns in Chinatown. How many young men
do you think join the force dreaming of doing this kind of duty? “To
protect and to serve”?
There are 1.2 million people in Hawaii who would like police protection
from the waves of car thefts, break in’s, burglaries, vandalism,
and other ills we all suffer from. The fact that a couple dozen angry
folks from Kukui Street are afraid of transsexuals shouldn’t
be enough to misdirect the resources we depend on for protection.
Unfortunately, as long as we retain our archaic prostitution laws
HPD will be stuck trying to “do something” whenever any
old lady with a bee in her bonnet wants to complain about whores (gay
or straight) that she doesn’t want to see on “her”
streets.
Common sense legislation was presented to our legislators this past
session that would have decriminalized prostitution and allowed for
zoning to keep it away from residential areas. Unfortunately, this
bill wasn’t given a hearing and we have to deal with more idiocy
such as cops in drag.
Sincerely:
Tracy Ryan
Chair, The Libertarian Party of Hawaii
Downtown
prostitution sting captures 9
By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.com
Downtown Honolulu undercover police officers dressed as female streetwalkers
and snared nine johns in the last week, police said.
Police arrested the men, ranging in age from 22 to 61, in the area
of Kukui and Aala streets for solicitation of prostitution.
District 1, which covers downtown Honolulu, uses four undercover units
consisting of four women and 12 men several nights a week.
"In this one particular area, you didn't have to be too feminine
looking," said Lt. Fabian Loo. "They like 'em big and gnarly."
Honolulu police announced the arrests at a news conference yesterday
to inform the public they are working to clean up the streets.
Capt. Frank Fujii said residents have been concerned about prostitution
downtown.
"It's part of the ongoing strategy to solve the problem,"
he said. "We are working on it."
Police want to publicize the message: People who perpetrate crimes
should stay out of that area.
The men charged this week are Jino Fonseca, 36; Keith A. Long, 51;
Efrey Remigio, 46; Quinn DeSilva, 22; John Albert Richards, 58; Benny
Tolentino, 39; David B. Durichek, 61; Ronald Kester, 30; and Yadder
Lee, 27.
Police also arrested and charged Anatte Rungstam, 46, with prostitution.
Frank Lavoie, vice chairman of the Downtown Neighborhood Board, said
his neighbors have noticed an improvement in the past several months.
"It's actually good (that) police conduct a sting," he said.
"They should do it more often so that it doesn't stay like this,
so people shouldn't have to put up with this for years."
He hopes the publicity keeps prostitutes and their patrons away from
the area.
"People don't like the fact that they are in the center of prostitution,"
he said.
He said prostitutes stand behind Longs Drug Store and Safeway parking
lot on Kukui Street every night. "People are afraid to go outside
with their children," Lavoie said.
The community requested that police focus on the problem and conduct
stings, he said.
Maj. Randy Macadangdang instituted the special operations to focus
on the problem using a variety of strategies, Loo said.
The plainclothes officers are not part of patrol, so no patrol officer
is taken away from patrol duties.
For further information email:
Tracy Ryan at tracyar@hawaiiantel.net
