2009-09-23 Board of Ethics Minutes

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CHAIR: And if that does come on our agenda, you're welcome back to testify. STEPHENS: Okay. CHAIR: Okay? STEPHENS: And then CHAIR: -Js there anything else regarding the agenda? STEPHENS: Yes, I had signed on to do—for Petition No. 2009 -6 and 2009 -7. CHAIR: Okay. STEPHENS: So far as so for the first one, County officer violated the Ethics Code regarding fair treatment. I just want to go on the record saying that the police in general have a bad habit of doing improper handcuffing on the Big Island. I believe it's unethical, so that while in the police's care there are people that suffer great injury because of unethical treatment, and that I'm asking the Ethics Board to consider some sort of ordinance, statute, some sort of recommendation so far as proper handcuffing CHAIR: Again, you've got to relate it to the petition on hand STEPHENS: - -Okay. And I'd like to join the overbearing reference to religion, racist remarks, and insulting gestures. First of all, I want to say I'm not sure, but I believe that today this is all about something that Emily Naeole may have done. And I just want to say that I've known Emily Naeole a long time, and to look at me, you probably think I'm a white person, I'm a haole. And that I've been insulted left and right because of how I look, and that actually, after being insulted and being called an F -ing haole one day, I actually cried on Emily Naeole's shoulder. And she did her best to try to remedy the situation, and we talked about things like the kumulipo, where there's people of all different races inside the Hawaiian creation chant. But the thing is and I've heard rumors, I don't really know, I haven't talked with her personally about what the gesture was, but that I took a class at UH, and it was all about insulting gestures in foreign countries, because we had no idea that like this means peace, and this means something very different, very insulting, in a certain country. And we didn't know that, so we had to learn all these different ethical things about gestures. And so that's where I'm saying maybe people need more training as to what is considered a now I have a sore thumb, okay, and sometimes I know the thumbs down thing, but sometimes I sit there and I go like this and I hold my sore thumb, okay. That's only because my thumb is sore, not because I'm trying to insult anybody. And it's not because well, I don't even know that that would be insulting. So, so far as public officials, I believe they need more training and actual consultation with other because we're a multi - racial community here. And I believe that Emily Naeole does not have a prejudiced bone in her body. That's what I believe. Thank you. CHAIR: Thank you very much.