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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0572.001 2008-2010 e• a Thank you for calling this special session. My name is Wolf Daniel Braun and I am President of Peaceful Sky Alliance. The Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance is a directive by voter initiative for significant changes in County policy. It communicates to all County officials including the Mayor, that change is required AND EXPECTED by the voters of this island. We are here today because there have been continued helicopter missions over residents that violate both the spirit and the letter of the law passed last November. Due to illegal helicopter flights, a lack of grievance procedures and illegal funding procedures, the Board of Peaceful Sky Alliance is here to request a moratorium on all marijuana eradication programs. Helicopters are a public nuisance to thousands of Hawai'i residents and cause additional stress and health problems to medical marjuana patients. For this reason they should be immediately stopped. Overflights violate people's rights to privacy and protection under the ordinance and the Hawai'i State Constitution. It should be clearly understood that M harm done to and resident as a result of continuing marijuana eradication programs is your responsibility as the Council. Without'explanation to the residents of this island, funds have been made available for the continued involvement of Hawai' i County Police in marijuana eradication programs and this is illegal. This represents an obstruction to the implementation of the law and is of great concern to our organization and to the voters of Hawai'i County. Comm. No. S ?;L-. Ref. To: F Z,L Ref. Date OCT 2 0 2009 Testimony submitted by the Peaceful Sky Alliance for Committee of Public Safety, Parks & Recreation October 20, 2009 Our board has generated 48 letters to Hawai'i County with regard to violations of the ordinance. To date not one letter to Hawai'i County or Council has had a response and this suggests indifference to complaints concerning violations of law. Council has not ensured `due care' for the residents of Hawai' i. Grievance procedures must be implemented for all members of the public who still have complaints against the Police Department for low and invasive helicopter surveillance and for violations to the law. This is a requirement of law. The Board of Peaceful Sky Alliance has prepared questions for the Chief of Police and for the Corporation Counsel. The Mayor, the Managing Director and the Prosecuting Attorney must also be asked to appear before Council and account for their part in ensuring that there is full compliance of this ordinance at every level of County Government. The fact that they are not present today tells us that this process of establishing full compliance for the County is just beginning. This is a great opportunity for Hawai'i County Council to respond to the will of the people. We ask you to implement an IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM and then begin the work of establishing full compliance with the law. You, the Council have the support of Peaceful Sky Alliance to establish compliance for this ordinance. In doing this, you will be responding to the directive of 35,000 voter majority who made it law on November 4, 2008. 2 Pualani Testimony page 2 the doors to the outside were left open. Could these intruders at least be respectful and CLOSE my gate and the doors to the other neighbors home and buildings to prevent theft and farm animals from entering and defecating? My gate was LEFT WIDE OPEN where someone could have come in to steal the 44,000 pounds of lumber that was on site, here recklessly endangering my building materials and other belongings. The road from my gate to my home is distinctively marked since I have a private opening and my neighbor (where the sting operation occurred) has his. I was not provided by the police or DEA with any explanation or an apology for the breaking and entering or for the illegal search. To date, I was not given a new gate lock to replace the $28 dollar one destroyed. What these officers are saying, to me by their behavior, is that "they can do anything they want" under the catch-all clause of "suspicion". If I was to take the same action to a neighbor's gate and rummage through their things then leave their place open to possible theft: I would be brought up on charges of breaking and entering, etc. In closing, mahalo for listening to my concerns, since silence means acceptance and being vocal means to make right that which is wrong. We need an effective grievance procedure where parties who are breaking the law on both ends are held accountable for their actions and punishable under the full extent of the law.