Governor Ige

Hawaii State Capitol

Dear Governor,                               January 12, 2017

I would like to bring a distressing situation to your attention, and ask that you immediately take action to correct this egregious problem.

The Veterans memorial for Korean War and Vietnam veterans on the grounds of the State Capitol has literally become an open latrine for homeless people (see attached photos). As a Marine veteran myself, I find this problem to be intolerable. On Monday (Jan. 9), while showing the memorial to an out-of-state visitor we were confronted by debris left by “nesting” homeless people and large piles of excrement. Needless to say our guest was not impressed. I returned days later (Jan 11) to see if the area had been cleaned up in the course of normal maintenance activity only to discover that it had now grown far, far worse. The accumulation of excrement and hundreds of flies have now become a serious public health problem. I might point out that this deplorable scene is in the front yard of the Hawaii State Capitol.

What was intended to be a dignified memorial to the sacrifices of our combat veterans has become a symbol of the State’s irresponsibility and lack of respect.

The continued increase in the number of homeless around Iolani Palace and the State Capitol has created an environment that encourages criminal activity including vandalism, littering and now serious public health issues. This is no longer just another facet of our vexing homeless problem; it is now a problem involving criminal behavior that put’s the public at risk. This situation has reached a tipping point with the desecration of the Veterans Memorial and must be addressed as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Bob McDermott

State House of Representatives 

KHON: Veterans memorial defiled on state Capitol grounds

HNN: Lawmaker calls for action after human feces found at Honolulu war memorials