Powerful stories highlight need to lift lockdown

From Grassroot Institute, May 14, 2020

As part of our "Let Hawaii Work" campaign, we have been collecting stories for presentation on our Facebook page from businesses and individuals harmed economically by the state's coronavirus lockdown.

The first was from Bill Comerford, above, owner of four very popular local bars that together employed more than 80 people. Since its posting last Saturday, his very powerful story has reached more than 320,000 people, logged more than 52,000 engagements, garnered almost 600 comments and been shared almost 3,600 times. Those shares, in turn, have generated more engagements, comments and shares.

Yesterday we posted the story of Rochelle and Tapa Muamoholeva, owners of Handcarvedtiki, a kiosk operation at Dole Plantation near Wahiawa that sells wood carvings and tiki, mainly to tourists. As of last night, their story of struggling to survive had reached more than 2,600 people, with almost 600 engagements, more than 30 comments and almost 30 shares.

>>>Bill Comerford's story

>>>Rochelle Muamoholeva's story

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It's not too late to sign 'Let Hawaii Work' petition

Our petition to lift the statewide coronavirus lockdown as soon as possible is still underway, even though Gov. David Ige now is gradually allowing various businesses to get back to work.

We launched the "Let Hawaii Work" appeal on April 30, and within days it was signed by more than 5,000 Hawaii residents. The rush to sign has eased as the lockdown has loosened, but some businesses are still shuttered, so signatures are still welcome.

The health concerns that prompted the lockdown still exist, but state officials are slowly realizing that prolonging the lockdown could have worse consequences in the long run than the disease itself, not only economically but even from a health perspective. 

The governor also might have in mind the legal implications of continuing to exercise his emergency powers past the state statutory limitation of 60 days.  Since he declared the state of emergency on March 4, that means he has now exceeded the statutory limit.

Meanwhile, worries are mounting about how long Hawaii residents will be willing to comply with having their activities and liberties circumscribed. Adjutant Gen. Kenneth Hara of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency told the House Select Committee on COVID-19 on Monday that he was worried that, "If we let the economy go the way it’s going, there will be, I feel, significant unrest that could lead to civil disobedience. In worst case, civil disturbance and rioting.”

We certainly hope it won't come to that. Meanwhile, if you haven't already signed the petition but would like to, please click on the button below, then share the petition with as many people as you can.

SIGN THE PETITION