[ OUR OPINION ]
CHILDREN, jaywalking and city streets that double as conduits for freeways make a dangerous mix, as evidenced by an accident this week that resulted in serious injuries for two Honolulu girls. The incident again illustrates why pedestrians should not cross streets where there are no crosswalks or traffic signals. Jaywalking puts
lives on the line
THE ISSUE Two girls are injured in an accident on busy Punchbowl Street.
Punchbowl Street, where the accident occurred, serves as an on- and offramp for the H-1. It is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the downtown area. The curve of the road as it funnels traffic from the freeway toward Vineyard Boulevard blocks the sight line, making Punchbowl hazardous for pedestrians and motorists alike. Further, the street runs through a densely populated area with at least three schools nearby -- including Royal Elementary, which the girls attended -- as well as parks, businesses and apartment buildings.
From 1986 through 1999, 345 people died and 9,464 were injured by being struck by motor vehicles in Hawaii. Most of the fatalities occurred when the pedestrians were not in marked crosswalks.
The state Legislature this spring considered a bill that would have required drivers to stop their cars completely instead of just yielding or slowing down when a pedestrian is crossing at an intersection or crosswalk where there are no signals. It also would have required pedestrians to watch for a break in traffic in all lanes of a roadway, clearly indicate their intention to cross and to make eye contact with drivers. It would have prohibited pedestrians from jaywalking when a crosswalk or intersection was close by and increased fines for jaywalking from $55 to as much as $500. The bill died when lawmakers could not agree on how much of the burden for preventing accidents should be placed on pedestrians.
If common sense and respect for others prevailed, such measures would be unnecessary. The girls could have crossed the street more safely at the Vineyard intersection, but they didn't. By most accounts, the driver of the car that struck them wasn't speeding. It was an accident -- preventable, but an accident just the same.
Even so, parents should warn their children about jaywalking and instruct them about crossing streets safely. Motorists should expect the unexpected and be aware of more than getting where they want to go. At the same time, police and government officials should see if more can be done to make Punchbowl safer.
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THE Immigration and Naturalization Service has become a favorite target for criticism since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The embattled agency has been bashed as an inefficient and inflexible bureaucracy that operates at the same pace as grass grows. It is refreshing, then, to see local INS officials adapt to the complex needs associated with Chinese sailors detained in a murder case pending in federal court in Hawaii. INS flexibility meets
criminal-justice needs
THE ISSUE Chinese witnesses to the slaying of two shipmates have been allowed Hawaii residency while the trial is pending.
Thirty Chinese crewmen of the Taiwanese fishing vessel Full Means No. 2 have been held by U.S. authorities as material witnesses in the case since a Coast Guard cutter intercepted the boat on March 19 near the Big Island. Shi Lei, the boat's 21-year-old cook, is alleged to have killed the captain and first mate five days earlier.
The ship's subsequent entrance into U.S. waters brought the case into American jurisdiction, resulting in a federal indictment of Shi for capital murder. Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys proceeded to undergo a thorough questioning of the crew. Five of the crewmen were able to provide detailed accounts of the killings and are willing to remain in Hawaii for the trial, which may not begin for a year. The others will be allowed to go home as early as Tuesday.
For more than two months, the crewmen have been held at the federal detention center near Honolulu Airport. They have bided their time playing chess or pingpong or watching television; some Chinese-language videos were provided. Being held behind bars is intrinsically unpleasant, although their $40-a-day witness fees -- 10 times their seaman salaries -- must be no small consolation.
While videotaped questioning -- with the participation of the defense -- is allowed in trials, live witnesses are needed, especially in a case that could involve the death penalty. The crewmen remaining for the trial are being allowed to be free and work at jobs to make ends meet in Hawaii under conditions set by the INS.
The Pacific Gateway Center, a nonprofit agency for immigrant services, will help the men adapt to life in Hawaii and protect them from being exploited. Church and ethnic groups also have come forward to offer assistance and jobs, says Myaing Thein, the center's executive director. "It's really great," she said. "Hawaii's like that. People have so much aloha."
In this case, the INS has shown that it too can exercise aloha while serving the needs of the criminal-justice system. Immigration officials are not as uncaring as sometimes portrayed.
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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
Michael Rovner, Assistant Editor 529-4768; mrovner@starbulletin.com
Lucy Young-Oda, Assistant Editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.comMary Poole, Editorial Page Editor, 529-4790; mpoole@starbulletin.com
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