Clashes again rattle Kapolei neighborhood board

Police were called Wednesday night to help disperse an unruly meeting of the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board, a panel that has been criticized for rowdy meetings in the past.

The meeting adjourned abruptly, without finishing the agenda, when one member of the audience cursed at board Chairwoman Maeda Timson.

"It was disrespectful and disgraceful," Timson said of the events leading to the meeting's abrupt ending.

It is the latest incident involving this neighborhood board, which was written up by the city auditor last month for an incident at a Jan. 28, 2004, meeting.

According to minutes of that meeting, Timson and board member Kioni Dudley got into an argument that ended in name-calling.

Last year, the wife of state Rep. Mark Moses filed a temporary restraining order against Timson and others stemming from a confrontation at the Moses home after a neighborhood board meeting. A state judge later declined a request by Moses' wife to extend the restraining order.

The discussion became heated at Wednesday's meeting at Kapolei High School when some in the audience felt that Timson was cutting off speakers.

Timson said she was trying to keep speakers to adhere to the one-minute testimony rule listed on the agenda, in an attempt to finish the meeting by 9:40 p.m.

Members of the group Save Oahu's Race Track attended because rezoning the racetrack was on the agenda.

Charlie Freitas, originally there for the raceway issue, said he continued talking about the state's homeless shelter at Kalaeloa. He said he became angry when he saw someone in the audience calling the police. He said he did not think it was necessary and got into a shouting match with the woman and swore at her.

Then Timson called him out of order.

"When she banged that gavel, I just went off," Freitas said. He yelled, "F-- you," and he made an obscene gesture with his arm, according to a recording of the meeting.

Timson adjourned the meeting.

Freitas said the husband of the woman he got into a shouting match with came up to him, and they started to argue.

The police were called at about 9:20 p.m. with a request for assistance to disperse the crowd, a police spokeswoman said. She said the crowd left peacefully.

Freitas said he feels bad about what happened and apologized to members of his group.

After the meeting, Freitas said, he and his wife went to Zippy's in Kapolei, and his wife went in to order food.

When Jaime Freitas and a friend went inside, she saw Timson and others already seated. Words were exchanged and police were called again.

Jaime Freitas said the management asked her and her friend to leave.

The Freitases said part of the frustration at the meeting was their group's repeated attempts to get on the Kapolei neighborhood board agenda. The group has made presentations to other boards.

"Maeda don't want to hear nothing from us," Freitas said.

Not true, Timson said, adding that the first request she received was last month, and the first open agenda is in October.

Some board members and others who follow the board said clashing personalities, factions on the board and many hot-button issues in the area create clashes.

Neighborhood Commission Executive Secretary Joan Manke said there is a review under way of the Neighborhood Plan, the rules of the neighborhood board system.

"Under the present plan, under 'order and decorum,' it says you should avoid abusive language and personalities and these kinds of issues, but it doesn't have enough teeth to say what will happen if you don't follow it. There's no consequence," Manke said.