OUR TOP ISSUES

1: Traffic. School Street is the worst. Several years ago, some people wanted to widen School Street to six lanes. Pedestrian safety and speeding cars are concerns—especially during peak hours. We really have to watch when we're driving around the area. In particular, School Street by lower Kalihi, located next to elderly housing, is dangerous.

The elderly people are so nice, they are no problem at all. The only thing with them is the jaywalking—especially by Kamehameha Shopping Center, by Kapalama School, where accidents have happened. There's a lot of foot traffic and jaywalking, so motorists need to be careful.

2: Graffiti. Almost every stone wall is painted over, and it looks terrible. The graffiti is bad, but sometimes the paint-over looks worse than the graffiti. When someone sees the kids do the graffiti, they are urged to call the police.

3: Housing for the low-income families. About a year ago, when there was talk about closing the Kakaako homeless shelter, people were concerned that people from there would go over the heads of those already waiting in line for shelter here. We have more than our share of public housing in Kalihi. We understand there's a need, but government will target Kalihi if it can, so we have to be vigilant. Enough is enough.

4: Pride in community. Neighborhood board members take pretty good care of the area. Our streets are pretty well-maintained. The crosswalks are well-maintained. Residents are mindful about maintaining property values, by keeping the property nice and upkeeping homes and keeping the area in good condition.

5: Crime is always a concern. One thing that's really worked is Weed and Seed—the program was terrific in this area; crime went down 75 percent. We wish it would stay here. Because of Weed and Seed, our neighborhood feels very safe.

SO SPECIAL

Diverse population has deep roots

This neighborhood is diverse. It has Chinese, Japanese, Hawaiian, Filipinos, all different races.

Although the area has its share of public housing, we do have nice homes as well. People have put money into their properties. This area is not like the mainland. It's a good mix, and we feel very safe living here.

Most of the people who live here have been living here for so long, properties have been passed from parents to siblings; the newer generation now is the ones upkeeping the properties, rebuilding their houses. We're proud that we live here. We're near to everything: downtown, hospitals, bus lines. Whenever there's a house on sale, it gets grabbed up.

FACTS & FIGURES

» Kalihi means “;the edge”; in Hawaiian. Palama refers to an enclosure of lama, or persimmon wood, sacred to the Hawaiian goddess of hula.

» The area was known for its fishponds near Sand Island Access Road; they have since been filled in.

» Kalihi Kai was site of the former leprosy receiving station, where people suspected of Hansen's disease were examined before treatment or being sent to Kalaupapa, Molokai.

» The area's many houses co-exist with a myriad of mom-and-pop eateries and small businesses.

» Public services are offered at sites such as the Kalihi-Palama Health Center, Kalihi Palama Public Library and Palama Settlement.