“The most recent attention given to Oʻahu is in specific response to Chief Ballard who recently threatened to arrest houseless people in the City & County of Honolulu,” said Wong. “However, we will continue the effort to end sweeps statewide as long as they persist, and expect that our advocacy efforts–along with groups on the ground–will continue in every county as long as their actions criminalizing houselessness persist.”

More than 70 officials, organizations and individuals—representing a broad range of interests and constituencies—released a statement calling for a halt to “sweeps” of the houseless community during the ongoing pandemic. Many members of this community are families, but the City & County of Honolulu and the Honolulu Police Department have promised to continue citations and arrests for anyone in parks and beaches, even if they have nowhere else to go.

“We call on the leadership of the City & County of Honolulu—and the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) in particular—to stop sweeping our houseless neighbors in the middle of this unprecedented global pandemic,” the statement reads. “It is cruel, legally questionable (at best), and a threat to public health and safety. Public health experts locally and nationally say this is bad health policy, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) itself has weighed in with the following guidance:

Considerations for encampments—If individual housing options are not available, allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.