HONOLULU — The Honolulu City Council has delayed voting on a bill that could add more areas to the list of places where people can’t sit or lie down on Oahu.
HONOLULU — The Honolulu City Council has delayed voting on a bill that could add more areas to the list of places where people can’t sit or lie down on Oahu.
It’s already illegal to sit or lie down on sidewalks in Waikiki, and as of last week, sidewalks were declared off limits in a handful of commercial districts across the island.
The council had planned to vote Wednesday on Bill 62, which would ban reclining in the outdoor malls where people shop downtown and in Chinatown. But they sent the bill back to the Zoning and Planning Committee instead, citing concerns raised by the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
The department, which has jurisdiction over some outdoor malls, had opposed the bill, saying it would create a duplicative complaint reporting process. In written testimony, the parks department said concerned citizens and business owners already know how to contact police if people are blocking entryways or interfering with business.
“It is our intention to work with them and the community to iron out these problems,” said Councilwoman Carol Fukunaga, who represents downtown Honolulu.
The crafters of the bill argue that sitting and lying down in pedestrian malls, like sidewalks, are not the intended use for the areas. Supporters say leaving the outdoor malls out of the bans will encourage tent cities to pop up in those areas.
Opponents also say the bans push homeless people out of sight instead of finding real solutions.
“This is discipline without love,” said JoyceLee Walther, who testified against the measure. “They go hand in hand.”
In the text of the bill, the council acknowledged that there are reasons people sit and lie down on the sidewalk, and the city will continue to offer assistance to those in need. But they said many people refuse their offers of help.