Beth Fukumoto: Hawaiʻi Homelessness Policies Often Mirror Trump's Hard Line

Sweeps, bans and civil commitments have been common tools used in Hawaiʻi for years.

Homelessness has been a crisis in Hawaiʻi for decades. We have the highest per-capita rate in the country, just above Washington, D.C.

That’s why I noticed the Trump administration’s recent executive order, “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” Signed July 24, it calls for more involuntary civil commitments, more encampment clearances, and a shift away from Housing First.

Some might call that approach cruel. But it’s more challenging to ask if Hawaiʻi’s own policies, are really much different once you look past the surface.

We all want safer streets, but how we achieve that goal matters. The idea of putting order first and everything else later might sound simple, but it’s a dangerous w