APEC 2011 Hawaii — LIVE BLOG ARCHIVE – Nov. 8
Editor’s note: Civil Beat is live blogging APEC 24/7. This is an archive of the blog’s second day, Tuesday Nov. 8. Click here to read the live blog.
Some walked in with metal shackles around their ankles. Some were barefoot. Many looked exhausted.
Still, the Iolani Palace demonstrators had an edge in the courtroom on Tuesday. A Honolulu judge released 19 Hawaiian sovereignty protesters, but not before indignant exchanges with the prosecutor.
Read the full story.
Posted by on at 7:16PM HST (3 minutes ago)
WASHINGTON — The federal bureau that employs a 27-year-old special agent charged in a fatal shooting at a Waikiki McDonald’s has been plagued with management problems and “experience gaps,” according to a 2009 federal oversight report.
Civil Beat pulled the report. Read the full story.
Posted by on at 6:27PM HST (51 minutes ago)
After gathering at the convention center, a group of protesters moved on to the McDonald’s where Kollin Elderts was killed. They gathered for a moment of silent reflection and a couple of people placed Ti leaves at a small memorial.
Read the full story.
Posted by on at 6:03PM HST (1 hour ago)
Looks like they fixed that shipping problem.
Until today, APEC delegates arriving at Honolulu International Airport were greeted in the “hospitality room” (a converted baggage claim area) with water, POG, and Oreo cookies.
Strange that even for early morning arrivals, coffee or pastries weren’t part of the mix.
The Oreo’s were a stand-in for Hawaiian Host chocolates, which hadn’t arrived yet because of a shipping issue.
Latest reports are that the Hawaiian Host candies have finally arrived. Sorry, no pictures this time.
— Sara Lin
Posted by on at 5:30PM HST (1 hour ago)
It’s one thing for a wag to come up with the name.
But when the city of Honolulu itself starts calling this week “APECgeddon” you know things have gone over the top.
The Honolulu Department of Transportation Services sent out this tweet: “On 1st afternoon of APECgeddon, no #APEC related bus delays to report. Drivers avoid Kapiolani if possible. Barriers to stay up til 7 pm”
Posted by on at 5:26PM HST (1 hour ago)
About 60-70 protestesters are just now arriving directly across Kapiolani Boulevard from the Hawaii Convention Center.
Metal fences and orange plastic barriers prevent them from crossing the street to the center. On the other side of the fences, convention center and APEC officials are watching.
Posted by on at 4:47PM HST (2 hours ago)
Photos above courtesy of .
Photo Credit: Chad Blair
Posted by on at 4:29PM HST (2 hours ago)
About three dozen protesters led by World Can’t Wait Hawaii and Occupy Honolulu have gathered at Stadium Park, at the corner of Beretania and Isenberg.
There to meet them are about two dozen police officers on bicycles wearing bright yellow shirts and black shorts. There are also about a half dozen Honolulu Police Department public affairs officers in aloha shirts and Panama hats, with bright yellow arm bands.
Protesters are carrying signs saying “APEC kills” and “Justice for Kollin E.” About a dozen journalists are also on the scene.
Carolyn Hadfield of World Can’t Wait said “this is about Kollin. This is out of respect for the family. But this is linked to APEC. One of our own people was killed by an APEC agent. We want to know what happened.” Hadfield called for the protest to be nonviolent. She instructed protesters not to talk to police and not to be confrontational.
The protesters plan to march to the Hawaii Convention Center, the headquarters for APEC, where they plan a moment of silence.
The protest was prompted by the shooting death of Kollin Elderts at a Waikiki McDonald’s early Saturday morning. Accused of second-degree murder in the case is State Department agent Christopher Deedy.
Posted by on at 4:17PM HST (3 hours ago)
The 19 Iolani Palace protesters are out on bail — and they are free to go back to the palace if they wish.
The protesters, members of Aupuni O Ko Hawaii Pae Aina/Hawaiian Kingdom Government movement, entered the courtroom in shackles. All refused to enter a plea, saying that the court has no jurisdiction. The court entered a not guilty plea for them instead.
The judge denied the attorney general’s attempt to get a geographic restriction to prevent the protesters from going back to the palace. They’ve all been released on $25 bail until their next court date on Jan. 12.
— Nanea Kalani
Posted by on at 3:35PM HST (3 hours ago)
The security cordon grows tighter.
The state DOT has announced that the right lane on Ala Moana Boulevard will be closed in the eastbound direction from Ward Avenue to Kalakaua Avenue tonight and tomorrow from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. City buses will still be able to use the lane.
The reason is to allow concrete barriers and equipment to be moved from Fisherman’s Wharf into Waikiki “for use in security and traffic control during the APEC conference,” according to a DOT press release.”
“Motorists are advised to use King Street as an alternate route past the closure area and to anticipate delays,” the DOT added.
DOT spokesman Dan Meisenzahl told Civil Beat, “This is something we have absolutely no control over. The last thing we want to do is to add to the chaos. But, the point everyone has to remember is that 21 world leaders are in town, and security measures have to be put in place. We apologize for any convenience.”
— Chad Blair
Posted by on at 2:41PM HST (4 hours ago)
The FBI has given the all clear on the “suspicious packages” that closed down parts of the University of Hawaii Manoa campus yesterday.
Agents opened four envelopes and found no threats.
“The contents of the envelopes were handwritten papers of a non-threatening nature and a bible. There was nothing in the envelopes that constituted a threat of any kind,” FBI Special Agent Tom Simon said in an email.
Case closed.
— Sara Lin
Posted by on at 1:57PM HST (5 hours ago)
About two dozen family members and supporters are waiting outside the courtroom for the 19 Iolani Palace protesters who are set to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m.
They’ll appear before Judge Michael Tanigawa.
About five white HPD vans were escorted by police into the Kaneohe District Court parking lot just before 1 p.m. It’s a safe bet that the vans carried the Native Hawaiian protesters, given the only other hearings scheduled for today are for traffic violations.
— Nanea Kalani
Posted by on at 1:29PM HST (5 hours ago)
It was just 10 days ago that the state DOT and state sheriffs swept homeless people and their belongings from 17 locations in Honolulu. The sites had been identified for security reasons — all are near major thoroughfares — and aesthetic reasons, in advance of APEC.
At the time, many of the homeless told Civil Beat they would soon return to the sites, because they didn’t want to go anyplace else.
Today, about a dozen people were back at one of the 17 sites — the shady, grassy triangle wedged between Kukahi and Sumner streets, near the Kmart on Nimitz Highway.
“The cops ain’t hassling us now,” said one man, who said he and his lady friend get food and water from the Institute for Human Services just a block away. “They’ve been cool. Kicked somebody outta here last night, but not me. I’m a vet.”
— Chad Blair
Posted by on at 1:06PM HST (6 hours ago)
All paths into Iolani Palace are closed — and as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, no Hawaiian sovereignty protesters had returned, according to a palace guard manning one of the gates.
The gates surrounding the grounds are locked with pad locks. Posted signs have been changed temporarily with paper taped over normal hours for the palace.
The signs read: CLOSED Eff: 5:00 PM 11/7/11 To: 6:00 AM 11/15/11.
About a dozen employee vehicles have been allowed in the parking lot.
A tourist couple was turned away Tuesday morning. They were told the palace is closed all week for “security reasons.”
— Nanea Kalani
Posted by on at 12:14PM HST (7 hours ago)
Potential violent protesters are on Oahu and being tracked by law enforcement.
That’s according to Frank Montoya, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Honolulu Division, who spoke to reporters today at the Multi-Agency Communications Center (MACC) in Honolulu.
Montoya said authorities would seek to protect “lawful” First Amendment protest, and that such protests won’t be monitored or investigated.
“At the same time, as we’ve seen around the world in some of these demonstrations, there are individuals that want to cause trouble, that want to break the law,” Montoya said. “And so, the interagency effort, essentially, is to identify those individuals and try to (prevent) them from destruction of property, or worse, hurting people. And that’s an ongoing process. “
Montoya continued:
“Are there indications that some of these kinds of individuals are on the island? The answer is yes. They have a propensity for violence.
“Are they doing anything that is causing us concern right now? The answer is no.
“But, we are paying attention to who they are. We have investigations against some of them. And the key there is just to make sure that we can try to mitigate a problem before it becomes a problem. To respond to it before it becomes (a problem).”
Read about how the Secret Service is going to Tweet for the first time at APEC.
— Chad Blair
Posted by on at 11:59AM HST (7 hours ago)
Bail out for $25 or spend the night in jail? The majority of the Iolani Palace protesters arrested last night by state officers chose the latter.
They’ll have their first court appearance before a judge for their arraignment this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. in Kaneohe District Court.
Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources officers on Monday night arrested 23 members of a Native Hawaiian sovereignty group who said the U.S. doesn’t have the right to host APEC in Hawaii.
The group refused to obey a state order to vacate Iolani Palace grounds, which has been closed until after APEC. Protesters were cuffed and charged with criminal trespassing in the second degree, a petty misdemeanor. Three protesters were released on their own recognizance because of medical conditions, and one protester bailed out for $25. The four who were released have a Dec. 5 court date.
— Sara Lin
Posted by on at 11:51AM HST (7 hours ago)
The APEC Secretariat released a study Tuesday saying that trade transaction costs across the Asia-Pacific region have fallen 5 percent, resulting in $58.7 billion in total savings for businesses, research shows.
In a released, an independent research team has investigated whether APEC met its target of reducing trade transaction costs between 2007 and 2010, after implementing a comprehensive action plan to facilitate trade in the Asia-Pacific region.
The report reveals that although fees and charges for importers and exporters increased across the region between 2006 and 2010, the amount of time taken to clear goods across borders decreased, resulting in an overall drop of 5% in trade transaction costs and therefore costs savings for businesses. Posted by on at 10:51AM HST (8 hours ago)
Civil Beat reporter Adrienne LaFrance went to the condo complex where the State Department agent accused in the Waikiki McDonald’s shooting death lives.
She spoke to a neighbor who has known Christopher Deedy for six years and calls him a stand-up guy.
Read the complete story and watch a video of the interview.
Posted by on at 10:17AM HST (9 hours ago)
There’ll be a protest march on Saturday from Old Stadium Park to Ala Moana Boulevard to urge President Obama to raise human rights issues with the president of Vietnam.
“The Vietnamese Government must immediately release all human rights defenders,” according to a press release received today. “President Sang must also repeal or revise the draconian Articles 79 and 88, which are frequently used to arrest and detain peaceful bloggers and democracy activists.”
“Five years after Vietnam hosted the APEC Leaders Meeting little has changed to improve corruption and government practices. Since 30 July 2011, a few months before this year’s APEC Leaders Meeting, at least 15 young human rights defenders have been arrested and held without due process in Vietnam, many charged with Article 79, “carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people’s administration” punishable by death. Earlier this year two prominent democracy activists, ex-Party member Vi Duc Hoi and legal scholar Cu Huy Ha Vu were sent to prison on Article 88, “propaganda against the Socialist state” for their writings.”
The Vietnamese American community in Hawaii will join with other local organizations on Saturday, 12 November 2011 at 2:30pm in Old Stadium Park (corner of S. King and Isenberg).
– Civil Beat staff
Posted by on at 9:45AM HST (9 hours ago)
Due to lane closures on Kapiolani Boulevard because of APEC security, traffic on Kalanianaole Highway into town has been slowed significantly.
The contra-flow lane on Kapiolani is not set up during the APEC summit. It won’t resume until Monday.
Exits from Kalanianaole onto Waialae Avenue and H-1 are jammed. Ala Wai Boulevard is also sluggish, as is traffic on Beretania Street.
The state DOT’s Dan Meisenzahl said the worst place for congestion is around the Hawaii Convention Center. “You can expect this for the rest of the week,” he said.
Kalakaua Avenue and Atkinson Drive around the Convention Center are closed.
— Chad Blair
Posted by on at 8:38AM HST (10 hours ago)
With all the arrests related to APEC and Iolani Palace, how well-versed are Honolulu police officers on First Amendment rights?
ACLU of Hawaii Attorney Daniel Gluck says the group has been having “ongoing discussions” with the city in light of the Meiers case, where topless protesters in Waikiki were arrested and charged earlier this year, though they had violated no laws. (The charges were dismissed without prejudice.)
Asked about the training, city spokeswoman Louise Kim McCoy said, “HPD has provided substantial additional training to officers prior to APEC, and will specifically address individual’s constitutional rights to engage in free speech in public areas.”
— Chad Blair
Posted by on at 8:18AM HST (11 hours ago)
Civil Beat reported last week that President Barack Obama is holding a post-APEC brunch at Disney’s Aulani resort at Ko Olina for Hawaii supporters who want to donate up to $35,800 to help his 2012 re-election campaign.
But oddly absent from the invite were names of local hosts or event chairs.
Now, organizers have put out a new invite, this one featuring some familiar names: Ko Olina developer Jeff Stone; Honolulu businessman Leighton Mau; Island Insurance CEO Colbert Matsumoto; Developer Stanford Carr; Alexander & Baldwin’s Walter Dods Jr.
The minimum to attend is $1,000 per person, or $2,000 per couple. For $5,000 a single attendee ($7,500 per couple) also gets to go to a photo reception with the president.
For $17,900 ($35,800 per couple), attendees will also be able to participate in a “pre-reception greet” with the president.
Have a peek at the invite .
Posted by on at 5:11AM HST (14 hours ago)
With the presidents of the U.S., China and Russia all in Honolulu this week, there will be plenty of buses, bags and equipment for bomb-sniffing dogs like this one to check.
This dog flew in yesterday, one of four arriving from Salt Lake City.
Like many federal agents, these dogs fly with some special privileges, according to their handlers. No riding a kennel under the plane. Instead, the dogs sit on the plane next to their handlers — and skip Hawaii quarantine, to boot!
— Sara Lin
Posted by on at 4:01AM HST (15 hours ago)
The shooting death of 23-year-old Kollin Elderts is more than just a tragedy — it’s a reason to protest. Hawaii Peace & Justice and World Can’t Wait plan to march on Tuesday afternoon in protest of APEC and the hurt it has brought to Honolulu.
Elderts was allegedly killed on Saturday by a 27-year-old federal agent who is in town for the APEC summit.
Organizers plan to march from Stadium Park to the Hawaii Convention Center at 4:30 p.m.
A snippet from an email protest organizers sent out: “That thousands of security agents, police and military personnel are armed to the teeth to protect the rich and powerful, unleashing an atmosphere of fear and terror throughout Hawai`i is an outrage! … It is up to speak out and demand JUSTICE FOR KOLLIN ELDERTS!”
“We’ll have signs or bring your own. Noisemakers welcome.”
— Sara Lin
Posted by on at 2:01AM HST (17 hours ago)
You’ve seen them protesting outside Thomas Square Park. Several were even arrested Saturday night. Now that APEC has official started, they’re calling on Honolulu to join them.
“APEC 2011 will be discussing and finalizing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP, like NAFTA before it, is designed to promote corporate interests … In contrast, Occupy Honolulu stands with the 99% and believes that people’s needs must come before corporate greed,” Occupy Honolulu’s General Assembly said in its official opposition of APEC.
“Occupy Honolulu stands with millions of others across the world who recognize the injustice of the neoliberal trade policies advocated by APEC and the WTO.”
Protesters will line the streets Nov. 7-13, the group says, but they could always use more company. See their website for more info: .
Posted by on at 12:08AM HST (19 hours ago)
