Under current city law, items placed on a city sidewalk must be “tagged” by city officials for a 24-hour period before authorities are allowed to return the next day and seize them. However, under a new bill, Bill 7 (2013), the 24-hour notice before removal would not be necessary if the items are identified as nuisances. Property owners would still have up to 30 days to retrieve their items from city storage for a fee, though the fee could be waived if contested successfully. Bill 7 was given preliminary approval by the City Council’s Public Safety and Economic Development Committee. However, some object to the bill as they feel that Bill 7 criminalizes homelessness and stifles free speech.
City Councilman Ilaika Anderson, who co-authored the bill, stated, “Obviously there is an issue, with our public areas being blocked and certain members of the public being denied access because other members of the public are deciding to occupy our sidewalks for whatever reason. I’ve long believed that this Council owes it to the public to ensure equal access to our public spaces to all members of the public, and not to allow for any one particular group or any one particular person to utilize public space at the expense of the general public.”
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 2-27-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com
