On Saturday, August 28, 2021 officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and Honolulu Police Department officers cited four people and cleared out more than 300 people from an illegal gathering at Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline.  The individuals cited got tickets for having un-permitted generators and sound equipment in the park.

In a press release DOCARE Enforcement Chief Jason Redulla said, “I’ve instructed my officers, going forward, to confiscate any equipment or supplies used for these gatherings. If the loss of personal property, taken for evidence in criminal prosecutions, is not enough to get these people to start acting responsibly, we hope it doesn’t take their friends or loved ones getting sick or dying to wake them up.”

Redulla characterized this and other large gatherings as potential super-spreader events. All the attendees at the August 28 event were in close proximity to one another, and no masks were evident. Many of the party goers described themselves as University of Hawai‘i freshmen, who indicated party organizers promoted it as the first time for many teens to get outside with their friends since they were juniors in high school, when the pandemic began.

Photo credit: Department of Land and Natural Resources