Carlisle signs bill to keep homeless off Honolulu sidewalks

 Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle signed a bill on Oct. 27 – the first of his new administration – that bars tents and other large objects that block city sidewalks in urban Honolulu during daylight hours. It could take a year before police begin to enforce the new law and it would apply only to some 25 blocks at first, he said. The law responds to complaints about homeless people crowding out other people and is aimed at clearing sidewalks for pedestrians.

To ensure the law is "enforceable and defensible," the city must mark sidewalks and post signs, Carlisle said. The new law will also require funds to impound any seized property and store it, he said, but the law doesn't provide any. The city estimates it would be able to do the first 25 blocks in the first year for about $244,000.

The law follows a model recently adopted in Portland, Ore., which is also in the process of putting up markings and signs. It will apply in the Ala Moana-Kakaako, downtown, Kalihi and McCully-Moiliili- Makiki districts from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and in Waikiki from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Implementation will be on a block-by-block basis based on priority, Carlise said.

Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, who introduced the bill, said she doesn't think enforcement is an issue, nor that markings need to be on every block. She returned recently from a trip to Portland where two citations have been issued even though markings have yet to be placed, she said.

Proponents say the law is needed to reclaim sidewalks for pedestrians, while civil liberty advocates counter that the bill is aimed squarely at homeless people who are being driven out of parks and off beaches.