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Security measures increased at Hilo camp after attack by drone reconnaissance personnel | News

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New security measures were put in place after two state-contracted drone pilots were attacked for conducting aerial surveillance for a kauhale site near a homeless encampment in Hilo.



HILO, Hawaii (Island News) – The man arrested for attacking two drone workers contracted by the state of Hawaii was charged this week with assault and theft.

Kukaua Bright is being held on $12,000 bail. Hawaii County says Bright has no permanent address but is not registered as a resident of the camp that was set up in Hilo after the canal area was cleared.

Charges filed against robbery suspect in downtown Hilo

The move was made so the Army Corps of Engineers could access the site to work last week. There were also some visible changes as stakeholders made deliveries this week.

There is now 24-hour security. There are fewer tents, only 15 per district instead of 20, as some people have opted for emergency shelters, which advocates say is the goal.

“I was homeless for many years and about 10 years ago I paid my first month’s rent and security deposit to get an apartment. And you know, once you have an apartment, you feel so secure,” said Kehau Fontes of Hope Services Hawaii. “From there, I went to college, got all these degrees and now I work for Hope Services. So it’s just a matter of getting them an apartment.”







After an incident, a 24-hour security service was set up at the Hilo homeless camp

Following the arrest of a person who was not registered at the camp, the Hilo tent camp was guarded by security forces around the clock this week.


“If you go to these facilities like Hope or Neighborhood Place of Puna, the emergency shelters, they can get the tools to turn their lives around, right? But from here to there, it’s a challenge,” Michelle Kobayashi of Going Home Hawaii told Island News.

Housing activists wait for a Salvation Army emergency shelter to be completed in Hilo by the end of the summer.

“They get to know each other and support each other. When they’re placed in places like this, it’s like a kauhale place, right? So they help each other. If we had more places like this, it would be great,” Fontes said.

Coincidentally, the two men who were attacked by Bright (and whose IDs were stolen) were doing a survey for the State of Hawaii for a site in Kauhale.

A representative from partner HomeAid Hawaii told Island News:

“During previous site visits, no residents were present and no plans for use of the site were mentioned to HomeAid Hawaii. Our contractors went on-site to conduct preliminary property assessments using drone technology, as is done at most of our sites on undeveloped land.”

Six men confronted the two contractors with Bright, allegedly attacking one of them and knocking out his tooth. The men, some of whom were from the camp, were upset because the drone was flying near the people’s changing area.

Lawyers who spoke to Island News condemned the violent incident, but also said there should have been more communication between authorities to avoid delaying the investigation.


Drone surveillance preceded attack on workers in homeless camp

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