HONOLULU (KHON2) — Honolulu police officers are stepping up enforcement and citing those attempting to hike the Haiku stairs. Neighbors said more people are trespassing on their property ever since the City announced the removal of the stairs would begin later this month.
Neighbors told KHON2 that this weekend got out of hand with the amount of people who were walking through their property all day long.
“There’s more traffic and some of the people have been more aggressive telling us that this is not our property and that they have the right to do what they want to do,” said Kaneohe resident Stosh Ostrow.
But the police said not so fast. Over the weekend, 60 warnings and eight citations were issued to those who were trespassing on private property.
On Monday, officers were no longer giving warnings but instead, wrote 37 citations for those caught on the unauthorized trail.
“There’s a period of education we believe before there is enforcement, for us that education period is done. We had the press conference, public knows that it is wrong you can’t go up there if they are going to flaunt it in our face, them we are going to take it to the next step which is cite,” explained District Four Commander Maj. Randall Platt.
Besides being illegal, the City said it’s also dangerous. A spokesperson for Mayor Blangiardi’s office wrote:
The Stairway is currently an active work zone and should be considered extremely hazardous.
The spokesperson also added that the City is not responsible for any injuries that thrill seekers may sustain.
Groups like the Friends of Haiku Stairs continue to oppose the removal of the stairs. For nearby neighbors, they cannot wait to hear the sound of a helicopter flying away with pieces of the stairs.
“We’d love to sit out there and enjoy our yard, it’s a beautiful neighborhood but it’s hard when there’s people trespassing through your yard,” Ostrow added.
The City said the Haiku Stairs is already an active construction site, but the work to actually remove the stairs by helicopter could begin as early as next week.