HONOLULU(KHON2) — A west side community comes together, standing up against violence and crime to take their neighborhood back.
They are residents and survivors joining together to make a difference thanks to Mana Olayan, reformed criminal and founder of God Forgives Bad Boys and Bad Girls.
“I want them to know there’s unity in the community,” Olayan said. “And we going to put the hood back in neighborhood.”
Olayan has he’s been encouraging people to form neighborhood security watches the past two years working with the Mililani Neighborhood Security Watch and other areas. He hopes to do the same in Maili.
“That’s what we want to do,” he said. “We want to plant NSWs around the community and have them take back their blocks. Take back their neighborhoods and just keep our kupuna and our children safe.”
Olayan said he chose this neighborhood to organize the walk because of recent incidents and ongoing concerns about gambling and drugs in the area.
“We’re doing this because there’s so much violence going on so much things going on. You know, I meet a lot of people. They don’t even come out of the house right,” he added. “Because of that, we want to take back our community and taking back our community we can’t do it alone.”
Residents and those touched by violent crimes came out to show their support
Richianna DeGuzman, a young woman who survived a gunshot to the head last June, was there with her mother Susan Mahiai, sharing their message of hope.
“She’s a fighter and she’s going to continue to fight for our community,” Mahiai said about her daughter. “We are both just spread the word of love and Aloha, cause that’s what we’re about.”
“Get innocent people like this getting caught in the cross fire and that’s not fair,” Mahiai added.
“Waianae is getting worst and worst and it’s not going to change,” Miguel Boswell Agoo Sr. said. “We got to help make that change for them.”
Agoo’s 17-year-old son Miguel Agoo Jr. was shot and killed in Makaha last May.
“We cannot lose keiki’s anymore. We gotta step up,” he said.
Honolulu Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff Andy Sugg said the City wanted to be there to show residents they are committed.
“We are doing everything we can to try to ensure the residents, not only here on the Waianae coast and Leeward Coast, that public safety is the mayors top priority,” Sugg said.
Olayan said they meet every second Friday to do a Neighborhood Security Watch walk. You can follow him on Instagram @forgives_badboys.