Waikiki Street Performer Ban?
Council votes to ban Waikiki street performers - it's not a done deal yet because the mayor still has to sign it into law, and the ACLU may block it before then, but it may happen. The reasoning is because street performers cause blocked sidewalks which are then a safety hazard as people can't get around and have to step in the street.
Personally, I think it would be very unfortunate if Waikiki lost its street performers ... but then I don't have to live there.
Personally, I think it would be very unfortunate if Waikiki lost its street performers ... but then I don't have to live there.
2 Comments:
Bill 71, about street performers, has an agenda other than public safety. Supporters are not accurately reporting what is taking place on the ground and they shape their facts to fit a singular point of view.
The University of Hawaii study, that allegedly describes dangers the street performers pose to public safety, was commission, aka paid for, by the Waikiki Business Improvement District Association, and has yet to be provided to the public, so no one knows what the study concludes or how the conclusions were reached.
Bill 71 is a part of the continuing effort of businesses that put money first, while effectively taking away another free amenity that the people of Oahu and visitors cherish.
A through read off Bill 71, will reveal its true agenda, which is a ban on street performers in Waikiki.
We all know, it’s possible to allowed people to do something and then put enough restrictions on what you have allowed, that it’s unfeasible to do
In addition to severely restricting the times and locations people can performer on Kalakaua Avenue, Bill 71 has the appearance that council members took a walk down Kalakaua one evening and then added sections that would put a restriction on every single performer on the street
For example, Sec. 29 - 3 (K), describes a ban on toy guns. Even though, the FAA allows toy guns in the cabins of commercial aircraft and you can purchase a toy gun at any toy store, the city council has decided that street performers will not be allowed to use a toy gun in their act.
Check off cowboys.
The reality is that Kalakaua during the evening is normally free of heavy traffic. People are comfortable, happy and polite because an evening on Kalakaua is more of a stroll on a fascinating boardwalk then a dash to the catch the last bus at 5.00 PM.
Some of the last words councilmember Djou, sponsor of Bill 71, said at the council meeting went something like this; someone will sue us, either for restricting free speech, or for knowing there was a danger on Kalakaua Avenue.
I’ve yet to hear of a city being sued for having someone pushed into the street, nor in the 20 years street performers have been on Kalakaua has anyone been injured due to street performers, but if Bill 71 does go into effect, Honolulu will have achieve the remarkably distinctive feat of being sued two times in five years for the exact same thing, for again trying to put connected business interest, in the guise of public safety, ahead of free speech in Hawaii.
Jon Mitchell
Copper Cowboy
Waikiki resident and street performer
Thanks for the comment Jon - I've seen you at work and I saw your picture in about a dozen newspapers when this story first came out. I think it's unfortunate this is being attempted - so tell me, is there something specific that non-residents and residents can do?
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