Neighbors concerned about walkway after sex assault at the location

By Jefferson Tyler

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — A sexual assault in Kalihi has residents on edge. No arrests have been made in the case. Residents are now calling for better safety measures along the walkway where it happened.

“It’s pitch black over there. I can’t see nothing,” said a local neighbor who wishes to be named Jo Jo who lives near the Wilson Street Walkway. The Walkway that leads from LikeLike Highway to Wilson Street is leaving local residents with fear and dread, following the recent sexual assault of an 19-year-old woman by two men along its route.

“I get calls from my family saying they don’t want to step out of their cars until I get home. So I have to leave my work early and rush home so everyone feels safe,” said Jo Jo. Local residents tells us they’ve been trying for years to get a light put in.

Officials are telling KITV4, after a letter was sent out, Honolulu’s Department of Design and Construction responded saying a work order for a light at the location was issued in December. Nearly 10 months later, there’s still no light at on the utility pole. “You’ve got youth gang members, you’ve got people possibly picking up drugs. The crimes range from A through Z, you’ve got all of them. But the criminals seem to congregate in areas where there’s no light. This being one of them,” said Hawaii State Representative John M. Mizuno.

While light is the biggest concern for neighbors near the Walkway, there are other factors that go into safety issues there as well. There is a wall of leaves that make it hard for people see inside. And there’s not a lot of room for people to move around inside the walkway area. ” Any innocent who could traverse this area could be trapped. All it takes is a couple people to block them,” said Representative Mizuno.

The Wilson Street Walkway is well travelled. Two bus stops are nearby, and people often use the path to go from one to the other. From the street, the stairway is not visible. Making it more difficult for patrolling officers. “The detectives asked if we heard anyone screaming for help. No one heard the victim. It’s pretty isolated up there,” said JoJo.

“Violent crime keeps going up in our communities. And we need to do everything we can to prevent that,” said Honolulu City Council candidate Tyler Dos Santos Tam. Neighbors want patrols stepped up at the walkway’s entry points and they still have a spark of hope they’ll soon see the light there as well.

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