2023-10-05 05:19:00
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu police are seeing an alarming in serious crimes in which young adults and even juveniles are the suspects.
Sgt. Chris Kim, of Honolulu CrimeStoppers, said they have also been getting a lot of tips through their Student CrimeStoppers line.The cases reported range from bullying and sexual assault to weapons being brought to campus.
“The list just goes on and on,” said Kim.
Police said the suspect that robbed and attacked an elderly Kalihi man right outside of his home is 16 and was arrested earlier this week.
Crimes involving youth have become so severe that Friday’s football game between Castle and Waianae high schools has been canceled due to weeks of threats and violence.
“Sometimes things are being done for attention,” said Kim.
“There are copycats; there are numerous TikTok challenges that are out there that encourage these kids to be involved in unacceptable behavior.”
Keli’I Beyer, outreach advocate at the Domestic Violence Action Center, agreed social media can be a destructive force — and push kids to do things they otherwise wouldn’t.
“It has pushed teen culture in the direction that accessibility to violence is sort of that social clout,” Beyer said.
Other incidents have turned deadly.
Javen Lopez, 18, is one of multiple suspects in last Saturday’s shootout at the Wai’anae Boat Harbor that left two dead and one critically injured.
And over five months since the shooting at a chicken fight in Maili, a grand jury indicted 16-year-old Shae’Dan Styles McEnroe.
Beyer believes a lack of accountability and oversight contributes to the current teen culture.
“When these types of problems happen, we need to know as a community who are the perpetrators, what has been done to hold them accountable,” said Beyer.
“And to a big extent, I think families need to know where their teens are, know what they’re doing, know what kind of things and what people they’re running with.”
Beyer is organizing Thursday’s Men’s March Against Violence with hopes of raising awareness among everyone, including youth, on violence prevention.
“Recognize the potential role each of us has in calling out violence for what it is and not allowing or accepting it when it does happen,” said Beyer.
“(We need to be ) working with our youth to start to focus more on those healthier traits, what strengths they can bring to a relationship, what strengths they can bring to their families.”
The march begins at 12:15 p.m. Thursday followingnoon at Iolani Palace.
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