By 5:30 pm people were gathering at the Kalakaua Statue at Triangle Park in Waikiki and began holding signs reading "Justice for Kollin Elderts" at the Kuhio/Kalakaua intersection. By 6:15 pm about 40 people had gathered and after a short rally the group, led by several activists with Pū, headed down Kalakaua Avenue into central Waikiki. The sound of the Pū , alternating with chants demanding justice for Kollin, grabbed everyone's attention. Tourists were curious and many took leaflets. Many residents voiced support and a few reactionaries jumped out to run out their racist shit:
After reaching Seaside Avenue the march looped back along Kuhio, stopping for a short rally at McDonald's. A number of the marchers stepped to the bullhorn to speak - some speaking to the sadness they felt at being at the site where Kollin was murdered and others voicing their rage that the jury had failed to convict an armed and drunk Agent of the U.S. government who had murdered an unarmed young Hawaiian man. World Can't Wait spokesperson Liz Rees linked the murders of Kollin Elderts and Trayvon Martin; several put the murder of Kollin Elderts in the context of the APEC meeting, which was itself an intensification of the militarization and occupation of Hawai`i and the Pacific.
The group was diverse and there were a lot of opinions, but there was a great spirit of unity and determination to continue the fight for justice for Kollin Elderts and other victims of this racist system.
There will be a hearing to determine the date of the retrial on September 13th. The Federal Government is determined to fight for acquittal and there will undoubtedly be a lot of maneuvering before an actual trial happens, A much stronger movement to fight for justice for Kollin Elderts must be built and sustained. The defense is hoping that the memory of this outrageous murder will face by the time Agent Deedy is re-tried. Just the opposite must happen!
The coming together of several organizations to call the Waikiki action was a good beginning and there's great potential to strengthen that unity and determination! Watch for upcoming plans.
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ReplyDeleteDeedy is guilty. There is no doubt. First of all, let’s do a true analysis of this case. The man is drunk or on the verge of drunkenness, and doesn’t have all of his cognitive, where with all, about him. He is, though, the only one who knows that he has a loaded gun in his back pocket. He is armed and pumped with false confidence and is looking for any agitation that he can step in to mitigate and impress his friends. This is what this is really all about: To impress his friends and to magnify his title as special agent CHRISTOPHER DEEDY; proud and eager to uphold that honor.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a lie to say he was a federal agent doing his duty that night. First of all there was a security guard present, and Mr. Deedy was briefed on the massive police presence in Waikiki that week as well as the police substation being just a few blocks away. This wasn’t his place or his authority to try and muzzle and infuriate a customer, simply over a few exchanged comments, no matter how racially charged he deem them to be; Deedy’s: “I am a special agent, don’t mess with me” delusion, made him determined to put this "Haole" yelping, small in stature, local, nobody in his place. He tagged Elderts as being an easy push over but he was wrong, yet he was confident in that gun he still had in his back pocket.
But, what if Kolin Elderts was a muscular 6 foot 4 inch, 300lb body builder who was harassing a customer, or if there were 2 or 3 of these big guys would Deedy have intervened? In all probability, Deedy would have just sat down and drank his coke, shut his mouth and sobered up, leaving his hero antics to another time and place.
Or, what if there were numerous instigation's that night, would he have stepped in to quell them all or just picked and chose? It’s unfortunate that Kolin Elderts was his only choice that night; his only opportunity to show his friends that his honor as a SPECIAL Federal agent was going to be upheld and enforced and he was going to be graced a hero, after putting Kolin Elderts in his place. Instead, a bumbling, blundering murder was committed.