Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 5, 1 May 2002 — Hana ʻino [ARTICLE]

Hana ʻino

Aloha nō kākoul 'O Leroy Kealohapilimau Wright ko'u inoa, No Kaunakakai, Moloka'i mau au, ī am writing from Florence Correctional Center in Arizona where ī am housed in segregation for an indefinite time, My options are limited, but this won't stop me from 'barking up their tree,' To the people of Hawai'i, espe~ cially the family and friends of those incarcerated in Mainland pris~ ons, e 'olu'olu e ho'olohei ī have experienced and witnessed abusive power trips while in segre~ gation, raging through barred windows, but am helpless, Guards' unprofessional actions include: ver~ bally provoking and 'flipping the bird,' ignoring their cries for medieal assistance, the list goes on and on, When inmates react, they are

gassed, maced, stripped naked and humiliated, The cops then huddle and 'high-five,' like a bunch of bullies who have stolen candy from a child. This is just the tip of the iceberg, How long must we tolerate this abuse? At what point will the Hawai'i Dept, of Public Safety stop ignoring our cries? ī ask, "E aha ana lākou? 'Olei" ,And they reply, "'A'ole hiki ke 'alo a'e," To the people of Hawai'i, to our family and friends, we need your kōkua, Remember ī am one voice of many, E kala mai ia'u i kēia ho'oluhi, Leroy K. Wright Kaunakaka'i Moloka'i Florence. Arizona