RALLIERS HOPE TO GAIN SUPPORT IN BATTLE AGAINST SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Hundreds rallied at the State Capitol yesterday to build support for
legislation to address drug addiction across the state and cement
relationships among various organizations that have mobilized to fight
the problem in Hawai'i.

Kupa'a -- take a stand -- was the rallying cry drawing about 300 people
from across the state, including students, recovering drug addicts,
church members, social agencies and government officials. More were
expected for sign-waving after the rally.

The People's Rally Against Ice and Addiction is working toward a
balanced approach to solving Hawai'i's drug-abuse problem that
includes prevention, treatment, education and enforcement, its
supporters said.

"This is a first step," said Andy Anderson, CEO of Hina Mauka, a drug
and alcohol treatment provider. "We're not going to stop here."

The rally took place about a year after Kahalu'u became the first
neighborhood on O'ahu to organize a community anti-drug campaign. Soon
a groundswell of support spread to neighborhood after neighborhood,
and state leaders took notice. Meanwhile, Neighbor Island residents
were already battling the problem.

People at the rally said support continues to grow because the
grassroots initiatives have a direct effect on drug use in their areas.

"More people are becoming involved," said Robyn McCarthy, with
Kaua'i's Mayor's Drug Action Team. "We're seeing a slowdown of ice in
the schools. There's more activities for children. There's more
education in schools."

But while drugs are leaving the schools, McCarthy said parents want
more drugs and that is a problem Kaua'i faces.

Residents from Palolo and Wai'anae said more people are joining
efforts in their neighborhoods to deal with drug-related issues.

Karen Iwamoto, president of the Palolo Community Council, said the
group is slowly forming neighborhood watch teams to combat
drug-related crime. One shining example of success, Iwamoto said, is
at Palolo Homes, a public housing development, which has seen a 70
percent drop in crime since it initiated its security watch program
two to three years ago.

"We think that's the key to having a safer neighborhood," she
said.

Kahalu'u has taken similar actions, including forming neighborhood
watches and organizing community-building projects, but Keith Ryder,
one of the anti-drug organizers there, said he thought momentum in the
Windward community was slowing.

Still, he thought yesterday's rally would prove to be a turning point.
"After today we'll see more growth, especially if the bills pass," he
said.

The rally was organized to show legislators that people support bills
that deal with the drug-addiction problem, especially with the drug
crystal methamphetamine.

Bills designed to address different aspects of the ice epidemic, from
stiffer penalties to money for programs dealing with drug education,
treatment and rehabilitation, have advanced in the Legislature. More
work will likely be done on the bills before a final vote is taken at
the end of the session.

People at the rally said they were there to support the bills, the
families that suffer and the kids who face decisions daily about
whether to use drugs.

Taylor Wily, who teaches singing and dancing to Kahuku High School's
We Are Samoa Club, said he and other teachers brought about 50
students because they wanted them to know the importance of
communities standing together against evil.

"Because we come from a religious community, the Mormon community,
people think there's nothing wrong in the community," Wily said. "But
we know better than that. We've seen it with our own eyes. These kids
have seen it with their eyes."