Tell us where ADVERTISING Tell us where I read with dismay that dengue fever infections were found on Hawaii Island, and was shocked to read epidemiologist Dr. Melissa Viray would not disclose the locations where dengue was reported because it
Tell us where
I read with dismay that dengue fever infections were found on Hawaii Island, and was shocked to read epidemiologist Dr. Melissa Viray would not disclose the locations where dengue was reported because it would give residents a “false sense of security.”
Residents have a right to know if they are living in a potential hot spot in order to take strong precautions. Doesn’t Dr. Viray realize the power of an engaged citizenry to mobilize and help with mosquito prevention activities, or is this blackout of information the result of a false sense of control?
Please report the information we all need to have in order to keep ourselves safe.
Merle Hayward
Hilo
‘A human problem’
This is in response to Cary Tahara’s letter of Oct. 4 (Tribune-Herald, Your Views). I write as a board member of a local nonprofit organization that delivers services to Hilo’s homeless and needy.
The writer seems to place much of the blame for our problems on the homeless in the downtown area, which I visit usually six days a week. Not all downtown crime — “shoplifting, theft and burglary” — is committed by the homeless. I have never been asked in the downtown area to buy someone’s EBT benefits, but I have been asked to do so inside Safeway. On numerous occasions, I’ve been asked for money while in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
However, these street people are very visible, often hanging out, with nothing to do all day. But often I wonder just what were their life circumstances that resulted in their despair and despondency.
For about two years, I cared for one of these street people and got to know his dismal life’s story. He literally was all alone in this world. No one knew if he lived or died, but he was a human being with dignity, and had a pretty wicked sense of humor, too.
And, last January, he died alone — his kidneys and heart just gave out in him. One less homeless person.
There are more than 15 community agencies working to address this problem. Efforts are being made to find homes, medical services and jobs for these people, who, yes, often are unsightly and problematic.
This is not an “image problem,” but a human problem. We are all God’s children and made in His image. We can never lose sight of that.
Richard Dinges
Hilo
