On Oct. 31, 28,000 people visited Lahaina. Front Street was closed from 3:30 to 11 p.m. Some merchants reported their best day ever. Thousands of people had a good time. No reports of destruction or desecration. The Maui Police Department made 13 arrests - 1 for every 2,200 revelers.
But still, there is a dark side to Halloween. On Oct. 21, The Maui News announced Lahaina was readying for an important night. On Oct. 26: "Resident seeks to stop Halloween" - one guy this time, same guy who was part of the group that lost in court in 2011. Same argument, same motion, same result.
At the Cultural Resources Commission on Oct. 6, 2011, anti-Halloween testifiers called Mayor Alan Arakawa a tyrant, among other ridiculous and unfounded accusations. Tyrant: Cruel and oppressive ruler. One testifier used the word genocide three times in relation to Halloween. Genocide: Mass homicide of a particular ethnic group. Really? Where is this mass grave? The closest Hawaii came to that was when sailors unwittingly infected Hawaiians with their diseases, killing thousands.
Maybe he meant ethnocide. Ethnocide: Deliberate destruction of the culture of an ethnic group. Maybe bringing religion and aviation; Spam musubi and kim chee; cars and guitars; hi-fi and Wi-Fi; pop, rock and rap might be considered ethnic destruction. But not deliberate.
After the CRC meeting, the group demanded a meeting with Arakawa. I heard it didn't go well.
A textbook case of what not to do when you want something.
Kenny Hultquist
Lahaina
