Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio Instagram – In April of 2021 the Honolulu Police Department shot down and killed an unarmed 16 year old Chuukese boy named Iremamber Sykap. A few months later the police responsoible were in court waiting to see if they would be charged. On that day Malia, myself, and a small group of our friends joined a couple dozen of Irememaber’s family and firiends to wacth over the proceedinsg from outside of the building. We stood across the street while we wtached hundreds of Kanaka Maoli and other local people arrogantly pace about the courtroom steps in their ugly “Back the Blue” “Hawaiʻiʻs finest” t-shirts. i will never forget the shame i felt that day, seeing so many of our people standing with the state, with police violence, with extraditial murderers.. while a small handful of us stood with our oceanic cousins.
It was humbling to offer this poem in the presence of our oceanic cousins during our week of @festpachawaii considering the ways our people (kanaka Maoli) continue to fail to live up to our kuleana to our “Micronesian” and “Melanesian” ohana in and beyond Hawai’i. I hope this poem and ones like it can help us to take a serious look at our behavior and allegiances. Iremamber Sykap was indigenous to our moananuiākea. He was loved by our ocean and ʻāina. He should have also been loved by us. He should have also been held by us. He should have also been protected by us.
Do not come here to excuse or justify the murder of this young boy or to spew any kind of overt or thinly veiled anti-micronesian hatred/racism. you will be blocked. | Posted on 17/Jun/2024 06:42:41
