Aloha Kākou,

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I am voicing the injustice I experienced in the Hawaii court

system. I am sharing my personal story because my language

and my existence as a Hawaiian matters and it is vital to my

lāhui at large. I have experienced first hand oppression and

discrimination by Judge Blaine Kobayashi. For those who do

not know him, he is the same judge that discriminated against

Kaleikoa Kaeo for speaking in Hawaiian. In the same week

that Kaleikoa had his hearing I was scheduled to have a

hearing with Judge Blaine Kobayahi for a traffic violation

scheduled for that Friday. I had opted to have a Hawaiian

interpreter which was granted, but later was told that

Judge Kobayashi had decided to rescind my Hawaiian

interpreter. He had determined that because I speak English,

I did not need an interpreter.

 

After the events that transpired on January 24th, 2018 with

Kaleikoa refusing to speak English and communicating in only

Hawaiian in Hawaii, he was served a bench warrant while being

present in the courtroom. Shortly after, I was given notice that

now the judge wants to ensure I would have an interpreter for

my court hearing. My interactions with Blaine Kobayashi lacked

aloha and human decency. His tone with me and his plain

disregard for ʻōlelo Hawaii and me as a kanaka was felt, heard

and seen. My interpreter in one instance had to stand up for

me and defend my use of ʻōlelo Hawaii when Kobayashi tried

to bully me into speaking English. He tried to persuade

my lawyer to tell me to speak English. Of course I refused

which upset him greatly, it was evident in his eyes. My interpreter

bravely defended my use of my native tongue by stating

"....whether she is proficient in English or not it is her right

to use ʻōlelo Hawaii because ōlelo Hawaii is an official

language of Hawaii."

 

This judge dragged my case for about a year and a half. On one

of the days I could not make the court date and had to request

for a continuance due to my parent teacher conference obligations.

The prosecutor and my lawyer agreed to have a continuance and

filed the appropriate forms, but Kobayashi being the prejudiced

judge that he is, decided to put a bench warrant out for my arrest.

He went so far as to send police officers to my job at an elementary school. He does not belong in the court system because he is unfit

and can not judge fairly and humanely. He has deep seeded

prejudices against Hawaiians.

 

I am bringing this injustice to light to bring awareness and to

seek support to remove Kobayashi out of his role in the

Hawaii Court System. No Hawaiian should be bullied or

oppressed by him. The interpreters are generally for the judge

and other courtroom staff who do not speak Hawaiian.

Us kanaka deserve better and we deserve justice. 

E ola mau ka ʻōlelo Hawaii. He Hawaiʻi au mau a mau!!   

 

Me ke aloha ʻāina ʻoiaʻiʻo,

Heitiare Kawehi Kammerer

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