Saturday, October 12, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Sunday, October 30, 2011
Honolulu Cockfighter paid by City: $480K to ‘Investigate Rooster Complaints’
By Selected News Articles @ 4:14 PM :: 12805 Views :: Honolulu County, Environment, Ethics

Cockfighters Guarding Honolulu’s Hen House

News Release from Humane Society Legislative Fund Thursday, October 27, 2011

There would be widespread public outrage if a city, say, hired sex offenders to operate a child day care center, or hired dogfighters to run an animal shelter. It seems absurd but the local government in Honolulu, Hawaii, appears to be going down this path.

For the past nine years Honolulu officials have paid publicly professed cockfighters a total of $480,000 in taxpayer dollars to respond to loose and nuisance fowl complaints. In the past, city officials have even stated that these contractors are most suited for the job because they are cockfighters—they know bird behavior the best, and have existing relationships with other fellow rooster-owning cockfighters. This despite the fact that cockfighting is a crime in Hawaii, a felony in 39 other states and a federal felony to possess or transport birds for fighting.

Cockfighting

Surely the people who strap razor-sharp knives to roosters’ legs, pump them full of drugs to heighten their aggression, and watch them hack each other to pieces because they are titillated by the bloodletting, are not the ones who are in the best position to care for and re-home these creatures.

Aside from the horrific cruelty, animal fighting goes hand in hand with a range of criminal activities such as illegal gambling, drug distribution, illegal firearms possession, child endangerment and often, human violence. When partnering on the announcement of The HSUS’s animal fighting reward program in Hawaii, former U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo stated that of every dollar bet on cockfighting, “a substantial portion of it will go into the pocket of those who are tied to organized crime in Hawaii.”

These same city contractors are leaders of the Hawaii state affiliate of a cockfighting front group called the United Gamefowl Breeders Association and led efforts last year to introduce a bill to recognize cockfighting as a cultural activity. The measure was rightfully killed by the state House of Representatives but not before it gave Hawaii an embarrassing black eye in the national press.

Now these same individuals have been profiled in the newest issue of “Pit Games,” a glossy cockfighting magazine published in the Philippines.

While the prior administration failed to act, there is new hope. The city’s new administration, under the direction of Mayor Peter Carlisle (who also served as the former Honolulu city prosecutor), can finally take action since the contract is up for renewal on November 1, and the city’s managing director has assured us that he is investigating our complaint. The HSUS is working to make sure this contract is not extended. Not one dollar of taxpayer money should ever have gone to self-professed cockfighters.

Animal fighting is a major problem in Hawaii. Just last week there were reports of a suspected dogfighting case in Honolulu involving a dog believed to be used as “bait” to train fighting dogs. City officials surely wouldn’t contract dog control services to known dogfighters, and they shouldn’t prop up cockfighting with city resources either.

It’s time for more government accountability and a crackdown on conflicts of interest—and time to put cockfighters in jail, not on the city payroll.

---30---

HNN 3-29-10: Committee supports cockfighting as a cultural activity

Pat Royos, who is vice president of the Hawaii Game Breeders Association, and testified in support of cockfighting is also the person paid $60,000 a year by the City of Honolulu to investigate complaints about roosters and chickens.

Global Animal: Are Hawaiian Cockfighters Saving Birds?

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii