I have been working in the education industry from 2005 to 2020, the bulk of that time as a substitute teacher (2005-2018).
It is inevitable that sooner or later, you will see your students in the news for either good or bad.
Last week Monday (4/05/2021), it was for a bad reason.
After an alleged robbery attempt, police saw a car believed to be involved in that case and it was on. A car chase ensued with it ending on Kalākaua Avenue with the police shooting 2 (1 dead, 1 injured).
“Honolulu Police Fatally Shoot Teen, 2 Others Injured in Mccully Following Chase,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 05, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/04/05/breaking-news/honolulu-police-shut-down-portion-of-kalakaua-avenue/.
Lynn Kawano, “Crime Spree Leading up to Deadly Police Shooting Spanned Several Days,” Hawaii News Now, April 6, 2021, https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2021/04/07/crime-spree-leading-up-deadly-police-shooting-spanned-several-days/.
“'He was just a boy': Family of the 16-year-old boy killed in an officer-involved shooting speaks out,” KITV, April 6, 2021, https://www.kitv.com/story/43616029/he-was-just-a-boy-family-of-the-16yearold-boy-killed-in-an-officerinvolved-shooting-speaks-out.
Leila Fujimori, “Family, Friends Mourn Teen Suspect Killed by Honolulu Police,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 08, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/04/08/hawaii-news/family-friends-mourn-teen-killed-by-honolulu-police/.
“'Suspects in officer-involved shooting targeted several victims prior, one victim speaks out',” KHON, YouTube video, April 06, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSxjJAb4afI.
This was what I noted on Facebook the day after
On the police shooting on Kalakaua Avenue yesterday, 2 of the names of the suspects involved (including the one that was shot) were familiar names from back when I was a substitute teacher. I've meet them at different schools that were miles apart and didn't know they were affiliated together. They were difficult to deal with, but with all students, you always hope they mature as they reach adulthood. It's been years since I last seen them.I have no comment on whether the police shooting was justified as the issue is still under investigation.A tragedy for all the families involved!
The person that was shot and killed by police was a 16-year old boy named Iremamber Sykap.
Another person involved in that case, but wasn't shot, but was arrested was a 22-year old man named Kealii Fernandez.
Both were students that I have worked with as a substitute teacher. Both stood out because they had behavior problems above and beyond their peers. They did have their good moments, I just wish I experienced it more often.
I met Iremamber Sykap back when he was a student at Kaʻewai Elementary School, located in Kalihi Valley. The school is located near Kalihi Valley Homes (aka Kam IV), a well-known government-subsidized housing project for low-income residents.
Sykap was usually defiant towards even simple directions, and even twice stepped to me like he wanted to fight me, even though I was much taller than him. After-school, I noticed him wrestling a student who pleaded him to stop. When I told him to stop, Sykap stepped to me like he wanted to fight. He left, brought his friends as if he wanted to intimidate me (him & like 6 upper-elementary kids who wanted to be entertained by a conflict between student and teacher) and I yelled at him to leave the classroom. He left while imitating the way I yelled at him. The principal was later informed. I don't know how he handled the situation afterward as it was then in his control.
Fast forward a few years, Sykap was enrolled in nearby Dole Middle School and he visited the Kaʻewai campus after-school to pick up his relatives. He was actually nice when he came by to visit. I wished he was that nice when he was in my class, but as they say, better late than never. That was the last time I saw Sykap.
The other former student involved in that case, Kealii Fernandez was a student at Jarrett Middle School. The school is located in Palolo Valley, which is a few miles from Kalihi but also has its own government-subsidized housing project for low-income residents (Palolo Valley Homes).
Fernandez was also constantly defiant towards simple requests to follow rules. I'm usually real chill, but the misbehavior in the class was so much even after multiple pleadings to behave properly, that I started to yell at the students. Fernandez then said to me "what? you think you're tough just because you yell?" Security was called but never came (the school was understaffed, only had one security personnel at the time), but things eventually chilled down without security involvement. Later, we did have a good conversation about the video we watched in class about nutrition and the side effects of eating too much junk food. When that was going on, I was thinking "why couldn't he be more like that more often?". Later on, one of the students said that he loved me as a teacher, and Fernandez said "that is so gay". I reminded him that not all expressions of love between males are sexual in nature and that fathers, uncles, grandfathers all can express love to their male relatives and there's nothing "gay" about that. I should've added the famous Jerry Seinfeld quip "not like there's anything wrong with that"
All those interactions with Sykap and Fernandez were years ago. What I wrote is not the most flattering portrayals but it is honest and gives a context of how their problems even then, when not fixed, can lead to tragic outcomes later in life.
But also know this, like Sykap and Fernandez, I too have lived in public housing complexes (mine was Lanakila Housing in Kalihi) and I didn't want to leave when my parents had to vacate because their income became too high to be eligible to stay there. Ghetto life isn't just something I read about, it is my lived experience.
Though I grew up making inappropriate comments for the sake of being funny (though not everyone laughed, especially when I entered middle school), I eventually wised up and matured into adulthood. I was good in most subjects (except math and PE) so I had some avenue towards success. I was also too afraid of drugs and violence. I guess you could call me a "ghetto nerd".
I became a substitute teacher hoping to make at least some small positive difference in students' lives. I think I did well for the most part, but sometimes, I've let my anger get the best of me. Because of my anger, I might've made some students who were already jaded with the education system even more jaded than before. That might've been the case in my interactions with Sykap and Fernandez.
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Because Sykap is of Micronesian ancestry (more specifically, Chuukese), and because he was killed by police, this has brought up discussions of racism towards Micronesians.
On social media, whenever an incident involves Micronesian suspects, there are way more racist comments than would've appeared if the incident involved Asian, Polynesian, or European suspects. Notice that there aren't as many racist comments regarding Kealii Fernandez (who I believe to be a mix of Native Hawaiian and Latino or Portuguese ancestries) who was also involved in that incident.
At both Kaʻewai and Jarrett, there were many wonderful students of Micronesian and Polynesian ancestries. Many of whom didn't have the extreme behavior problems exhibited by Sykap and Fernandez.
It breaks my heart when people make negative stereotypes about Micronesians and Polynesians.
I even had to put it in writing to certain people that "either you stop making negative comments about those groups or I will end all social interactions with you!"
Or in the case of when I was working as a Library Assistant at Kalākaua Middle School, I notified the administration about the racist comments head librarian Natalie Lum made about Micronesians. She had double standards about incidents involving Micronesians versus incidents involving Filipinos (majority group at the school) or Polynesians. You can read more about this issue at
https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2020/08/restrain-this.html
and https://pwegesen.wixsite.com/kalakaua-ms-library
also, in case you have time for half-hour videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRAFh9VkC34
While Hawaii's version of the Alt-Right (which also includes Asian & Hawaiian bigots) continues to make racist comments, Hawaii's version of the Radical Left thinks they're helping the oppressed by minimizing the seriousness of the crimes that Sykap, Fernandez and their crew were involved in. These crimes put innocent people in harm's way. They threatened people into giving up personal possessions. They have caused trauma to others that might not heal.
Victims who have gone public include some Southeast Asians, people who would've gained more sympathy if their attackers were Europeans. When European-descendants attack Asians (as in the case of the Atlanta shooting), we see hashtags of #StopAsianHate. But when Asians are attacked by non-Europeans, the "Woke" want to change the subject ASAP!
As for the police shooting itself, body camera footage still hasn't been released to the public. The longer it takes to be shown to the public, the more suspicious it becomes! This shows that police might have something to hide.
Leila Fujimori, “Honolulu Police Department Reviewing Body Camera Footage of Fatal Shooting,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 7, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/04/07/hawaii-news/hpd-reviewing-body-camera-footage-of-fatal-shooting/.
Police usually can only shoot in defense of selves or others. They cannot shoot those who are running away! They cannot shoot those who are just being nonviolently defiant!
Regardless of how bad Sykap, Fernandez and their crew were behaving, it doesn't make police immune to being held responsible for their actions.
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Life shouldn't be either/or.
We can hold the surviving members of Sykap, Fernandez & crew accountable for their actions while also demanding that police be accountable for their actions.
We can hold the surviving members of Sykap, Fernandez & crew accountable for their actions while also denouncing racist comments that are made about people of their ethnicities.
We can grieve for the death of Iremamber Sykap while also grieving for those victimized by his crime spree.
We can honor the positives that Sykap & Fernandez brought to people's lives while encouraging the next generations to not make the same mistakes they made.
We can honor the good that the police have done while demanding accountability when police have done something wrong.
We can note the positive impact our educational system has on our youth while also noting that it could've done a better job with Sykap, Fernandez & crew.
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But also know this: there are no easy answers to any of this! The world is just too complicated for easy answers that fit into a slogan.
