KEAAU, Hawaii: For the third time in as many years, at the same time of year, trees at a papaya farm have been hacked down by apparent vandals, but this time the suspects were seen in the act.
[JULY 2011: VIDEO: Hawaii papaya farms attacked, farmers hui in Puna]
[JULY 2010: VIDEO: Papaya farmer wonders why crops were destroyed]
The Hawaii County Police Department issued the details on Tuesday, June 12th
Big Island police are investigating damage to papaya trees in Puna.
Approximately 35 papaya trees were knocked over Monday (June 11) in a papaya farm located near 8 ½ mile camp in Keaʻau. Damages were estimated at $1,750.
Workers in the area observed two males knocking over the trees and striking at the fruit and branches with sticks. The males left the area on bicycles and were last seen getting into a blue Toyota 4-door pickup truck.
One suspect is described as possibly in his teens with dark skin, short hair, and wearing a white tank top and dark shorts. The other is described as having dark skin, short hair, wearing dark shorts and a black T-shirt with yellow writing on it, and carrying a backpack. The pickup truck that picked them up was last seen in the area of Kaloli Drive in Hawaiian Paradise Park.
Police ask that anyone who see suspicious or unusual activity in any papaya farm call 911 immediately.
Anyone wishing to share information that does not require immediate attention may call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Citizens may also call the Police Department’s Kuleana Hotline at 961-2219.
SOURCE: Hawaii County Police Department
At first I was deeply saddened when I heard about such a senseless act and felt bitterness towards the vandals. But after hearing that they were striking down GMO papaya, I had a 180-degree turnaround on this issue. I agree that destroying another persons property is wrong, but we need to look at what the bigger crime is.
It seems that these people got tired of not being heard, of watching a system fail to protect the island and its citizens from the proven faults from a mutant, invasive, patented papaya tree. So bravo to these vigilantes… drastic measures yes, but at least they’re concerned with something other than their wallets, our health.
And on top of that, did you see that meeting? What a joke! They were treating opponents of GMO like some sort of crazy fundamentalist group, when in fact, a huge portion of the population frowns on the topic. This article has a misleading title and downplays the underlying significance of the problem at hand.
It probably was GM papaya trees. Most in Hawaii are as the regular ones were wiped out by the ringspot virus. Farmers were going out of business and Hawaiian papyas were becoming a thing of the past, until the GM virus resistant trees were developed. So much for Greenpeace and anti-gmo’ers being friends of the farmer.
When they catch these vandals i think they should be locked in a room with the farmers whose trees they killed and give the farmers the vandals’ machetes and then let nature take its course.