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Residents urge council to restore late‑hour rec centers and after‑school programs as downtown frustrations rise
Summary
Public commenters told council that closures of after‑hours recreation centers and a lack of supervised activities are pushing children into unstructured public spaces and increasing troubling behavior downtown; they urged immediate investment and partnership with nonprofits.
Multiple public commenters told the standing committee meeting on April 8 that reduced access to youth programs and late‑night recreation centers is contributing to disorder downtown and called on the city to restore programs and partner with nonprofits to provide safe spaces.
"Where are they supposed to go? Because y'all shut it down," Unique Brown said, arguing that closures of rec centers and a lack of after‑school programming leave children with few constructive outlets. Brown urged council to reopen centers, fund after‑school programs, and partner with organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club to provide mentorship and supervision.
Chief Ikahonahal Makena also urged council to invest in youth programming that lifts rather than penalizes young people, proposing a robotics center at Liberty Green Park as an alternative to punitive approaches. Both speakers tied calls for programming to public‑safety goals and the broader budget conversation.
Council members acknowledged the concerns and noted budget hearings and line‑item votes scheduled for coming days that would be an opportunity to advance funding proposals; no formal funding allocation was made during the committee meeting.
