MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 12, 2022
For Information:
Kim Moa, 808.203.9945
kmoa@acluhawaii.org
COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO HOST HAWAIʻI JUSTICE GUBERNATORIAL FORUM
HONOLULU: ʻEkolu Mea Nui and ACLU of Hawaiʻi, along with community partners, will host a justice-focused gubernatorial candidate forum on Sunday, July 17th on Oʻahu. The event will provide voters with critical information, prior to the Saturday, August 13th Primary Election, on where the candidates and their parties stand on criminal justice issues in Hawai’i.
WHAT: Hawaiʻi Justice Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
WHO: Gubernatorial Candidates: Vicky Cayetano (D), Gary Cordery (R), Kai Kahele (D),and Heidi Tsuneyoshi (R).
Hosted by ʻEkolu Mea Nui and ACLU of Hawaiʻi and sponsored by community partners: Tara Reed, Going Home Hawaiʻi, NAACP Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Matsunaga Institute for Peace, Men of PAʻA, Pono Hawaiʻi Initiative, Faith Action for Community Equity, Ceeds of Peace, Our Hawaiʻi Action, Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, Hawaiʻi Innocence Project, Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, HPC Taskforce, and Hawai‘i Friends of Restorative Justice.
Co-moderated by Kamehaʻililani Waiau and ACLU of Hawaiʻi Policy Director, Carrie Ann Shirota.
WHEN: Sunday, July 17, 2022 from 3:00 - 4:30 PM
WHERE: The event will be live-streamed online on Facebook (ACLU of Hawaiʻi (WATCH HERE), 'Ōlelo Community Media, ʻEkolu Mea Nui and Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution) and YouTube (ʻŌlelo Community Media - WATCH HERE). The LIVE broadcast will also air on 7/17 at 3:00 PM on OLELO49. Rebroadcast is scheduled for 7/29 at 8:30 PM, 7/30 at 8:30 AM, 7/31 at 10 PM, and 8/1 at 12 PM on OLELO49.
ACLU of Hawaiʻi is rooted in the belief in second chances, the principle of innocence until proven guilt, and that incarceration should be the last option, not the first. Public health crises like poverty, mental illness, substance use disorders, and houselessness are more appropriately addressed through criminal justice policies and approaches focused on achieving safety and stability for all our communities, including violence interrupters, drug treatment, reentry support, living wages, and affordable housing. We believe the future Governor of Hawaiʻi should use their executive powers in new and transformational ways that confront racial and economic injustice, readdress the harm of the criminal legal system, and invest in effective community-based solutions to ending mass incarceration. NOTE: The ACLU of Hawaiʻi does not endorse or oppose candidates for elected office.
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The mission of the Hawaiʻi affiliate of the ACLU is to protect the civil liberties contained in the state and federal constitutions through litigation, legislative and public education programs statewide. The ACLU is funded primarily through private donations and offers its services at no cost to the public. The ACLU does not accept any government funds.
