NaneaLo

POLS302
2/14/16
TheLocalBoy
WhenyougrowupinHawaiiyourejustliving,andwhenyourelittleyougoto
schoolMondaythroughFriday,dohomeworkandchores.Gotobeachontheweekends,
andchurchonSundays.GrowingupinHawaiiyoudontquestionwhyyourdadcame
homeafterworkandpoppedopenaBudweiser,orwhytheneighborsatthecornerhouse
alwaysseemedalittlebitstrange,orwhyatpartiesattheyourunclesandauntiesseemed
tobealittlebitmorecrazythenwhentheywouldcomeovertovisitTt.Hewasalways
thegoodlookingHawaiianboy.Hewasgoodatallthesports;football,basketball,
baseball,andsoccer,nottoogoodatschool,butwasjustsmartenoughtogetby,the
quintessentialHawaiianAllStar,wholivedupinthehillsofPapakleaonHawaiian
HomesteadlandathisTtshousewhilehismomanddadwashercaregiversalong
withhistwoyoungersiblings.HisnamewasKeoni,KeoniJr.tobeexactnamedafterhis
father.
GrowingupinhisyoungerchildhooddaysheattendedaprivateChristianschool
indowntownHonolulu.Hisdadworkedforboardofwatersupplyandhismomastayat
homemomturneddaycareproviderinordertotakecareofhistwoyoungersiblings.He
wastheoldestwithasevenandeightyearagegapbetweenhissiblings.Hewastaughtat
ayoungageandpushedhardtodohisbestinandoutofschool,butlearninghandicaps
alwayspreventedhimfromfeelinglikehewasthesmartest.Hecompensatedforhis
learningdisabilitiesthroughsports,excellinginfootball,basketball,baseball,andsoccer.

Hisdadwouldgethomefromwork,popopenabeer,anddodrillswithhimuntilthesun
camedownanditwastimefordinner.
AshegotolderinMiddleschoolallthegirlslikedhimandhebegandating,
slowlybreakinghearts,girlfriendaftergirlfriend,andthenhighschoolstarted.Becoming
moredistractedtheneverfromgirlfriends,sociallife,andtryingtobethebestinsports,
allwhilebeingtheidealoldestchildandbrotherlifebegantotakeatollonKeoni.
Insteadoffocusingonschoolhisattentionstarteddriftingtomoneyandnotbeingthe
brokeHawaiianboy.Attendingprivateschoolatayoungageandalwaysbeingthe
poorestkidintheschoolhaditsaffectonhim.Hecouldntunderstandwhyinschooland
onSundayshewastaughtonething,aboutJesusandGod,thenonweekendsatBBQs
withhisdadsfriendstheywereswearing,drinkingalcohol,andsmokingmarijuanain
thecornerbythetrucks.Conflictingworldviewsandsocietybegantotakeatollonhis
ownidentitystartedtobecomearealreality,arealitythatnooneseemedtonotice,not
evenKeoni.Conflictingthoughtsofwhomhewasaswhenhewasinprivateschoolkids
wouldalwaysteasehimaboutbeingadumbHawaiianthatliveswherealltheotherpoor
HawaiiansliveupinPapaklea.SincetransferringtoRooseveltHighSchool,apublic
schoolhestartedtogainattentionfromhispeersthatheneverfeltbeforeinprivate
school.
Everyone,especiallyhisteachersandcoachesthoughtthathewouldntbecome
anotherstatisticofalocalboywhoendsupintodrugs.Hewasexcellingatsportsand
goingtotutoringandeveryonebelievedthathewoulddefinitelyscoreascholarshipata
prestigiouscollegeoratthehomecollegeattheUniversityofHawaiiatMnoawhen

HighSchoolwasover.Onedayoneofhisneighborhoodbuddiesthathegrewupwith
onedayaskedhimifhewantedtomakesomemoneybysellingsome$20baggiesof
weedandtheprofitbacktohimhewouldget$15outofthe$20.Afterthatheslowly
startingtoselltoeveryoneeventheseniorsandthatadrenalineofbeingsomeoneand
actuallyhavingmoneyforonceinhisliferatherthenbeingreferencedasthebroke
Hawaiiankidwasempowering.Asfreshmenyearpassedby,hestartedgettinginvitedto
moreandmoreparties,whichwasfinewithhimbecausehecouldmakemoremoneyat
parties.Somehow,hegotintroducedtoecstasy;astephigherfromweedandalcohol,a
mindalteringpsychoactivedrug,apillthathehadnoideawouldchangehislifeforever.
Savingenoughmoneyheboughthisfirstcar,somehowhisparentsnevercaredto
noticehowhewasgettinghismoney,hehadaparttimejobatbaskinnrobinsand
thoughtheprobablysavedhismoneyfromthere.Ashebecamemobilehousepartiesand
partiesatthebeachstartedtoseemmediocretohimandhiscloutunderhisnamefor
havingthebestweedsurpassedhisreputationuntilhegotofferedtosellecstasy.The
partylifestylegoeshandinhandyouseeandhethenstartedgoingtoclubs.Atthetime,
hesomehowmanagedtogetafakeIDandstartedstayingoutallnightandsellingand
takingthosepills,ecstasy.
Allduringhighschoolhestillmanagedtobetheallstarplayerhehadalways
beengrowingup,buthissenioryearhecutitclosewhenheditchedafewmoreclasses
thenhewassupposedto,andinsteadofgoingtotutoringformathheskippedthatto
spendtimewithhisnewestgirlfriendthathestartedgoingoutwithinthebeginningof
hissenioryear.Tohisparentssurprisethecounselorleftavoicemailonhishousephone,

wherewhenhismomanddadfoundoutthathewasditchingclassesandbasicallyfailing
hisseniormathclasshewasinbigtrouble.Hefinallygotgroundedwhichtookahugehit
tomoneysupply,feelingrestrictedandhavingtojustturn18,hedecidedtomoveoutand
intohisgirlfriendshouseinordertokeephislifestylethathehadbeenaccustomedto.
Hisparentsnotknowingwhattodoorhowtocontroltheirlittleboywhohad
grownsofastintothisteenagemanwasastoundingtothem.Graduationcameandleft
andhispresencenotinthehouseholdrestrictedthemfromfullyknowingwhatwaseven
goingonwithhim,untilonedaytheyreceivedaphonecallfromtheHonoluluPolice
Department.Itwastheirsoncallingfromjail,hehadbeeninjailforaboutthreedays,
ashamedofbeinginthereittookhimacoupleofdaystoreachouttothem.Asking
finallyforbail,hisfeewas$500,fivehundreddollarsthatneitherofhisparentshad
moneyfor,hewasintherefordrinkingunderintoxication.Feelingletdownhecalled
oneoftheboyshepushedarounddrugsfor.
ThenthreemonthslaterKeonisparentsreceiveanothercallfromtheHonolulu
PoliceDepartment,thistimeitwasevenaworsechargeandevenmorebailmoney.He
hadgottenprocessedforbreakingandenteringahouseholdandtheft.Notknowingwhat
todohesatinjailuntilhewasabletobereleased,hedidntwanttoreachouttohisdrug
dealerfriendsbecausethereasonhewasinthatpredicamentinthefirstplacewasto
teachoneofhiscustomersalessontopayhimbackthemoneyheowedhimwhen
supplyinghimwithice.
Keoniwasspiralingoutofcontrolandthroughtheyearsinthemaking,from
insecuritiesandidentitymisconceptionsofwhohewas.Inthisinstanthefeltcompletely

broken,lost,andunsupported,buthehadnoonetoblamebuthimselfandthesocietythat
hehadtosuccumbto.Hisparentsdidalltheycoulddoasyoungparentstryingtoraise
threechildren,hehadletthemdowninactuallymakingsomethingofhimself.Hehad
takenthefastlifeandgirlsinsteadoflisteningtothewordofGodthathehadbeendrilled
intohimsincehewasalittlekidattendingprivateschool.Whydidhealwaysfeellike
somethingwasmissingfromhislife?Whydidhealwaysfeelemptynomatterwhat?It
seemedthatwiththeadditionofthisfastlifecameanevenemptiervoidthathecouldnt
fulfillandthemoreandmorehewentout,drugdealt,anddiddrugsthemoredeeperthe
holehedugforhimselfgot.ThisfinaltriptotheHonoluluPoliceDepartmentseemedto
beabigwakeupcallforKeoni.Hesatinjailthistimearoundforaweekandwhenhe
gotoutheknewthathisfatewouldbebad,howbadhewasntreadyfortheverdictthat
thejudgegavehim.
Threemonthslaterhecameintocourtwithhiswholefamily,mom,dad,brother,
andsister,allcameinsupportofKeoni.Eventhoughhewasashamedofgettingprofiled
andhavingtheattorneystatethathewasbeingtriedbythestateofHawaiiforbreaking
andenteringandtheftseemedsosurrealtohimandespeciallytohisfamily.Couldthis
bethesameKeonithatwasoncetheAllStarplayeratthetopofhisgamenottwoyears
agoandwalkingdownthebleachersofRooseveltHighSchoolasMayDayKing?The
realizationofhisdecisionsbecometoosurrealwhenthejudgeruledthathewouldeither
servethreeyearsinprisonorifhecouldprovethathehadbeenondrugsduringthetime
ofhismishapthejudgewouldsendhimtoSandIslandDrugRehabilitationCenterfor
twoyearsandthreeyearsprobation.Shocked,hecriedatthestandandwentbacktohis

publicdefendertoaskforhisadvice.InsteadofgoingtoprisonKeoniacceptsthepleaof
rehabilitation.Thiswasintheyear1999,whenthepeakofdrugextortionandtheice
epidemicwasprevalentintheislandsofHawaii.HowwouldhaveKeonieverknownhe
hadfallenvictimtothesystemthatwascreatedforthedownfallofthemajorityofthe
population?
Keoniwascaughtinacyclethathesuccumbedtobecauseoflackingoffinancial
presidentinhislife.Lackofreinforcedbelongingtoasocietythatisbasedoffofmoney
andownershipofbelongingstobeincluded.Hewasaproductofapoorneighborhood,a
familystructurejusttryingtogetby,andofafailinginfrastructureofsocietythatdoesnt
benefitpeoplelikehim.LateroninKeonislifehedidfindhiswayoutofrehabilitation,
foundgod,andmadeadecisiontostaysober.