Makua Beach Standoff: Residents Say They Are Being Run Off By A Man Camping Out

A Makaha person has been blocking public obtain to Makua Seaside for the previous 8 months, including threatening some folks with violence. 

But metropolis and condition authorities have not compelled Samson Souza and his loved ones to go away the West Oahu seashore even nevertheless it is illegal in Hawaii to impede access to a public seashore. 

Police charged him in November with harassment and terroristic threatening for threatening to bodily hurt a lady. Now authorities are waiting to see if he exhibits up in courtroom this 7 days on the charges.

Officers say when they contacted Souza at Makua Seaside, he set his phone up to report them on his social media and reported he told them the persons ended up foreigners bothering the dolphins.

Community people have been speaking about him on social media for months.

“He has no right to regulate a community beach,” Makaha resident Emily Silge informed Civil Defeat. She had an altercation with Souza in early November.

“Some people today, like me, are fearful that he will continue to threaten violence on locals and visitors. He has threatened locals who he thinks are haoles, so him leaving that area would make the power favourable once again.”

People say they are concerned to return to Makua Beach just after recent encounters with Souza, who threatened actual physical violence and property injury like slashing their tires, as effectively as contacting out racial slurs. Souza has just lately tried to block access to film producers at the seaside.

Silge explained her experience with Souza at Makua Seashore.

She obtained into a heated argument with Souza after she stated she noticed him body-blocking two males from moving into the seaside. When she got out of her car, Silge explained to Souza he could not threaten persons. She reported he quickly pulled out his cellular phone to document her and commenced to yell at her.

“That’s when factors escalated,” Silge stated. “He reported that no regulation could prevent him mainly because this is not The us and then he explained to me that he was heading to bash my head in.”

Silge added that he begun contacting her “fucking stink haole” and telling her she was entitled even though recording her on dwell online video. Silge also mentioned the gentleman Souza was blocking from the beach experienced a panic assault when she was arguing with Souza. 

“If I did not pull up, I’m fairly positive he would have strike him,” Silge mentioned.

Silge, who lived in Makaha for 10 decades, has been coming to Makua Beach front for totally free-diving, beach front cleanups and having her daughter to the tide pool every weekend. But, due to the fact the come across, Silge mentioned she hasn’t returned.

Makua Beach, situated between Makaha and Kaena Point, is identified for its crystal very clear drinking water, fishing activities, tide swimming pools, seaside breaks and dolphins.

Waikiki resident Noelle Ball claimed she often visits Makua Beach, incorporating it is 1 of her beloved beach locations on Oahu since of its peaceful and tranquil nature. In mid-October, Ball stated she took her good friend to Makua Beach front whilst exhibiting her about the island.

As shortly as Ball and her pal bought out of their car or truck, she said Souza was yelling at them across the parking good deal. At initially, Ball stated she considered Souza was chatting to another person else or thought he was involved that she and her pal had been going to swim in the choppy waves.

As quickly as Ball informed Souza that she was exhibiting her good friend around, she claimed Souza started off recording her although telling her to get off his land and known as her “fucking haole” and “dirty haole.”

Ball reported she was concerned to explanation with him and did not want the scenario to escalate.

“It was just me and my girlfriend. And getting a girl is scary to have a guy that huge cussing and yelling at you,” Ball explained. “I individually felt puzzled and threatened. He just held indicating, ‘Don’t leave your car or truck.’ It was a nuance of some thing negative will transpire if you action foot on that seaside.”

Jen Schindler mentioned Souza and his spouse have threatened to bodily remove her and her spouse and children from Makua Seashore by “knocking us out.” She claimed it was the exact tale when she experimented with to go back again.

“I have lived here for numerous many years,” Schindler mentioned in an e-mail. “We normally introduced out what we took in. Under no circumstances still left a mess. Also these a peaceful time with the little ones just after a hard week at function. Now we can’t even go there.”

Talk of the encounters with Souza have been spreading on social media.

The username “thehungryhungryhawaiian” posted numerous videos of Souza’s altercations on Instagram. Most of the video clips confirmed him and the inhabitants yelling again and forth.

Just one video experienced a nearby man with the username “madeinkaimuki” telling Souza to clearly show compassion for folks checking out Hawaii.

“This is my house, and I welcome them to my home,” the community person stated in the Instagram online video.

“I’m not welcoming them to my dwelling,” Souza responded. “It’s not aloha. You bringing these people today to exploit our spot, and then they carry their people above in this article. Really do not fucking act dumb. I’ll deliver my nephews in excess of listed here.”

A Civil Beat reporter and photographer talked with Souza at the seashore previous 7 days. Souza explained he’s not striving to kick any person off the seashore. As an alternative, he said he is defending the dolphins from professional boats, kayak tour operators, and beachgoers coming to geotag the region.

“I’m not trying to kick any person out of this seashore,” he reported. “If you arrive over below with lousy intentions like swimming with the dolphins or taking photographs of our ice box, then we have to keep individuals accountable.” Souza refers to the ocean as an icebox.

Makua Beach front is a resting put for Hawaii’s spinner dolphins, which has been a spot for beachgoers and boat excursions for many years. The dolphins experienced turn into a well-known vacationer attraction and prompted citizens to raise concerns that the influx of readers was having out of hand.

A sign at the entrance to the beach front cites federal law stating that no a person is allowed inside 50 yards of the dolphins, noting that these types of activity is destructive to their wellness. So considerably, no 1 has been cited for coming within 50 yards of the dolphins, in accordance to the state Office of Land and Pure Sources.

Even so, Souza claimed he’s viewed many individuals ignoring that indicator. And whilst Souza and his spouse, Kawehionalani, have warned visitors about swimming with the dolphins, they stated persons do it in any case. 

Souza reported he remembered the altercation with Silge and said he’d witnessed two beachgoers with a paddle board and he asked them if they ended up likely to swim with the dolphins. According to Souza, the beachgoers claimed they did not treatment if they have been going close to the dolphins, so he requested them to depart. But they didn’t, and that’s when, Souza explained, Silge arrived out of her car or truck yelling at him.

Souza’s spouse, Kawehionalani, reported Silge escalated the situation simply because she arrived out of her vehicle to yell at them.

“I consider it could have been communicated better,” Kawehionalani Souza claimed. “If she didn’t appear off that way, we could have communicated with her, but we did not even have the likelihood.”

Souza advised Civil Beat he’s remaining place at Makua Seaside.

He now has pending costs for harassment and next-degree terroristic threats, in accordance to court paperwork. He has been ordered to show up in court docket on Wednesday, or a warrant will be issued for his arrest.

Court docket files clearly show that Souza was billed on Nov. 11 for harassment and threatening to physically hurt a female. Honolulu prosecutors say a lot more aspects of his scenario will not be produced till later.

Some residents say they are disappointed about how the situation is becoming handled. 

Makua Seaside is a point out seashore managed by the Division of Land of Natural Sources.

In Hawaii, it’s illegal to block entry to a general public beach front. On the other hand, Souza has not been billed for violating that law or cited by DLNR.

“Mr. Souza has no citations from DOCARE. It does not seem Mr. Souza is on condition lands thus, jurisdiction falls under HPD,” DLNR spokesperson Madison Rice stated in an email.

When requested if Souza had damaged the community beach access legislation, DLNR didn’t answer.

But HPD spokesperson Michelle Yu said the police department can only offer with Souza’s harassment and terroristic threatening prices.

“Makua Seashore Park is a point out park, not a town park,” Yu explained in an electronic mail. “The park has numerous facet accessibility roads and some cattle gates, and these are taken care of by the DLNR. When the DLNR claims that ‘jurisdiction falls below HPD,’ they may well be referring to the two pending conditions as the DLNR does not carry out harassment or terroristic threatening investigations.”

Inhabitants who are worried about the predicament shared copies of an electronic mail trade they’d been given between HPD Sgt. Fumikazu Muraoka and town officials right after officers checked on Souza on Nov. 15. 

Souza recorded the meeting with officers, telling them that the folks he instructed to leave ended up foreigners bothering the dolphins and that no U.S. regulations apply to him.

“There ended up many seaside site visitors present when we arrived, so it would seem he adjusted his tune a bit given that last 7 days,” Muraoka claimed in the e-mail. “It seems some times he’s Okay, but other individuals extra intense based mostly on phrase from those people who have spoken to him in the new earlier.”

“He mentioned he did not obtain any notice of a court overall look nevertheless, not certain if notification will be in the in close proximity to future or if he is just denying it,” Muraoka ongoing.

Richard Wallsgrove, assistant professor at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson College of Regulation, stated there is a penalty for obstructing obtain to a state park, which is general public.

“It sounds to me like this is an difficulty which is so loaded with a total bunch of historical and cultural nuance,” Wallsgrove reported. “I see that identical issue about jurisdiction simply because I assume counties are normally liable for beach front obtain problems, but that beach in specific and the parking of that beach is a state park.”