We help the people of Kailua-Kona take political actions that promote inclusion, tolerance, and fairness.
A hard night in Kona, and a full month ahead
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July is here, and Kona Indivisible (KIND) has a full plate. This week also brought something closer to home: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) incidents here in Kona that deserve our attention. We have events to show up for, postcards to write, and now, real concerns that ICE is stepping up activity in our own community again. Let's get into it. A quick reminder - this is the newsletter for our Kona Chapter. Our editorial team also publishes the statewide newsletter, and this week's issue is essential reading: it lays out the three-phase playbook to undermine the election - deceive, disrupt, deny - and what we're doing to beat it. Every Indivisible needs to be ready for this fight. Read it here. In this issue:
ICE in Kona: We Mobilized, and It WorkedNetworking through KIND led to a successful response to an immigration enforcement action by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (operating as Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI) in Kona on Saturday, June 27, 2026. DHS is using all its resources and security agencies (not just Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)) to implement Trump's draconian immigration agenda. Here's what happened. KIND members received two separate reports of DHS activity that weekend. In the first, DHS agents approached a man who locked himself in his car - it appears he wasn't the person they were looking for, and they left. In the second, a pregnant woman was detained and held at the Hawaiʻi Police Department (HPD) Kona station while awaiting transport to a detention facility in Honolulu. Within about an hour of hearing she was being held, community members had mobilized a group of ten, including two attorneys - one Spanish-speaking - to the station. They reached the detained woman by phone and gave her a number to request legal counsel. We later learned she was being held on a valid judicial warrant. Last year, KIND met with HPD Chief Reed Mahuna about our concerns over ICE activity, and he's told us directly that HPD will not assist ICE with detaining or transporting people. We followed up with him after Saturday night, and he explained that once ICE has a valid judicial warrant, HPD can't interfere - but he'd rather a detainee wait at the station, with air conditioning, restrooms, food, water, and medical care if needed, than in an ICE vehicle in a parking lot. He agreed to keep working with us on faster communication and clearer attorney access when this happens again. Having that direct line to the Chief matters, and we intend to keep using it. This is what a fast, organized community response looks like - and it's the best outcome we could realistically achieve once ICE has a judicial warrant in hand. Mahalo to everyone who showed up. Tina Marie was on the front line that night and recorded her encounter. [Watch the video here.] Follow her if you want to stay connected and do your part when the next call comes. Community action works - Minneapolis showed us that this year. It's possible this is the start of more ICE activity in Kona. If you have information or resources related to immigration legal support on the island, please reach out, and stay ready. Walk with Della in the July 4 ParadeThe Indivisible Hawaii State Network (IHSN) has endorsed Della Au Belatti for Lieutenant Governor, and she is bringing her campaign directly to us. Della will march in the Kailua-Kona Independence Day parade on July 4, and we hope 50 Indivisibles will be walking alongside her. Fun fact: the Continental Congress actually voted to declare independence on July 2, 1776. July 4 marks the day Congress formally adopted the wording of the Declaration. 😊 Della is doing double duty that day - walking in the Kailua, Oʻahu parade that morning, then flying over to join us that afternoon. If that doesn't tell you something about her commitment, we don't know what will! Of the three Lieutenant Governor candidates, two declined to engage with our endorsement criteria, which include rejecting dark money and Super PAC support. Della is the one who said yes. Show up and show Kona votes for the candidate who answers to voters, not to special interests. TAKE ACTION: Walk with Della in the July 4 Parade. Gather at 5:30 pm for a 6:00 pm start. Fireworks begin at 8:00 pm. Register here. Meet the Candidates, Sunday, July 12Kona Indivisible and the Hawai'i County Democratic Party are bringing democracy to your doorstep. Come meet and talk directly with elected officials and candidates for office at our 250th Birthday Meet & Greet Celebration. Confirmed so far: Della Au Belatti, State Representatives Kapela, Kahaloa, Lowen, and Tarnas, State House candidate Matt Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder, and County Council candidates JoNelle Fukushima, Zed Kaapana, Justin Canelas, Kyle Kepano Jones, Jason Masters, Manu Powers and Eddie Ombac. More officials and candidates are accepting our invitations every day, so check the event page for updates. Come meet people and enjoy live music from Larry Dupio. TAKE ACTION: Join the 250th Birthday Meet & Greet Celebration on Sunday, July 12, 2026, 1:00-4:00 pm at Makaeo Pavilion at Old Airport, Kailua-Kona. Register here. Postcarding & Beach SocialWriting postcards is one of the most direct things you can do right now to change who represents us in Congress. We're targeting newly registered voters in Hawaii's Congressional District 1 ahead of the August 8 Democratic Primary - many of them first-time voters or recent transplants who may not yet know about Ed Case's voting record or our endorsed candidate, Jarrett Keohokalole. Every postcard lands in a real mailbox. Every one matters.
We provide postcards, voter lists, scripts, and instructions. You bring the stamps, your favorite pens, and your writing muscle. Donations of stamps or postage money are always welcome. And if you join us at Gypsea Gelato, please support them while you're there! Last Saturday night showed that our community cares and will show up to support those in need. Now, July asks us for more participation - starting with the parade and then the gathering at the Old Airport Park Pavilion. We're ready. Mahalo for all you do, Aloha |
Kona Indivisible
We help the people of Kailua-Kona take political actions that promote inclusion, tolerance, and fairness.
Aloha Reader, It's primary election season. Ballots arrive July 21st, and the elections office needs to receive them by August 8th. Sunday's statewide newsletter covered how to prepare for disinformation and dirty tricks. Today, we share something more hopeful: the candidates are coming to us - and we're thrilled to have a stretch of back-to-back events to prove it. Here's everything on the calendar this week and beyond. First, a quick reminder - this is the newsletter for our Kona Chapter....
Aloha Reader, Mahalo nui to all who showed up for the Rise-Up Rally to Guarantee Our Freedoms on Sunday! A great way to cap the Rise Up and Sing Out concert - and impressive turnout for a pop-up on short notice. These 100-person rallies have a great vibe - a perfect size to meet and talk with new friends. Guarantee Our Freedoms Pop-Up 😊 Two Newsletters. Everything You Need to Know. KIND was a pioneer among Indivisible chapters in Hawai'i - one of the first to build a local website and launch...
Aloha Reader, A little over a year ago, Kona Indivisible launched a website and newsletter with a simple goal: keep our community informed and ready to act. What we didn't expect was everyone else saying, "We want that, too!" — and by everyone, we mean chapter leaders and the statewide network leadership across all four islands. So we got to work. KIND set out to build something bigger: a communications overhaul that gives every Indivisible chapter in Hawai'i a home, a voice, and a shared...