Honolulu Police Department Chief Susan Ballard said she thought thousands of protesters were at Kapiolani Park on Saturday afternoon — dispatching dozens of officers to a peaceful Aloha Freedom Coalition event where 400-500 gathered at a rally in protest of COVID-19 health restrictions. According to Ballard, approximately 40 officers were at the park during the event, where two arrests were made and HPD’s actions have come under scrutiny. Videos posted online show peaceful protesters calling for calm as officers descended. Many became agitated by what appeared to be an unwarranted police presence that escalated to the arrests. In one of...
