Honolulu Star-Bulletin from Honolulu, Hawaii • 3

NEWSWATCH A-2 Big Isle road sale irks residents A-4 Cost, size stall -federal prison plan A-4 Hiker rescued near Pali Lookout Star-Bulletin Tuesday, November 12, 1991 Me dilemma: helping adult abuse victims A thorny problem is whether protection can be forced on them 66 I don't think we should be quick to substitute our judgment for theirs. 99 Ben H. Gaddis Big Island judge The hungry will benefit food bank HILO The Hawaii Island Food Bank is inviting people to a "banquet" that is almost guaranteed to leave its guests hungry. "Only a few people will leave this banquet with stomachs filled," the food bank says. For 15 percent of the people attending the Hunger Banquet on the night of Nov.

21 at the University of Hawaii-Hilo campus center, the invitation is a good deal. For a mere $5 they'll get an "elaborate meal," the food bank promises. They will represent the well-fed people in the high-income countries of the world. Another 25 percent won't have it so good. They'll get a meal of rice, sauce, and a drink.

And 60 percent of the guests, representing the impoverished majority in the world, will have it downright bad. They will get only rice and water. Who would willing attend a "banquet" like this? 1 Mayor Lorraine Inouye and County Council Chairman Russell Kokubun are among those who have promised to attend, the food bank says. Bellows Field closed for air show Bellows Field Beach Park campsites will be closed Saturday and part of Sunday to prepare for the Air Force Thunderbirds show. The park will open only for the Thunderbirds' 2 p.m.

show Sunday, according to the city Department of Parks and Recreation. Electrical work due at Keehi harbor New electrical outlets will be installed at Keehi Boat Harbor under a $417,295 contract to Commercial Electric Inc. The state Department of Transportation also announced that Heeia-Kea Boat Harbor will receive improvements under a $146,000 contract awarded to Healy Tibbitts Builders Inc. The Keehi work includes installing both electric and telephone outlets, lighting fixtures, new metering equipment and conduits. The Heeia work will include a new second lane for the boat launching ramp, demolition of the wooden loading dock and its replacement with a concrete dock.

Also, the launching ramp will be extended and repaired. Work at both locations is set to begin in January. Reported by Star-Bulletin staff NEWSMAKER Getting Christmas on track sonal liberty and to permit the exercise of constitutional rights by adults consistent with protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation." Regan, professor of health-care law at Hofstra University School of Law, said the law reflects Hawaii's progressive approach to social legislation, but fundamental problems remain. For example, he cited the case of an elderly widow who lived in a small room in her son's home. Her son drank a lot, took her money, abused her and threatened to put her in a nursing home if she didn't behave.

Yet, she told her physician she'd rather die than leave the family home. "At what point can we safely ignore a person's rights to self-determination?" Regan asked. Adults with mental and physical capacity should be allowed to make their own decisions, even if they seem crazy, he stressed. "You and I would be outraged if we were stripped of our rights because we make bad decisions." Big Island Judge Ben H. Gaddis, who pioneered legal services for the elderly on that island, said the new law will be a great help.

But a court analyst has identified 18 potential problems that will require amendments, he said. In dealing with domestic abuse, Gaddis said, "Inasmuch as we're tempted to do so, we cannot regulate lives of these people if they understand "Does it matter if they're blinded by love or fear? I don't think we should be quick to substitute our judgment for theirs." Gaddis recalled a guardianship hearing in Hilo involving a self-described minister who physically abused and financially exploited three elderly women. One pulled out of the relationship, but the man kept her property. One was confined to bed and couldn't communicate. The third woman was furious, but also infatuated with the "minister" and ran off with him to California in the middle of the hearing, Gaddis said, asking: "Who is entitled to protection and who is not?" While the law orders professionals to identify and report suspected cases of Elder abuse cases in Hawaii vat adult abuse, it doesn't mandate services, Regan said.

"The law seems to be saying it is more important for an agency to log in suspected cases and report them than to provide services." Patricia Snyder, a Department of Human Services official, said the agency emphasizes protective, prevention and intervention services but it has "always played a catch-up game" because of lack of resources. Farrell noted a case involving a 93-year-old woman in which the people caring for her told him, "If you don't like the way we're taking care of her, you take her." He tried an emergency home for adults he thought had been set up, but found it was never funded. "So, where do we put her? We started talking about the attorney general's conference room. We weren't joking. We thought about bringing in a nurse." Sandy Rongitsch, long-term care ombudsman in the state Executive Office on Aging, said it is very difficult to find a place for a severely abused or neglected adult who needs 24-hour care.

Another flaw in the law, Regan said, is it fails to mention the abusive person often a spouse, child or caretaker and the need to provide counseling and treatment for substance abuse or other problems that lead to abuse. "I hope that is not a sign that the most serious cases will be a matter of criminal law," Regan said. Goaf man: His rescue shows system works He had been eating goat tood and was found unconscious By Helen Altonn Star-Bullettn Big Island District Judge Ben H. Gaddis recalls the case of the "goat man" as an extreme example of elder abuse that the social services system was able to bring to a happy ending. Gaddis was involved with the case during his 15 years with Legal Aid on the Big Island.

He said he was called to Honokaa after the Humane Society, found an elderly man living among about 50 goats. "He really did love goats," Gaddis said, telling the story at a recent Adult Abuse Conference in Honolulu. The man had been eating goat food and was unconscious and dehydrated when found, Gaddis said. The man had relied on friends to shop for food for him and the goats, he said. He had more than $20,000 in a bank account, but the money was removed by a neighbor three days before the man was found.

"We seized the account and took her to court. She said, 'I thought he was going to die, so what's wrong?" The man was hospitalized and Gaddis rounded up the goats, which eventually were sold to a dentist. The man later was placed in an adult care home, Gaddis said. By Helen Altonn Star-Bulletin Adult abuse victims who refuse the state's protection may pose one of the biggest dilemmas in carrying out a new Hawaii law. Should they be forced to accept protection? This was a major concern addressed at a recent conference focusing on Hawaii's new dependent adult protective services law.

Adults are treated as "nothing more than old children" by such laws, said John J. Regan of New York, a specialist on legal services for the elderly. The law "begins with the premise that government knows best," agreed Kirk Cashmere, former staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, now in private practice. But Deputy Attorney General Tom Farrell said the law deals only with people who are mentally or physically impaired, who depend on others, who agree to protective services or aren't capable of making decisions. In ensuring such protection, the law says: "The Legislature intends to place the fewest possible restrictions on per- Elder abuse causes vary with races Key factors involved in one group may not evident in others By Helen Altonn Star-Bulletin Major factors involved in elder abuse among Caucasians such as alcohol or social isolation don't show up among Asian-Americans, says a national expert on the It isn't clear what leads to abuse and neglect among older Asian-Americans, said Karl Pillemer, a Cornell University sociologist.

Asian-American clients studied were more physically impaired than Caucasian clients, so caregiver stress may be the major factor in their abuse, he said. But in adult abuse cases generally, he said, "we can't just look to stressed caretakers for answers." In 80 percent of elderly abuse cases, the victim has a chronic condition and is dependent on someone, he said. Children financially exploit parents because of drug or alcohol problems he said. Pillemer compared elder abuse cases in Hawaii and San Francisco as part of a two-year research project looking at differences in cultural groups. He presented these findings at a recent Adult Abuse Conference here: 82 percent of Caucasian clients were psychologically abused, com- 422 405 373 1 Reported Confirmed 244 500 400 300 200 100 243 ft tftmm It i i 143 119 117 Phillip D.

Brown's slogan is: "I may not be good, but I sure am lucky!" Such as the time he was browsing in a Charleston, S.C., store specializing in old maps and came across their one and only map of the Hawaiian Islands. "Although I thought the price high I went ahead and bought it," Brown says. "On my return to the islands, I found the map to be worth over Brown believes it was luck, too, when he once went -to Dieter Huckestein'f office to discuss what he thought was a possible -76- 33 a 1989 1990 1986 1987 1988 Numbers don't tell all Name: Phillip D. Brown Title: Executive vice president Eagle Distributors Inc. Age: 44 Education: San Diego State University Interests: Running, golf, travel, camping, 1 i itS Hawaii may have more than 5.000 unreported cases involving older residents who are abused and neglected.

'r M' -i IX Last year, 400 cases of elder abuse were reported to the state Human Services Department; 243 were confirmed. National studies show that only one In 14 cases is reported, which would give Hawaii a total of 5,600 cases, said Patricia Snyder, a DHS official. Source. Department of Human Services pared with 56 percent of Asian-Americans. 27 percent of Caucasian victims were highly dependent on the abusers, compared with 7 percent of Asian-Americans.

38 percent of Caucasian victims were isolated from social support, compared with 7 percent of Br Kevin Hand. Star-Bulletin Alcohol was a major factor in the abuse in 63 percent of the Caucasian cases, compared with 13 percent of the Asian-American cases. Hawaii cases were referred for the study by the state Department of Human Services. Social workers conducted detailed assessments and interviews of the clients, Pillemer said. Hilton Hawaiian Village Budweiser promotion.

Instead, he found himself in on the ground floor of the "Christmas With Aloha" project of the Waikiki Improvement Association. This year, Brown is chairman of the event. "It's such a neat concept with such great potential, and it's very important for Waikiki. The event makes Waikiki a more human place, especially for the local population, and I don't mean only the people who live in Waikiki. "A lot of people put in time and effort to keep Waikiki as Hawaiian as always, and they keep it that way primarily so residents and local people can feel more comfortable." This year's Christmas With Aloha will start Nov.

30 with a 6 p.m. tree-lighting ceremony at the Kalakaua Center at the ANA Building on Kalakaua Avenue. At 7 p.m., there will be a Christmas Parade of Lights, starting at Fort DeRussy and ending at Kapiolani Park. The Kailua Madrigal, the La Pietra Select Chorus and many floats will be featured, with Santa riding in the last float. Details will be announced about the December Children's Movie Party at a Consolidated Theater.

On Dec. 2, Kalakaua Avenue will be closed from Seaside Avenue to Ohua Avenue for a Christmas party with five stages. There will be entertainment, 25 food vendors and booths of high-quality crafts. "Crazy Shirts has even made us a commemorative T-shirt," Brown says. This season also will see the introduction of a few of the Tutu Angels that within five years will greet ipeople inWaikiki.

-t Murry Engle, Star-Bulletin CORRECTION i AmfacJMB Hawaii Inc. is owned by an affiliate of JMB Realty and Liberty House is owned by JMB Realty. An article Friday in Hawaii Inc. incorrectly indicated that Amfac and Liberty House were both part of AmfacJMB Hawaii. CORKY'S HAWAII Wrestler Ripper Collins dies at the age of 58 nnni rri 4 m.

if i wj V1 IN THIS ISSUi i I RIPPER COLLINS THE 1 HAWAIIAN SUMO 1 ILLUSTRATED KING RIPPER COLLINS 3 WRESTLING 1 HOLDS KILLER KOWALSKI and hisses he said: "Hawaii is probably the greatest place that I've ever wrestled in the world." "We gave them what they wanted don't care what anybody says, wrestling is the greatest sport in the world." Unlike today's performers who appear in a town one night, then hop on a jet and wrestle in another state the next night Collins and his colleagues settled here for long stretches. "We lived here our families were here with us. We went to the grocery store and they (the fans) would stand in awe," he said, describing the reaction of viewers. "They'd see you on the beach, or they'd see you at the movies out eating at the Queen's Surf, or Canlis or somewhere. They knew you were here and that when you were advertised, you would be there," Collins said.

Even after retiring from the sport, Collins remained active in the business, working with the small independent South-Pac Wrestling Federation here. But he noted times have changed. Today, the business is dominated by giant organizations such as the World Wrestling Federation, which make as much through cable television telecasts as they do through live shows. "Pay-per-view is nice, but there's nothing like going (to an arena) and saying, 'Hey, I almost touched Hulk or 'Oh, Randy Macho Man was or 'Dusty Rhodes Ooo, ooo, I almost got close to Collins said, recalling the way things once were. "That's what it is.

It's nice to watch it on TV, but when you can go and scream and holler, and smell the popcorn and the sweat, and hear those whacks going across the bodies, you say 'Ah! This is where it's he said. Services for Collins are Bending. The self-proclaimed 'king' played the bad guy and was a big favorite of island fans By David Oshiro Star-Bulletin During his heyday in the 1960s, professional wrestler Roy Lee "Ripper" Collins could get a crowd here screaming and yelling the way superstars such as Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior do today. Collins who played the part of an arrogant bad guy, clad himself in se-quined robes and called himself "The King" died yesterday in Straub Hospital. He was 58 and vice president of operations for Interstate Guard Service.

In an interview last year, Collins said he first came to wrestle in Hawaii in 1965, intending to stay for only two weeks. "I ended up staying 7Vz years," he said. In those days, he worked with stars such as Curtis "The Bull" Iaukea, Lord James "Tally Ho" Blears, "Handsome" Johnny Barend and the Masked Executioner. "We were the first on TV here. I guess we were what got the islands hooked on wrestling.

We were all personalities and everyone was different," he said then. Collins would infuriate viewers by mangling the Hawaiian language saying that he and his fellow grapplers would be visiting locales such as High-Low (Hilo), Moe-Wee (Maui), and Kaka-paka in Kow-Wee (Kapaa in Kauai). Despite the reaction he drew boos HARD BOILEi HACCERTY BAREND vsHADY AMATEUR WRESTLING AND MANY MORE Hawaii Wrestling Review Wrestler Roy Lee "Ripper" Collins is shown in his heyday in this 1 968 cover photo of Hawaii Wrestling Review. Collins called himself the "king," but to many local wrestling fans he was known affectionately as "The Great White Whale." He died vestflrrlnv in Rtrnnh Hnsnitnl nt nrm fift Sfiniroc nro nonrtinn i Y.t ''I'M AfH AID TtfIS IS HOT WHAT Wff, tEW VflHEAMPT-A-hlGHWAY iri 111 iirtln 4 ii tt jttT i il..