citizens who are born in the United States - calling for us to be deported, calling for the parents of minors to be incarcerated, you name it.” What might be difficult for a priest to repeat, Ongelungel doesn’t hesitate to describe: “People talking about killing cockroaches, calling for a purge on Micronesians, calling to have us - even those of us who are U.S. She returned to Hawaii nearly 15 years later. “I didn’t have training to fight people who looked like my actual blood relatives,” she said. mainland against those who are not white. Ongelungel said she felt equipped to deal with the racism on the U.S. She wasn’t prepared for the racism in Hawaii, and so she left after a year. “If you tell them you’re Micronesian, you won’t get a job,” she said her cousin told her. When she first got here, a cousin advised her to tell potential employers she was from Oregon. seems to make people in Hawaii incorrectly believe that Micronesians are a drain on social benefits, said Sha Merirei Ongelungel, a Honolulu resident.Ī Palauan born and raised in Oregon, Ongelungel came to Hawaii “because all I wanted to do was to fit in and be around Pacific Islanders and know what it was like to not stand out like a sore thumb.” Located about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii, the Federated States of Micronesia consists of 607 islands with a population of about 107,000. military to control strategic land and water areas in the region. The Compact of Free Association allows citizens from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau to live and work freely in the United States in exchange for allowing the U.S. There are an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Micronesians in Hawaii, who began migrating here in bigger numbers in the 1990s in search of economic and educational opportunities, said Josie Howard of We are Oceania, which advocates for the Micronesian community. Native Hawaiians account for about 20% of the population. Of Hawaii’s 1.5 million residents, 38% are Asian - mostly Japanese and Filipino - 26% are white, 2% are Black, and many people are multiple ethnicities, according to U.S. territory, said his mother, Yovita Sykap. Sykap’s family is from Chuuk, but he was born in Guam, a U.S. Police say Sykap was driving a stolen car when he led officers on a chase through oncoming traffic after a series of crimes including an armed robbery and purse-snatching. Some in the Micronesian community say the April 5 shooting of Iremamber Sykap highlights the racism they face in Hawaii, a place they expected to be more welcoming to fellow islanders. Romple Emwalu, parochial vicar at a parish outside Honolulu who was born in Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia. The three officers are scheduled to make an initial appearance in court on June 25.“It is really bad and I don’t want to say it as a priest,” said the Rev. Tell me what profession does that and gets pounded by the media and keyboard warriors out there for doing our jobs protecting you.” But after the grand jury initially declined to indict the officers last week, union President Malcom Lutu said in a statement, “Our officers have given their lives for these communities that we protect. The head of the state’s police union, SHOPO, did not return CNN’s request for comment Tuesday. The officers will have their police powers removed, and they will be assigned to desk duty, police told CNN Wednesday. While we await the court’s decision, we will continue to protect and serve the community as we have always done.” This is highly unusual, and we are not aware of a similar action having been taken in the past. In a statement, interim HPD Chief Rade Vanic said “We are surprised by the Prosecuting Attorney’s announcement to seek charges against the officers after a grand jury comprised of citizens decided not to indict them. “The evidence confirms that Defendant Thom did intentionally or knowingly cause the death of Iremamber Sykap by shooting (him) eight times.” “There was no one in front of the white Honda, and there were no civilians on the sidewalk or anywhere in front of the white Honda,” the complaints state.
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