What Happened to Inafa Maolek?

Opinion by David Lubofsky for Kandit News & Views

Panhandling laws have been challenged often in the USA as it is aligned with First Amendment rights. Some places restrict locations for panhandling and have laws against aggressive panhandling as Guam does. Courts across the country have sided with the panhandlers.

Guam under the anti- poor 37th Guam legislature attempted to make the activity a very restricted criminal offense without success. The old law wasn’t changed. Now we see our AG aggressively going after these people, the poorest citizens on Guam. The AG is wasting resources as violent and drug related crimes are on an increase, but chasing the poor is seemingly a priority.

Silver spoon leadership will never see how the poorest on Guam suffer and would prefer to criminalize poverty possibly violating the First Amendment rights of our Guam brothers and sisters.

Working families are leaving Guam in droves as they can’t afford to live here and the poorest are being threatened with fines or arrest.

Let’s hope the 38th Guam legislature can protect the most needy on island and can see how suffering from poverty shouldn’t be criminalized.

THE AG PANHANDLING SIGN ISN’T THE REAL ISSUE. IT’S ABOUT THESE PEOPLE THAT CAN BE ARRESTED FOR ASKING FOR HELP. HOW CAN WE HELP THEM?

The law shouldn’t have been passed to begin with. The sign is terrible, granted, but rather than doing the “Doug hate dance” why not be proactive to change the law or find a way to help these people? That’s what leadership is truly about.

The sign can also be a symbol or depiction of the 37th anti-poor Guam legislature which attempted to restrict panhandling even more with many other attempts to criminalize poverty including with the homeless, lowering wages of poor workers if they return to work, whipping or caning law breakers, taxing cheaper drinks, preventing medical accountability etc. Luckily most of that nonsense didn’t pass.

THE POOR ARE NOT OUR ENEMIES AND ARE ACTUALLY THE FOUNDATION OF OUR SOCIETY. HOW WE TREAT THEM DEFINES WHO WE ARE.

_____
David Lubofsky is a resident of Tamuning and an outspoken advocate for medical accountability.