Videos about a group of teenagers in Hilo allegedly calling themselves “The Score Gang” are making their way around the internet.
Parents have been taking to social media to vent their frustration over alleged assaults, threats and violence against their kids and others in the community.
Hilo residents Casey-Leigh Sabate-Hauanio and Brandy Fontes say their children were threatened by the gang. The Conversation’s Russell Subiono caught up with them at a cafe in Hilo to talk about their experience.
Sabate-Hauanio said her daughter and niece were at recess when the alleged "Score Gang" came up to them and began waving knives in their faces.
"They were trying to get her to take off her sweater, and they told her that they own Hawaiʻi and that they own Hawaiians," Sabate-Hauanio said.
Fontes said her experience was similar to Sabate-Hauanio's, but was not as direct. She told HPR that her daughter began receiving texts from a friend saying that there would be a shooting at the school involving her daughter, which led Fontes to immediately file a police report.
Going forward, Fontes said she wants to take a positive approach to finding a solution in the community.
"The children are supposed to get along and feel safe, no matter where they're at, whether it's school, at home or the community," Fontes said.
The “Settle The Score” peaceful rally to end the violence with gangs will take place this Friday, March 10 at the Kamehameha Statue at Hilo Bayfront from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
This interview aired on The Conversation on March 7, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
