Residents throughout Hawaiʻi raise concerns about parental rights, emergency powers

Hawaiʻi residents on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi and the Big Island gathered between Jan. 5 and 10 for community events on each island as part of the Keep Vaccinations Optional tour.

Event organizers said large crowds attended the events on nearly every island, a sign of strong public concern about parental rights, medical choice and government accountability.

The four-island tour featured nationally known speakers:

• Comedian and political commentator Jimmy Dore.
• Physician and medical researcher Dr. Robert Malone.
• Investigative filmmaker and author Mikki Willis.
• Pathologist Dr. Ryan Cole.

Dore spoke about protecting civil liberties and the importance of questioning concentrated power. Malone addressed informed consent and open scientific discussion.

Willis focused on the real-life impact of public health policy, at one point during each event asking audiences: “Who here knows someone who was injured or died after the COVID-19 vaccine?”

More than 80% — and on some islands nearly 90% — of everyone who attended the community events on all four islands raised their hands, a signal event organizers said highlighted how widespread and personal these experiences are within Hawaiʻi communities.

Cole provided a medical perspective on patient-centered care and the need to preserve individual medical choice.

The speakers came to Hawaiʻi — where they say decisions can be made that set lasting precedent for other states — to stand with local families and support informed consent, transparency and peaceful civic engagement.

The events centered on the Keep Vaccinations Optional Citizen Memorandum, which has three specific goals:

• To protect parental rights, affirming that parents — not the government — should make medical decisions for their children.
• To amend Hawaiʻi’s biosecurity law, Act 236, which allows the government — during a declared biosecurity emergency based on a perceived threat — to take control of private property, livestock or goods without a warrant or traditional due process protections.
• To address executive overreach, as Hawaiʻi’s governor signed more than 90 emergency proclamations, suspending more than 30 state laws without legislative approval, a practice event organizers said sets a precedent for future governors if left unchecked.

Organizers emphasized the Citizen Memorandum is a lawful, peaceful way for residents to put their concerns on the public record and remind elected officials that they serve the people.

“This wasn’t about politics,” said organizers in a release about the statewide events. “It was about parents, property and the importance of keeping constitutional checks and balances in place.”

The strong turnout on all four islands reflected a shared desire among Hawaiʻi residents for clarity, accountability and respectful public dialogue.

Find additional information at the Keep Vaccines Optional website.