Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights Hawai'i supporters were having a peaceful, non-violent sign-holding at the corner of Kalakaua/Kapahulu in Waikiki on July 23, 2022 when a well-known provocateur (who identifies himself as James - or Kimo - Wallace) confronted protesters with a graphic sign and megaphone, spewed hateful anti-abortion lies, and aggressively videoed individual protesters with his phone. For many years this provocateur has harassed patients entering the Planned Parenthood Clinic and at Women's March, Pro-Choice and LGBTQ actions. 

Since January this individual has harassed protesters at many actions called by Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights Hawai'i. He does not simply come to express his views by holding a sign to show his disagreement but instead targets individual women, and especially those who appear vulnerable. His graphic signs and epithets shouted at individual women (such as "baby killer," "murderer") are intended to provoke and intimidate. He jeers when women share personal stories at rallies. He ridicules their appearances by deriding their weight, age, or gender. He routinely shoves his phone into women's faces and videos them, despite being asked not to. His aim is to disrupt the action, to intimidate, and to provoke women to lash out. 

Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights Hawai'i cautions against responding to him or other individuals like him, and to instead ignore them. If the harasser continues to disrupt the event or target a particular individual, we suggest  protesters collectively chant to drown out the hateful words. 

HPD is very acquainted with this individual. They have witnessed his behavior many times and have told us he has a right to "free speech" - even when he targets individuals and what he says is clearly discriminatory, hateful, and constitutes harassment. 

On Saturday, July 23rd, Aleada "Saber" Minton, a Black and Queer activist from San Francisco, was passing by when she saw his sign, heard his taunts and took out her own video camera and verbally countered his lies. Police were watching and many protesters witnessed what was happening. 

M. Minton is a professional videographer. She has attended hundreds of protests. She knows not to touch someone during a confrontation and has NO criminal record. None of the protesters witnessed any direct contact. However, the provocateur alleged her video camera touched his megaphone and made a complaint to HPD (Police Report 22-285-138). HPD arrested Ms. Minton and she was taken to a police car in handcuffs while the provocateur followed her with his megaphone shouting "You belong in a cage in the Zoo", continuing his racist and anti-gay taunts while police stood silently by. 

Ms. Minton was charged with assault (State v. Eda Minton).  She was taken to the police station and was later released on $1000 bail pending her arraignment. Her video camera, which police alleged was the "assault weapon," was confiscated and is being held as evidence. 

Ms. Minton's attorney submitted a request for dismissal and arraignment was on August 2, 2022. The request for dismissal was denied but the arraignment was continued to September 20th for the final plea. 

The charges against Ms. Minton are bogus. The complaint was made by a well-known provocateur who routinely attempts to "trigger" pro-choice and LGBTQ advocates.  Ms. Minton is Queer and Black. She was a tourist on her first day of vacation with her partner when she witnessed this provocateur holding a disgusting sign, spewing anti-woman lies, and harassing women. Ms. Minton videoed him and exposed his lies. Even IF Ms. Minton's video indeed touched the provocateur's megaphone (and she and other witnesses do not believe it did), this does not fit the definition of an assault. 

Ms. Minton committed no crime. 

We demand that all charges against Ms. Minton be dropped and that her video be returned with the film intact. To fail to do so would constitute a grave injustice.