Will the arrest of the couple by Safeway in Honolulu, and the loss of custody of their child affect tourism?

No. The bus stop being moved to avoid a homeless woman's smell a couple months ago made international news, however. That kind of thing is more likely to impact tourism. As will any coverage of APEC one way or the other.

Actually, there is a nationwide outcry against Safeway for having a pregnant, honorably discharged veteran arrested for an obvious minor mistake on her part. Anyone on or off the island who has not heard of this is either illiterate or deaf. There are several questions which need to be addressed, and the subsequent lawsuit will likely expose what really happened (I am retired JAG). In the meantime, I will no longer patronize Safeway. Safeway like most supermarkets in Oahu, actually have snacks and samples prepared in the store for on premises consumption, in fact, at the very store in question on Saturday's you cannot move without being offered some "scrumptious delight", so they cannot claim that in-store consumption of prepared foods is prohibited, and if the wrapper was on the shopping cart, but not placed upon the conveyor belt, which is what appears to have occurred, it is actually the responsibility of the cashier/checker to check that shopping basket, it is NOT the customers job to do that, even though the store management might like for the public to believe that is the case. So, how did the management/store security know about the wrapper, did they watch the consumption on video, then did they purposely not remove the wrapper from the cart, or just how did the security guard know the sandwich had not been paid for, and WHEN did security know that? If the wrapper was on the cart, but not charged by the cashier, then the court will very likely find that Safeway and its local management seriously erred by bringing shoplifting charges against the two parties. In addition, in response to another post here, there very definitely loss of custody by the parents, under force of law, and the child was returned, but only after spending 18 hours in public custody.

Another less palatable factor is the very real possibility that this was a racial discrimination by management and the security guard. I have always warned Caucasian military personnel to avoid certain situations because of local/hawaiian dislike of white people, or "haoles" as they call us, and the very distinct possibility that this occurred will undoubtably explored by plaintiff counsel.

I suspect the manager and the security guard will very quickly be "transferred", likely to the unemployment lines. HPD needs to be questioned very carefully also, why did they arrest both parents, when only one was the perpetrator? Or was that a mistake also? Is this also an example of racist treatment of Caucasians?

I will be going to Waikiki at Thanksgiving, I already have the reservation or would not go, but I will NOT be shopping at Safeway, which we usually do for a two week stay in a condo, this time we will go to Costco, or Sam's, I do have small children too, and cannot imagine the terror of a small child separated from her parents, then having to spend the night in foster care. What a silly situation. How many times have I been in Safeway and seen them giving out free food samples, which are meant to be consumed on the premises, also, the store personnel encourages people to eat while shopping, and some stores here in Vegas actually have self serve fountain drink dispensers for shoppers, because of the hot weather here, and the customers are allowed to pay for the cups at check out after they have shopped, but refill the cups during their shopping time as they wish. It seems to me that there are a lot of questions that need to be asked about the conduct of the manager, the security guard, and HPD. Why would they come to a store to arrest someone for a 5 dollar "shoplift", when they will not come to a Waikiki hotel for a break in of a car if it is less than 250.00 in damage. This actually happened to me 4 years ago, they would not even send an officer, I had to go to the station, waste 4 hours, in order to get a "police report"It seems very strange to me that HPD would not just issue a citation, and release the pair, instead of arresting them, and removing their child from their custody. What a shame!

I'll be visiting Hawaii next month and I plan to shop at Safeway. This may have been somewhat over-aggressive law enforcement, but it wasn't evil. The woman violated the law, and for all security knew, she made a habit of it (actually, for all you and I know, she made a habit of it -- it wouldn't necessarily be public).

Our local Safeway here in California is regularly targeted by shoplifters who walk there when the local high school lets out (I've watched them do it), and under California law the store is not allowed to detain them until they have left the store with the stolen merchandise (it is not "stolen" until it has left the premises), but once the shoplifters have left the store, they are on public property, and only the police can arrest them. There are never any police there. So the honest customers just get to pay extra for the regular shoplifting.

This is not as simple a situation as you make it out to be.

You know, I don't think tourist gonna stay home cause of Safeway store prosecution of pregnant lady, with little kid, and her husband, ok? Now, is Safeway in trouble, maybe get sue? If you look at comments on YA bout the story, then maybe yeah, and for sure I don't think this racist as nother answer says maybe is, ok? Now, I don't know what happen really, and neither do anyone otha than people involve, ok? JD guy maybe got good point, bout wrapper inna shopping cart, don't know if it happen like he say or not, yeah?

I don't like it that they took little kid away from parents, and I wonder why they arrest both parents, when only one, the lady, seem to be offender, and I think HPD gonna need to esplain why they arrest somebody for 5 dollar "shoplift", when I can't get them to come to office if I broke into, yeah? I gotta go to station to report any damage and theft, and even if I got video of people who break in, they not prosecute, ok? Seem kina strange to me, yeah? As for me, I don't go to Safeway for shopping, they much too spensive, I go to Costco or Sam's instead, so not gonna effect me at all, ok? I don't think it gonna be big deal hea Hawaii, but already big deal onna mainland, if comments on YA andy judge of situation, and Safeway CEO smart guy to diffuse situation by refusing to prosecute, I feel bad for manager of Safeway, he probably gonna get fire, and he only follow his boss instruction, yeah? But I do wonder, how did security know bout wrapper, if it not onna basket, and if onna basket, why did they wait till they leave to detain? Why not just ask while inna store, ok? I think this gonna open big can of worm which not gonna get close real easy for Safeway, yeah?

Peace and aloha to you!

Ladycatherine: Are you servious?! I wager you probably did no longer even examine the small print. - It became right into a mistake (no intension of stealing as they have been eating it openely and stored the wrap) - the lady is pregnant, she needs to consume whilst she's hungry, her toddler won't be able to wait till she finishes identifying to purchase, she has to consume suitable there. - they bought a 50 $ worth of stuff from the save and paid for each thing - The punishment coated their daughter, who did notthing, and that they stored her with foster abode God knows of what got here approximately to her on my own with those strangers that night. - the regulation enforcment human beings could desire to be waiting to distinguish whilst the purpose for against the regulation is there and whilst it somewhat is a normal mistake, and us citizen could desire to lead them to pay for any cruelty and injustice completed! to respond to the question: it quite is injustice, i could sue the food market to the final dime, i could sue the police officer who took the toddler, and that i could make the chief pay for something of her/his life. it quite is purely me. inspite of the undeniable fact that it did no longer ensue to me, thank God, so all i will do is definitely boycott those bastards for one reason: once you're preparation your group to handle purchasers they could desire to bear in mind they're managing people who deserve admire and their identifying directly to save at Safeway should not be rewarded by detention center time and childrens taken away (no longer even for 10 minutes!). How do they learn? because of the fact they purely talk the language of funds, they could desire to learn with the language of funds: how approximately costing them losses of thousands and thousands by boycotting them??! that could desire to coach the bastards!

Of courrse it will have nothing to do with tourism. And, they did not "lose custody" of their child. The child was put with child protective services til the parents were release...big difference. Why don't you go to Safeway today and eat something in the store, then walk out without paying for it and see what happens? It is illegal to consume food in a grocery store before paying for it. If you want to do that, you need to go up front and pay for it first and keep the receipt. If some scroungy-looking teenagers stole a 6 pack from Safeway and walked out with it, would you think it was wrong if management called the cops?

Why would it? Don't really understand the question. Petty crime such as shoplifting occurs everywhere. It's not usually a dangerous situation. I'm sure people get arrested for shoplifting in Hawaii every day. Why would tourists care? And why would they avoid Safeway? We all know shoplifting can get you arrested. Don't do it and you'll be fine.

Considering no one on the mainland or in Japan will hear about this, it will have no affect with tourism.

I bet folks on Waianae and Kailua didn't even hear about it.