Hawaii State Representative Tom Brower, a Democrat, says he's "tired" of trying to pass laws restricting the rights of houseless people, so he's taken it upon himself to literally smash what few possessions they have left. With a sledgehammer.
"I want to do something practical that will really clean up the streets," he told Hawaii News Now this week.
Brower has been spotted repeatedly in recent weeks walking about his district during his off hours, carrying a sledgehammer and smashing up shopping carts that he finds on the streets -- shopping carts, he says, that are most often used by the houseless to store and transport what remains of their belongings.
In a cruel twist, Brower is also the vice chairman of Hawaii's Department of Human Services, which administers numerous welfare programs designed to help those in need, including food stamps.
"I don't want to be threatening to anybody," he reportedly said. "I think it's threatening to steal things and then walk around with them like it's their own."
Brower's allegedly smashed up about 30 since his odd mission began in mid-October, and plans to keep his crusade going. He's also taken to waking up sleeping houseless people and telling them to move elsewhere, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
"If someone is sleeping at night on the bus stop, I don't do anything," he was quoted as saying. "But if they are sleeping during the day, I'll walk up and say, 'Get your ass moving.'"
This video from Hawaii News Now aired on Monday, Nov. 18, 2013: Lawmaker hammers home his homeless solution.
(H/T: State Rep. Uses Sledgehammer To Destroy Homeless People's Possessions)