HONOLULU — Bullies beware.
If Augie Tulba can find the necessary support among his Honolulu City Council colleagues, bullying anywhere on City and County grounds or in programs offered by or affiliated with the city will be subject to a broad new set of prohibitions.
The Council is scheduled to take up Bill 52 on Wednesday. The measure, inspired by Tulba’s own experiences and his daughter’s anti-bullying foundation, Be Respectful and Value Everyone, would require every city agency or department that offers programs for youth or controls city property where youth are regularly present to establish a policy for identifying, reporting, responding to and preventing bullying and retaliation.
The policies would have to include annual training; procedures for reporting suspected incidents; sanctions and remedies for bullying aimed at preventing the behavior and protecting those targeted; an appeals process; and procedures for notifying the parents or guardians of both parties.
The policies would also be required to include procedures for referring those involved to social or counseling services, reporting incidents or bullying or retaliation to law enforcement if appropriate, and ensuring compliance with the policy itself.
The measure acknowledges various forms of bullying, including physical, verbal and relational. It also covers cyberbullying in various forms, including spreading rumors or embarrassing images or information, threatening, encouraging a targeted youth to harm or kill themselves, catfishing or publishing private information.
For Tulba, the issue is deeply personal. Bullied as a kid growing up in Kalihi, the comedian-turned council member said he first turned to boxing and later to comedy to cope.
"Back then, your choices were defending yourself physically, comedy or being a victim," he said. "Later, when I became a parent to two kids who are openly gay, I knew the challenges we'd be facing. I learned a lot through my daughter's foundation, BRAVE, especially about how important it is to be able to speak out. That's what this is all about — making sure our kids are safe and have the opportunity to speak up and be heard."
In his frequent visits to local schools in support of BRAVE, Tulba asks students to rise if they're willing to stand up for their friends who are being bullied.
"It's always unanimous," Tulba said. "Everybody stands. But the truth is that most of them won't stand up for their friends because there are ramifications. With this bill, we want to show that we're taking bold steps to help kids stand up and know that they have support. We want to make sure that everybody understands the problem and how to address it."
The measure already has the support of the administration.
“Unfortunately, many youths are reported to have experienced bullying, with bullying of our youngest members of the LGBTQ+ community growing at an alarming rate,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said. “Bill 52 serves to stop this vicious cycle as it relates to our future generations and takes major steps forward to stop the vicious cycle of bullying.
Blangiardi said his administration has been working to improve Honolulu’s municipal equality index rating.
“Inclusivity, respect, equality and fairness for all residents and taxpayers are shared values in our community and bullying of youth runs counter to those values and will not be tolerated in our city youth program,” Blangiardi said.
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from council member Tulba. (Oct. 5, 2022)
