SAIPAN is more than a tropical destination — it’s a place of breathtaking beauty, rich culture, and deep-rooted island hospitality. Our turquoise waters, lush hills, and powdery white beaches paint a perfect picture of paradise. But for many visitors and residents alike, the lasting impression of our island isn’t shaped by its natural charm — it’s the discomfort, unease, and visible neglect in our most important public areas that stand out.
Garapan: A Faded Gateway to Saipan
Nowhere is this more evident than in Garapan — Saipan’s primary tourism and business hub. Once a vibrant area full of promise, Garapan is now marked by worn-out buildings, chipped paint, broken signage, boarded-up windows, and dilapidated storefronts. Cracked sidewalks, and overgrown weeds only add to the visual decay. Tourists walking these streets often wonder: Did we make the right choice coming here?
For many, the answer is becoming “no.”
What should be a welcoming, walkable, and family-friendly district now feels neglected and unsafe. This decline is further exacerbated by persistent issues of public drunkenness, aggressive loitering, visible homelessness, indecent behavior, and littering — creating an environment that damages our economy, our image, and our way of life.
A Local Business Perspective: Safety Before Service
At Plumeria, we welcome both locals and tourists looking for a peaceful, quality dining experience. But too often, guests arrive uneasy—followed from the parking lot, shouted at near the entrance, or simply not feeling safe walking down the street.
These are not isolated events. Daily, we deal with individuals loitering outside — some intoxicated, shirtless, shouting profanities, and harassing passersby. It creates a hostile environment that drives away customers and tarnishes Saipan’s image.
Worse yet, it affects our youth. We work with local high school students through job training and co-op programs, preparing them for future careers. But how can we teach professionalism and service when they must walk through fear and disorder just to get to work?
This is more than a business issue — it’s a community concern. Public safety must be a shared priority. We urge local leaders and agencies to take coordinated action. Clean, safe streets are essential for tourism, for business, and for the next generation of workers and citizens.
Saipan deserves better. Let’s work together to make that a reality.
From Compassion to Accountability
For years, I personally offered food and water to individuals experiencing homelessness. I believed, and still believe, in kindness and second chances. But over time, I came to understand that compassion alone is not a solution. When there is no responsibility, no willingness to change, and no consequences for repeated disruptive behavior, the cycle only deepens.
This is not just a humanitarian issue anymore. It is a public safety and public image crisis.
Saipan is a small island — we cannot afford to look the other way. Our laws, and more importantly their enforcement, must rise to meet the urgency of the moment.
Public Indecency and Loitering: Where Do We Draw the Line?
This isn’t about judging appearances. It’s about drawing a line between tolerance and neglect. Public spaces should be safe, clean, and respectful environments for everyone. No one should have to dodge passed-out individuals on benches, avoid restroom facilities because they’ve been overtaken by squatters, or cross the street to escape harassment.
Families should feel welcome in Saipan. Tourists should feel safe. Local workers and business owners should feel proud. But that will never happen without clear standards of public decency and a community willing to enforce them.
Strained Resources, Stretched Thin
The Department of Public Safety is already stretched to its limit. Instead of focusing on serious crimes or emergencies, officers are repeatedly dispatched to handle the same public nuisances: drunken outbursts, fights between loiterers, blocked walkways, and disturbances around tourist sites.
This is not sustainable. It’s unfair to our officers — and unsafe for the rest of us.
We need to give DPS the resources and legal backing to prioritize real threats while holding chronic offenders accountable.
What Saipan Needs Now
This isn’t a call for cruelty—it’s a call for order. We must balance compassion with accountability and act decisively to preserve the future of our island. Here’s what we urgently need:
• Enforce public decency laws —basic standards like “no shirt, no shoes, no service” should extend beyond businesses and apply to public areas as well.
• Target chronic offenders —individuals who repeatedly loiter, harass others, or refuse assistance should face meaningful consequences.
• Increase law enforcement presence — high-traffic areas like Garapan need consistent patrols to deter disruptive behavior.
• Restore and revitalize infrastructure — beautify Garapan by repairing sidewalks, repainting buildings, replacing signage, and cleaning up neglected lots.
• Expand support services with conditions — shelters, rehab, and mental health services must be tied to personal responsibility and behavioral compliance.
• Support targeted legislation like S.B. 24-28 (To amend 6 CMC 3113; to establish disorderly conduct and public intoxication crimes; and for other purposes.) — laws tailored to our island’s needs are critical to enforcing change in a way that makes sense for Saipan.
It’s Time to Raise the Bar
Saipan’s identity is not being threatened by outsiders — it’s eroding from within. Years of inaction, lowered expectations, and a fear of offending others have led us here. We must be brave enough to change that.
This is not just about cleaning streets — it’s about restoring pride, safety, and trust in our public spaces. We owe it to our residents, our visitors, our businesses, and our future.
I strongly support S.B. 24-28 and encourage every community member to do the same. Let’s reclaim Garapan. Let’s lift our Saipan standards. Let’s protect the island we all love.
Enough Is Enough.
Saipan deserves better — and we all have a role to play.
Thank you.
