Crime and violence have been increasing concerns in West Oahu for the past several months. In mid-August, following a series of shootings, the Honolulu Police Department said it was stepping up its presence.

But police staffing shortages have been much in the news and HPD officials promised to call in reinforcements from other state and local agencies. A few days later four people were shot and killed in a neighborhood dispute and a couple days after that there was another shooting at a Westside beach park as well as a stabbing that left a man critically wounded.

Civil Beat journalists want to hear from residents and business leaders directly to get a better feel for what the community thinks is going on these days and what people think could and should be done to help.

We’re doing a pop-up newsroom in Waianae on Thursday and we hope you’ll stop by, any time between 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Waianae Public Library, 85-625 Farrington Highway.

Our pop-ups are pretty casual. Reporters, editors and others from our staff are available to meet one-on-one or in small groups. No speeches by public officials, just honest conversations with journalists to tell us your stories and your ideas about what we should be writing about.

I’ll be there along with our new Executive Editor-In-Chief Amy Pyle and a number of reporters including Blaze Lovell, Madeleine Valera, Mathew Leonard and Chad Blair along with several of our engagement team members.

Although the focus of this pop-up is public safety and the recent problems the community has dealt with, we’re always interested in hearing about whatever is on your mind.

We have all afternoon and the library is letting us use the facility after its normal hours so people can come by after work if they want.

We’re looking forward to listening.

Civil Beat’s pop-up newsrooms are supported by the Hawaii Community Foundation and the American Press Institute’s Election Coverage and Community Listening Fund..