Threat against Puna senator prompts police, FBI notification before community event

A threatening Facebook message aimed at Puna state Sen. Joy San Buenaventura pushed a casual community party in Kea‘au into a public-safety issue, with the senator notifying the Hawai‘i Police Department, the state attorney general’s office and the FBI before the event. The post, made the morning of June 16, contained explicit violent language directed at San Buenaventura and people who support her.

San Buenaventura said she shared the warning with constituents so people attending the June 20 gathering would know what had happened, while declining to repeat the sender’s name. The event was not a fundraiser or an election rally. It was scheduled as a party from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Aerie in Kea‘au, where residents were invited to talk story with the senator about her work in the Legislature.

The threat landed in the middle of a crowded political season for San Buenaventura, who has represented Senate District 2 since Nov. 3, 2020 and is seeking a second six-year term. Ballotpedia says her current term ends Nov. 3, 2026, and that she is running for re-election in the Democratic primary set for Aug. 8, 2026.

Her legislative portfolio makes her a familiar figure in Puna and across Hawai‘i Island. San Buenaventura chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, and her legislative materials say she is focused on expanding health care access in the district. She has also built a profile around Highway 11 traffic improvements, health care expansion in Puna and law enforcement concerns.

Because of the threat, Puna-based Men of Pa‘a was set to help provide security at the Kea‘au event. The nonprofit describes itself as an organization focused on empowering and enabling Kanaka maoli, especially Native Hawaiian men, through Ho‘okanaka, recovery, restoration and servant leadership.

The episode underscores how quickly ordinary civic gatherings can be disrupted when political harassment crosses into intimidation. It also raises a practical question for Hawai‘i Island: as local officials continue holding open events in their home communities, law enforcement and residents alike will have to stay alert to the line between offensive speech and actionable threats. On an island where police have already dealt with other threatening incidents in the Kea‘au area, that line now carries immediate consequences for public access, security planning and the willingness of elected officials to meet face-to-face with constituents.