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City maintenance crews were back at Thomas Square this morning clearing the sidewalks fronting Thomas Square on Beretania street before an event commemorating restoration of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Tents belonging to the homeless and (de)Occupy protestors were taken down at about 4 a.m. Items were gathered, loaded and sent to a city facility.
This was second time city crews have utilized the new sidewalk nuisance law that allows crews to remove private property from public sidewalks without 24-hour notice. The first sweep at Thomas Square under the new law occurred Thursday.
The city will host a commemoration of the 170th anniversary of the restoration of the Hawaiian Kingdom at Thomas Square with performances, ceremonies, and speeches beginning at 11:30 a.m.
The keynote speaker will be Puakea Nogelmeier, PhD. Former U.S. Sen. Daniel Kahikina Akaka and Mayor Kirk Caldwell will offer remarks. Other participants include the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Daughters of Hawaii, the Royal Hawaiian Band Glee Club, and Halau Na Pualei O Likolehua.
The event recognizes the significance La Hoihoi Ea (Restoration Day) holds in Hawaiian history. On July 31, 1843, at the park that would eventually bear his name, British Rear Adm. Richard Thomas read a declaration restoring sovereignty to the Hawaiian Kingdom, ending the five-month seizure of the Hawaiian Kingdom by Capt. Lord George Paulet.
