Restore historic Thomas Square

The spot known as Thomas Square has a revered position in the history of Hawaii, far more so than anyone looking at it today might guess. July 31 will mark the 170th anniversary of the occasion that made it so famous, which means this might be a good year to begin the work of restoring the park to the status it deserves.

In February 1843, military threats were made against the Hawaii government, and under protest King Kamehameha III ceded the kingdom to the British.

Rear Adm. Richard Thomas arrived in July to undo the act of his subordinate, restoring the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In a ceremony, he ordered the lowering of the British Union Jack and the raising of the Hawaii national colors. King Kamehameha then gave the speech containing the phrase "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono" (the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness) that became the motto of the nation, and later the state, of Hawaii.

The king then dedicated a parcel of land where the ceremony had taken place to become Hawaii’s first public park.

Given all this history, it’s stunning that Thomas Square looks the way it does today. This is still a charming oasis of green in the city that’s grown up around it, and it’s still the spot for popular craft fairs and other gatherings. But the centerpiece fountain isn’t running, the grass is patchy and the whole place is more likely to conjure adjectives such as "unkempt" than "historic."

It hasn’t helped that, for more than a year, one edge of Thomas Square had been overtaken by the (de)Occupy Honolulu group, originally an offshoot of the national but short-lived Occupy movement. Occupy, for all its oddities, had at least a general focus on the issue of economic disparity — the wealthy "1 percent" versus the 99 percent living at or below middle class.

Honolulu’s (de)Occupy variant picked homelessness as one of its issues. Its squatters’ campsite along Beretania Street included a mix of truly homeless individuals along with protesters who moved in, more or less permanently, to make points ranging from supporting Hawaiian sovereignty to opposing genetically modified crops.

A large contingent from the Hawaiian community, those who support the sovereignty cause in particular, turned out at a public forum Tuesday on the future of Thomas Square. They raised the cogent point about the history of Thomas Square, that concerns of Hawaiian sovereignty should be part of the landscape.

There should be a program, which could be funded with a mix of public, private and community resources, to spruce up the park, relandscape and repair the fountain. Perhaps a public sculpture garden — inspired by its museum neighbors and providing a venue for homegrown artists — could be developed. There are good ideas, including the use of native plants, that came from Tuesday’s session. And there needs to be a more visible memorial to the role Thomas played in Hawaiian history.

At some point, the sidewalk planters — defensible only as a barrier to (de)Occupy — have to go.

Protesters have made the point that Thomas Square has a tradition of being the venue for public speech. A permanent provision could be made for that purpose in the square. London has Hyde Park Corner as its locus of protest, and making Thomas Square the counterpart here has logic.

But of all the activities that would restore the prominence of Hawaii’s first public park, overnight campouts don’t qualify. They dishonor the history the king sought to immortalize, in tribute to Adm. Thomas’ honorable act.