More than 300 people protesting the planned Thirty Meter Telescope marched across Honolulu on Tuesday, delivering demands to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Gov. David Ige and the law firm representing the developer of the massive $1.4 billion project on Mauna Kea.
The march started at the OHA offices in Iwilei, where the group waved flags, carried signs, sang songs and recited chants before asking the board of trustees to reverse its 2009 position in support of the TMT telescope.
The group of mostly Native Hawaiians — including two of the founding “protectors” who have been encamped at the 9,200-foot level of Mauna Kea, Lanakila Mangauil and Kahookahi Kanuha — urged the trustees to schedule an action item immediately and vote to oppose the project.
The trustees said at their last meeting April 9 that they would review the record and possibly reopen the question as early as their next meeting, which is on Thursday, but the topic is not on the agenda.
OHA released a statement urging the governor and University of Hawaii President David Lassner to address outstanding legal issues before allowing any TMT construction to begin. The statement urges all parties involved to meet and find a resolution in the best interest of Mauna Kea and the stakeholders.
On Friday, Ige announced another postponement of TMT construction but added that TMT Observatory Corp. officials have the legal right to build the telescope following seven years of environmental review, and it is their right to proceed.
From OHA headquarters on Nimitz Highway in Iwilei, the group marched to the downtown offices of Watanabe Ing, a law firm that
represents the TMT corporation. Marchers were accompanied by Honolulu Police Department officers, some of whom were wearing aloha shirts.
“This is not a fad. This is the new norm,” one of the march’s leaders, Hanohano Naehu, told the spirited throng. “You guys are the new norm. We are going to wake up Hawaii nei. We’re going to wake up the world.”
The group delivered to the Bishop Street law firm a “cease and desist letter” against the TMT project, claiming the construction site is on land administered by the Hawaiian kingdom.
The letter, drafted by Oahu attorney Dexter Kaiama, also claimed that the destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity is a war crime under international law.
Attorney Doug Ing, a former Kamehameha Schools trustee, offered this response: “We respect the rights of others to express their heartfelt beliefs. However, the Hawaii Supreme Court has ruled that the state of Hawaii is the lawful government of these islands, and those claiming to be citizens of the Kingdom of Hawaii are subject to the state’s laws.
“The TMT project obtained all necessary permits and approvals required by Hawaii’s laws. The TMT project is neither destroying nor appropriating property as claimed by Mr. Kaiama. Rather TMT has gone through lengthy and very public environmental and contested hearing processes to obtain its permits and its right to utilize state lands. The conditions imposed by the state more than adequately protect Mauna Kea and the rights of others to utilize and experience the mountain and its many features. In other words, as stated by Gov. Ige, TMT may resume construction at its discretion.”
The march continued from there, stopping at the King Kamehameha I statue at the state Supreme Court building and concluding at Ige’s office at the state Capitol, where Mangauil, Kanuha and others won a private meeting with the governor and his staff.
March organizer Walter Ritte said that while Tuesday’s weekday event was smaller than the April 12 rally at Iolani Palace, when an estimated 3,000 demonstrated against the TMT,
it was the right size for maneuvering through downtown.
Keani Rawlins, a 32-year-old UH law student and mother of two, said she felt empowered and energized by the spirit of the day.
“It’s not just about Mauna Kea, and it’s not just about Hawaii. It’s about all sacred places and recognizing that we, as indigenous people, no longer stand for desecration of important sacred sites,” she said.
Kuumeaaloha Gomes, 69, of Makiki didn’t march, but waited for the group to arrive at the Capitol at midday.
“It’s so nice to see some new faces, some young faces,” she said, hailing a new generation of Hawaiian activists. “They have such passion and energy.”
