Community activists revived a decades-old political movement for a rally Wednesday at the state Capitol against what they believe has been more than a century of corporate exploitation of Hawaiian lands.
"People Not Profits! 2014: A Grassroots State of the State Address" drew a collection of community groups from around the state that support food security, county home rule, affordable housing and smart development while vehemently opposing urban sprawl, development atop Hawaii’s world-famous mountaintops, drone testing, genetically modified organisms and more.
"Some people will say this is about GMOs — this is not about GMOs," Kauai County Councilman Gary Hooser said at the rally. "This is about people over profits … whether it’s Kakaako or Turtle Bay, or whether it’s windmills on Lanai or fracking (Hydraulic fracturing) in Hawaii County, it’s the same thing: It’s about money stepping on people and the environment, and we have to stick together; we have to fight this, we have to work together for the future, send a message to these people up here."
Hooser went on to lead a loud group chant of "shame on you," referencing three biotech companies that are suing Kauai County over its recently passed pesticide ordinance, and "we will win."
Dustin Barca, a professional surfer from Kauai who has played an active role in opposing GMOs and pesticide use, spoke after Hooser.
"We’re out here (from) different walks of life, different fights in Hawaii, but all against the same entities," Barca said. "Everything we love is being threatened — the health of our children, the health of our land, the health of our ocean. We live in the most self-sustainable place on earth, yet we’re importing 90 percent of our food into Hawaii while our ag land is being used by these chemical corporations."
The rally kicked off with the group United Kakaako chanting its way into the Capitol courtyard to conclude a march that started in the Kakaako neighborhood.
Signs that read "Defend Kakaako," "Power to the People" and "We Support Smart Planning" were thrust toward the building’s open air roof while the group, clad in bright red shirts, began circling the blue mosaic at the courtyard’s core.
One sign — "Kakaako needs TLC not HCDA" — expressed how the group feels about the Hawaii Community Development Authority.
"We want to make sure that development is done smart, it’s done sustainably, it’s done following the rules and it’s done for the community that lives there and the businesses that work there," Sharon Moriwaki told the audience. "We have 19 bills and resolutions, from changing the (HCDA) board to abolishing the agency, and we ask for your kokua. … We really think that this is one of the big issues of the day and with your help we can make sure that no community goes unheard."
Organizers said the idea for the rally came from a 1971 push led by Kokua Hawaii and Save our Surf to fight rampant land takeovers and corporate greed — a battle that continues to rattle the community more than 40 years later.
Kaleikoa Kaeo, a Native Hawaiian activist from Maui and supporter of self-determination, spoke passionately to the audience about the importance of awakening a deeper awareness of the Native Hawaiian struggle to preserve the land.
"Whenever we fight and organize for the protection of the aina — that which feeds us — we provide this humanity to our own selves," he said. "That is our political voice: every time we defend that aina, we take a step forward."
