A recent article reported that the state and counties have spent more than $9 million on the Thirty Meter Telescope blockade and protests (“Thirty Meter Telescope law enforcement costs top $9 million,” Star-Advertiser, Top News, Oct. 9).

That’s $9 million spent to monitor a relatively peaceful and nonviolent protest. That’s $9 million spent with no resolution of the impasse in sight. That’s $9 million that could be spent on housing, health care, education, homelessness, infrastructure and more — all issues that would benefit the Native Hawaiian community.

Both sides bear responsibility for failure to resolve this longstanding conflict. If the respective leaders cannot come up with a solution, then perhaps they should turn to professional mediators to try.

Enough is enough.

Michael Bornemann

Hawaii Kai

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