Hawaiian group faces eviction from Waimanalo
By Eloise Aguiar and Gordon Y. K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writers
WAIMANALO — A group led by Hawaiian activist Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele that once occupied a portion of Makapu'u Beach Park could face eviction from its home on state agricultural land in Waimanalo for not obtaining liability insurance.
Aloha First, once known as Save A Nation Foundation, moved to the 45-acre site called Pu'uhonua o Waimanalo in 1994 in exchange for leaving Makapu'u, where they had been living in tents for 15 months claiming that they had a right to live there as Native Hawaiians.
Kanahele
The group received a notice of default in March from the state and was given 60 days to obtain the necessary insurance.
As of June 21, the nonprofit organization still had no insurance so the state land division recommended the cancellation of the group's lease, said Dede Mamiya, administrator for state Department of Land and Natural Resources land division.
"It's pretty straight forward," Mamiya said. "We require insurance on all our leases. We track them, issue notices of default and take it to the board."
Kanahele, who organized the nonprofit group and beach occupation, hasn't been able to get a carrier, she said. "He was telling me the premium was more than the ($3,000) rent."
Kanahele yesterday said he would explain the problem to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources today and didn't want to comment further, but he did say he wasn't able to get insurance. "I think the insurances companies is giving a hard time to everybody," he said.
Mamiya said the board chairman decides on the amount of the insurance and in this case he wants a $1 million policy.
The state land board will hear the issue at 9 a.m. today in Room 132 in the Kalanimoku Building.
If Kanehele and his group are evicted, it would mean the end to a plan devised by then-Gov. John Waihee to accommodate a hard-core group of Hawaiian sovereignty activists who had occupied state lands at Makapu'u. The occupation underscored heightened tensions between the activists and the state government.
While some hailed the plan as a peaceful way to end the dispute, others resented what they called special treatment by the state for Kanahele and his supporters.
The state land board first approved the lease for the Waimanalo property on Waikupanaha Street in September 1993 and about 80 people moved on the land in June 1994. A 55-year lease started in April 2001 was issued in March 2001. An estimated 100 people may be there now.
Aloha First is current on its other lease requirements, including the $3,000 a year rent and bond requirement. It doesn't have a conservation plan, which is required, but the group is working on the plan, Mamiya said.
Mamiya said the land board could give Kanahele more time to purchase insurance if he shows that he is trying to get it. "I can't second guess the board, but in the past if the lessee is showing a good faith effort, they usually give them an extension," she said. "Bumpy has to show up and tell them his effort."
Pu'uhonua o Waimanalo, "place of refuge at Waimanalo," has a web site which describes the property as a village modeled for Native Hawaiians "to regain control of their lands and their lives."
"The long range vision of the village is one of self-sufficiency, with a harmonious balance of ancient and future systems, from lo'i kalo (irrigated terraced taro fields) ... and la'au lapa'au (healing with plants and prayer), to renewable energy, the Internet, and other appropriate technologies," the web site said.
The property and Kanahele have had other controversies.
In 2001, the Land Board began pressing the group to begin paying lease rent, which it had not paid since the group moved in. After issuing a notice of default, the DLNR received a check in November that year, but it was returned because of insufficient funds.
After several extensions, the state received a check for $9,000 — $3,000 in back rent and $6,000 for an overdue performance bond.
Kanahele, considered at one time one of the most militant in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, has a criminal history that includes a four-month federal prison sentence in 1998 for interfering with the arrest of a fugitive and a jail term for 1987 state convictions of a firearm violation and resisting arrest while occupying Makapu'u lighthouse with two other Hawaiian activists.
But despite his brushes with the law, Kanahele has insisted that he has never advocated violence as a way to achieve Hawaiian sovereignty.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266. Reach Gordon Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
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