Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 9, 1 September 2015 — Mauna Kea Arrests [ARTICLE]

Mauna Kea Arrests

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is urging the state to cease further enforcement on Mauna Kea after arrests on July 31. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement arrested seven men for camping in a restricted area on Mauna Kea. Under an emergency rule approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources and signed by Gov. David Ige, it is illegal to be in the area along Mauna Kea Observatory Access Road. Chairperson Robert Lindsey said, "The Office of Hawaiian Affairs urges the state to cease further enforcement action and arrests until legal questions relating to the Mauna Kea emergency rules are properly resolved. Native Hawaiians have constitutionally protected rights to reasonably engage in traditional and customary practices, and regulations cannot eliminate the exercise of these rights. We hope for a resolution that ensures our beneficiaries' rights are protected instead of violated."

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