Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 8, 1 August 2002 — Hawaiians mobilize to support Liliʻuokalani Trust [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiians mobilize to support Liliʻuokalani Trust

By Naomi Sodetani Queen Lili'uokalani Trust received staunch support from the Office of Hawaiian board as trustees voted July 23 to oppose the Honolulu City Oouneil mandatory leasehold p conversion Bill 53. j" The majority vote formalized F OHA's resolve to stand with the L trust in defending against the L forced sale by condemnation of the \ trust's Foster Towers condominium units in Waikiki. With Hawaiian organizations3 entitlements and rights seriously at risk due to legal challenges and govammental action3 OHA Chairperson Haunani Apoliona stressed the critical need for soli~ darity among Hawaiians. "It's time to work together3" Apoliona said. "The Hawaiian leadership and the trusts and agencies must support eaeh other in their efforts, because this is all

about the community that we're serving." Bill 53 is galvanizing wide~ spread cooperation within the Hawaiian community, with thou~ sands of Native Hawaiians now mobilizing to block what they consider the theft of ali'i trust lands. At the bill's second reading on July 17, about 400 Native See LILI'UOKALANI on page 15

LILI'UOKALANI from page 1 Hawaiians overflowed the eouneil chambers. Chanting "Onipaca kakou!" they demonstrated Queen Lili'uokalani's motto of steadfast-

ness in animpressive show of strength and unity. The cIlio\iokalani Coalition, comprised of kumu hula and cultural practitioneis who overturnedthe state's attemp1s to curtail native gathering rights, is spearheading a broad-based grassroots effort to block Bill 53. "We must be makacala (vigilant) about our rights and protect our cultural practices and traditions and our caina whieh feeds us," said Kumu Hula Vicky HoltTakamine. "VIomentum is building and our people are coming out," said Everne Williams. "The adversity is making

us stronger." The Kapahulu resident launched the Queen Lili\iokalani Children's Center Friends ad hoe group to help support the trust. OHA's support upholds its longtime stance against mandatory conversion as stated in a 1 989 resolution "opposing any further loss of the Native Hawaiian land base through governmental intrusion." Troubled at the dire state of her people's healīh and welfare, Queen Lililiokalani had directed that her trust be used to benefit underprivileged Native Hawaiian children.

The trust's Waikiki lands generate about 60 percent of its annual $14 million revenue, whieh sustains more than 300programs statewide. Last year, over 9,000 Hawaiian

children benefited from QLCC's services. About 41 percent of the trust's Waikiki holdings are in leasehold residential projects. Traditionally, condemnation allows government to take private property to be used for the public good, such as roads or parks. The courts have allowed government to take leasehold residential land and transfer fee ownership to lessees if laige numbers of owner-occupant lessees were involved. Councilman John Henry Felix introduced Bi 11 53 in reaction to a Hawai'i Supreme Court ruling in

May 2002 that held the City was illegally targeting condominium projects that have too few owneroccupants to qualify for condemnation. Under the proposed Bill 53, if

there were only 4 owner-occupants in a 100-unit building, the lessor would be forced to sell his land if just 2 lessees applied to condemn. Only eight owner-occupants in the 142-unit Foster Towers have petitioned for condemnation. The ,91-acre parcel at 2500 Kalākaua is the site of Queen Lili'uokalani's Waikiki residence. The ancestral lands were given to Lili'uokalani's mother Keohokālole during the Māhele in 1 848 and later inherited by Lili'uokalani when Keohokālole died. Holt-Takamine urged people to

express their opinions to City Council members — particularly Felix, Steve Holmes, JonYoshimura, Gaiy Okino and Duke Bainum, who support the bill.

ī īmea 10 īmpaei ine bill's third reading yet to be scheduled, a protest march and rally will be held in conjunction with the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust's annual celebration of the queen's birthday on Sept. 2. The public is invited to join the noon march from Mlauna'ala royal mausoleum to 'Iolani Palaee, where the rally will eommenee. Like the 1993 "'Onipa'a" gathering that amassed thousands of Hawaiians at the palaee to commemorate the overthrow of the Hawaiian nation in 1893, the "E

Lih u E rally will assert our people's right to self-determi-nation," Holt-Takamine said. The voting booth also provides another "opportunity for us to elect legislators and eouneil members who will protect our rights," the kumu hula stressed. "Hawaiians, stand up and be counted. This is the time to make your vote count." For upāaleā information, eall 753-9773 or 754-2301 or log onto www.ilio.org or www. qlccfriends.com ■

DEFENDING THE QUEEN'S LANDS — LilPuokalani TTust supporters rallied and sang in honor of the Queen at Kawaiaha'o Church before proceeding to Honolulu Hale.

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