An encampment Thirty Meter Telescope opponents built four months ago on Mauna Kea remained intact Friday following the nighttime arrest of seven men.
About 30 state Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaii County police officers made the arrests around 2 a.m. at the camp near the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station, located about 9,200 feet above sea level. The men, who posted bail, were charged with conducting “prohibited activities” after DLNR enacted new emergency rules for the mountain more than two weeks ago. The rules prohibit camping gear during all hours and restrict access to areas within one mile of Mauna Kea Access Road between 10 p.m and 4 a.m., unless in a moving vehicle.
Four of the men are from the Big Island, according to police. The other three have Oahu addresses.
Two were given additional charges of contempt of court or failure to appear for outstanding warrants. Six men were given citations after choosing to leave the area.
Later Friday morning, about 25 people gathered at the site to discuss the arrests and plan their next actions. Protesters, who are mostly Native Hawaiian, say they use the camp to hold vigil on a mountain they consider sacred.
Camping already was illegal on the mountain, though officials chose to take action only after the emergency rules went into effect. DLNR officers gave protesters at the camp numerous warnings during the past couple weeks.
Lanakila Mangauil, one of the protest leaders, said the self-described “protectors” expect nighttime arrests to continue, though it would be up to individuals to decide if they want to stay during restricted hours.
He said the main issue remains stopping construction crews from reaching the TMT site near Mauna Kea’s summit, but it wasn’t clear if protesters would continue to stay on the mountain after 10 p.m. if no ground was being disturbed.
“We’re here first and foremost to block any further desecration,” said Mangauil, who was not at the camp when the arrests were made.
Either way, he said protesters were not deterred by the arrests, which he expected to embolden supporters.
A video of the arrests released by DLNR showed protesters being led away from the camp in handcuffs. Some chanted loudly and questioned why they were being arrested.
“This is our church, you guys,” Bronson Kobayashi, one of those arrested, tells the officers in the video while being removed from a traditional hale. “This is our church.”
“You guys have no jurisdiction here,” he added.
So far, officials have made 52 arrests on Mauna Kea, mostly of people blocking construction crews.
Workers have been stopped three times while trying to reach the TMT site to continue grubbing and grading work in preparation for construction of the telescope, which could take a decade to complete.
The telescope, last estimated at $1.4 billion, will be the largest and most powerful observatory on the mountain. It will be capable of seeing to the edge of the viewable universe and will sit at 13,150 feet above sea level.
In a similar standoff, another 20 protesters were arrested Thursday evening on Maui for trying to block construction materials from reaching a nearly complete solar telescope on Haleakala
“We say ‘Ku Kiai Mauna’ not just for this mountain now,” Mangauil said.
The chant translates to mountain guardians.
Gov. David Ige said in a statement Friday that the emergency rules are meant to ensure public safety and access to the mountain. They were enacted after protesters used boulders and large rocks to block traffic on Mauna Kea Access Road on June 24.
Protesters questioned the state’s commitment to public health and safety following the closure of bathrooms near the camp.
Portable toilets at the visitor center were reopened two days ago. The facility remains closed in response to the camp’s presence.
“The state has made sure people are aware of and understand the emergency rules before taking the next step,” Ige said. “While we had hoped arrests would not have to be made in the process of citing violators last night, we were prepared to take action, and we did so.”
The enforcement action came exactly three weeks after the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the rules via a 5-2 vote after listening to hours of public testimony, mostly against the restrictions.
Lead protester Kahookahi Kanuha said DLNR came with “quite a large force” on Friday. And while the confrontation did not get physical, the officers did not back down from their orders to enforce. Some protesters were arrested while praying inside the hale, he said.
TMT declined to comment on Friday’s enforcement action.
Asked if the department planned to enforce the rules again Friday night, DLNR spokesman Dan Dennison said law enforcement plans and operations will not be announced in advance and can continue at anytime while the 120-day temporary rule is in effect.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
