As hundreds attended a peaceful prayer vigil at Pu‘u Huluhulu across from Maunakea Access Road, Gov. David Ige held a media conference this afternoon to address what he called “lots of rumors and speculation about Maunakea.”
“I know that there’s been rumors that we’re sweeping Maunakea this evening at 8 p.m.,” the governor told reporters. “I can let you know that there is no planned sweep of Maunakea. We are concerned that these false rumors and speculation about state law enforcement activities creates anxieties in our community and we just really want to remind people that the men and women of law enforcement are your neighbors. Their commitment is to their responsibility, which is to keep our community safe, to keep the roads passable so that truck drivers and construction workers can get to their work site and keep order.”
Ige said he was aware of the prayer vigil, which was scheduled for 6 a.m. to 6 p.m..
“We were able to inform law enforcement so that they were aware of the activity. And certainly it is proceeding by the organizers in a lawful way …,” he said.
The state has announced its intention to close Maunakea Access Road at 7 a.m. Monday to allow construction vehicles carrying equipment and material for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope to make its way up the mountain, which is considered sacred to many Native Hawaiians.
“As construction begins, our No. 1 priority is keeping our community safe,” Ige said. “Law enforcement’s mission is to ensure that everyone can do their job, that truck drivers can drive and deliver equipment and materials as they are asked to do, that construction workers are able to proceed to their work site.”
Ige was asked if police were prepared to use tear gas on protesters, and he replied he “can’t really comment on what provisions law enforcement personnel will have on site.”
“Law enforcement has been preparing in a number of different ways and we are prepared to respond to whatever the situation may be,” he said. “We expect, and I expect the best behavior from our community. We don’t expect protesters to get out of line. But, in terms of preparation, law enforcement has gone through and prepared for every scenario you might be able to imagine.”
In response to a question about military-type police gear arriving through Kawaihae Harbor, the governor said “there have been discussions about different kinds of equipment and personnel they may need access to.”
“In any kind of situation, there is a coordination and cooperation amongst law enforcement all across the state,” he said.
The governor said he’s offered to meet with opponents of the controversial $1.4 billion observatory, which is expected to take a decade to build.
“All of our outreach has been declined, at this point. We continue to have conversations with different groups, if they would like to have it,” he said. “As I said, with this group of leaders of the Pu‘u Huluhulu activity today, we were informed about it (Saturday). … We were able to inform law enforcement, so they would be aware and would be respectful of the cultural practices.”
Ige didn’t address a question about whether protesters of the project — who prefer to be called “protectors” of Maunakea, will be allowed to use Pu‘u Huluhulu during the duration of the construction, saying he was only aware of a 12-hour vigil request.
As for allowing Native Hawaiians space on the mountain to practice their culture and religion?
“It depends on where the activity is and if it would be a danger in any way to the participants or any of the construction activities that is scheduled to occur, so I think we are looking at that on a case-by-case basis,” the governor said. “Certainly, we would accommodate activities that would not interfere or do not create a safety concern with the ongoing construction activities.”
And should protests not be peaceful, Ige said law enforcement has “a responsibility to ensure that … drivers can deliver their equipment and material to job sites as they have been contracted to do (and) construction workers can make it to construction sites.”
“As I’ve said, we’ve been looking at and working to prepare for what may come,” he elaborated. “Obviously, it’s an unknown situation. We don’t know how many people will be there on the site, you know, and where they will be located. So law enforcement is doing their best to anticipate the number of protesters that there might be and be prepared in that regard.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.