This week in Honolulu, a group of Native Hawaiians locked the gates of Iolani Palace, the former home of Hawaiian royalty, and took over the grounds, saying they were reclaiming land of the Hawaiian monarchy that was stolen during the overthrow of the kingdom more than 100 years ago: Hawaiian sovereignty seekers take over palace grounds.
The group, Hawaiian Kingdom Government, said it would occupy the palace grounds—a major tourist attraction—indefinitely and start carrying out the business of what it considers "the legitimate government of the Hawaiian Islands." Unarmed security guards from the group blocked all gates to the palace. The group's leader, Mahealani Kahau, says the group does not recognize Hawaii as an American state, and had no intention of leaving the grounds.
But after more than six hours, the protesters agreed to end the blockade. No arrests were immediately made, but state officials said the protesters could still be charged. Protest leaders had said they were prepared to be arrested and would go peacefully.
I will not pretend to know where these people are coming from, but I understand the situation. And they need to do what they have to do. This is certainly a way of drawing attention to their cause. However, I'm not so sure it's going to be effective in achieving what they ultimately want.
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