LETTER: 3rd Party Should Mediate TMT Protest

I believe a third party individual should be brought in to help mediate the ongoing dispute between the State of Hawaii/Thirty Meter Telescope, and protesters/kupuna blocking Maunakea Access Road. The governor made a wise decision by giving Mayor Kim the reigns to negotiate a settlement, but I strongly believe he needs help.

This is why I believe a third party individual, with no ties to the TMT, should be brought in. There are four people that come to mind; Nainoa Thompson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Barack Obama or Kalepa Baybayan. There is probably others that would also fit the bill, but this is a list of people I came up with that would help with a potential negotiation process.

I was thinking about ways to jump start these negotiations. The first step is placing a thirty day moratorium on construction, and removal of law enforcement, in exchange for the reopening of Mauna Kea Access Road. This would ease the tensions significantly, and allow some semblance of normalcy to return. The proposed negotiations would proceed during the thirty day construction moratorium period.

As I stated before, I know the Thirty Meter Telescope has the legal right to start construction. However, the only way I see it happening will result in violence towards the protesters. This is why global settlement needs to be reached with everyone involved. I’ve deeply analyzed the situation, the latter is path we need to take.

I support the TMT project, but it has to be constructed in the right way. Hawaii is a non-violent place. If the state, and county, resorted to violence to push this project through, it would leave a indelible stain on such a peaceful, and beautiful state.

We have a real opportunity to show the world how Hawaii deals with impasses, such as the TMT, in a non-violent manner.