My Story...
My ʻohana has lived on this particular shoreline ʻāina in Pāʻia since 1928. My grandmother lived on this ʻāina her entire life. My mother was born and raised here and I grew up here before going to school on Oʻahu. My summers were always back home with tūtū. The last of my kūpuna to reside here was my Aunty Kamaile Kane. In 2000, she passed away and it was time for the next generation to mālama the KULEANA of our Pāʻia ʻāina. Being the eldest in my generation, I accepted this kuleana and began to delve into the affairs and concerns of my ʻohana and neighbors.
In 2016, I became a part of the Pāʻia Town Association in an effort to voice the concerns of long time Pāʻia families and Hawaiian families whose genealogies are rooted in the Pāʻia and Hāmākuapoko areas. By this time, gentrification was in full bloom in Pāʻia town and being a part of the association opened my eyes to much of the illegal development and business practices occurring in and around Pāʻia town. Almost overnight, testifying at Planning Commission and County Council meetings became my way of life. I became Aunty Mopsy of Protect Pāʻia ʻOhana, now Mālama Pāʻia.
Upholding the community plan became my quest to ensure the best interest of our Pāʻia families. I became committed to encouraging our families to participate in community planning by voicing their opinions on what was happening and what they hoped to see. Some of the issues that I have advocated for include cracking down on illegal short term rentals and fighting against amendments to the Pāʻia/Haʻikū Community Plan that clearly addressed development and gentrification and opposed hotels in Pāʻia.
This particular journey began December in 2017 when I received a letter from an attorney telling me that I was in violation of the Findings of Fact Conclusion of Law. His was asserting that his client had the right to amend the private beach access to accomodate tourists staying in his multiple vacation rentals in the area. Though his client has prescriptive rights as an owner on 40 Aʻe, my neighbors and I disagreed that this privilege should be extended to his other vacation rentals in the area.
This three foot wide path was established in 1928 for residents of Aʻe Lane to access the shore of Pāʻia Bay. This path crossed thorugh our yard, along the wall belonging to the Silva ʻohana. Since then, the residents of Aʻe lane have managed this access collectively, and with little issue, until 2000. In 2000, the County of Maui mistakenly erected a public beach access sign on this path. This created a huge issue for the Aʻe Lane residents as visitors began to crowd our tiny, dirt lane to make their way through our yard to the shore of Pāʻia bay. The Gima and Kakiuchi family erected a gate fronting the access in order to manage the access. Shortly after, the County investigated and realized that this was never a public beach acccess and removed their public access signs. The County confirmed that the Aʻe Lane community could continue their use and manage this access for the residents of Aʻe Lane as they have since 1928. Subsequently, the Aʻe Lane residents decided that they would remove the small gate fronting the path and replace it with a large gate that would encompass our driveway as well. The residents also agreed that the gate would remain unlocked at all times to continue to provide resident access to Pāʻia bay.
This brings me to the story at hand. I am being sued. Mr. Gentrification is now in my backyard, attempting to dictate to me and my neighbors how we should use our beach access path. There are four original families that continue to reside on Aʻe place and we have used this path our entire life, the eldest of my neighbors is now 86 years old. Mr. Gentrification has purchased a number of properties in Pāʻia and is attempting to manage and market them collectively in order to create a pseudo resort area for his guests, including beach access through this our private path through my yard. He contends that the guests of all of his properties should be afforded access through our private path that runs through my yard, even though only one of his properties is located on Aʻe Lane.
My neighbors and I are perfectly happy with the way we have managed our collective access and find great value in our simple neighborly ability to share and engage in consensus. Mr. Gentrification, however, does not share our simple neighborly values and has demanded that we change our practices in order to accommodate his businesses and his guests. I have refused to submit to his legal bullying and his attempts to promote himself and his profits over the good of Aʻe Lane community, and for that I am being sued. Since then, I have had to go through mediation with Mr. Gentrification and was forced to erect an additional gate for the path with a key, special for his guests that rent his property on 40 Aʻe Lane. My neighbors continue to enter through my driveway gate. Even after all of this, Mr. Gentrification has continued to drag out this suit which has resulting in a huge financial burden on my part.
His relentless legal actions over the last three years have caused me to incur great legal expense, over $35,000. I have been paying what I can regularly but have come to the realization that I need help to raise these funds. I have the fortitude and strength to continue to work to protect Pāʻia, but I do not have the deep pockets that other people of privilege do.
My strength comes from knowing that I am fighting for the ability of our local community and my own ʻohana to persist in Pāʻia. Each day before I walk out of the house, I look at my grandmotherʻs picture hanging on the wall. She encourages within me a desire to persevere and fulfill my kuleana. My spirit, strength and determination come from my kūpuna, my ‘Ohana , and I will continue to protect my connection to this place, Pāʻia. And I will work against all gentrification that works to alienate families from their own communities and erase the culture and practices of our communities for individual profit and business and tourist privilege.