Friend,
The wildfires in Maui were unprecedented. With at least 115 lives lost, over 1,000 homes and businesses decimated, and thousands displaced, the impact is staggering. The land and its people will bear these scars for years to come. Recovery is about rebuilding structures, healing a community's spirit, and retaining its cultural significance while ensuring that opportunists do not redefine its future. Lāhainā is not a parcel of land up for grabs. It is the original capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Each corner of this town whispers tales of the ancestors, a proud and vibrant history of people deeply rooted in their land. After flames rendered homes to ash, opportunistic land developers are seeking to profit from the suffering of the survivors. Predatory developers will exploit the tragedy and erase these stories, stripping the Hawaiian people of their identity, legacy, and future.
The Governor of Hawaii's alarm about scam artists posing as real estate agents only intensifies these concerns. These agents prey on the vulnerable, hoping to seize a quick profit from those grappling with loss and trauma. Such exploitative practices are not just unethical, but they also threaten to undermine the very fabric of a community that has for years resisted cultural erosion amidst the pressures of tourism and industrial expansion. History has shown us that in moments of crisis, it is easy for rights to be trampled upon, for heritage to be auctioned to the highest bidder, and for voices of the marginalized to be silenced. We must not let that happen in Lāhainā. Let’s keep working to ensure that the land that has cradled generations of Hawaiians gets the protection it deserves. Amanda Ford, Director
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