Hawaiian ‘Occupied Forces’ Group Ousted From Kunia Property By Police

The subsequent chapter in the takeover of a parcel of land in central Oahu by Hawaiians claiming ancestral legal rights to the residence by “heirdom” played out on Friday when dozens of Honolulu law enforcement and point out sheriffs moved in to enforce a court docket buy and evict the team that experienced illegally occupied the site for much more than 9 months.

Police arrested 9 folks at the scene whilst other folks, largely ladies and youngsters, left voluntarily to keep away from arrest after staying presented a final warning.

But despite the eviction, arrests and adverse court docket rulings, this is not likely to be the ultimate chapter, as associates of the team defiantly cling to baseless claims to be rightful owners of the land.

All those arrested in Friday’s sweep ranged in age from 26 to 67 decades aged, in accordance to a Honolulu Law enforcement Division formal log of arrests.

Travis Thomas “Kealii” Mokiao was the to start with to be arrested at 7:30 a.m., adopted by Lance Ventura-Wong at 8:20, and four some others minutes later on — Morris Hicks, Anela Lopes, Kekoa Lopes Torres and Kaiulani Pieper-Mokiao.

A number of hours later on, among midday and 1 p.m., a few a lot more were arrested — Terrence Gomez , 56, Dember Afong, 67, and David Richard Lopes, 65.

All besides Gomez were arrested for second-diploma criminal trespass, a petty misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 wonderful. Gomez was cited only for driving devoid of a license.

Quite a few, which includes Hicks, Ventura-Wong, Travis Mokiao and Kaiulani Pieper-Mokiao, were being cited for the added offense of resisting arrest, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a calendar year in jail and a $2,000 good.

At last, Pieper-Mokiao was also cited for endangering the welfare of a slight, also a misdemeanor.

Unsupported Claims

Two members of the team, Travis Thomas Mokiao and Kaiulani Pieper-Mokiao, declare to have a lawful, inherited and “superior” title to the home as descendants of the unique land grant recipient in the a long time next the Good Mahele of 1848.

Nevertheless, the legally regarded home proprietor sued and, right after numerous delays, gained a judgment versus the team. A “Writ of Possession” was signed previous month by Circuit Court Decide James McWhinnie, directing sheriffs, police and other regulation enforcement officers to “permanently and eternally remove” the team and any supporters, along with any own possessions, from the home.

The disputed land was component of 203 acres in Kunia, previously mentioned Waipahu, purchased in May 2018 for $8 million by Guyland LLC, wholly owned by California serious estate investor Male Fong, who speedily started developing the 38-ton Ekaha Lands agricultural subdivision.

The team 1st claimed a 5-acre parcel recognized as Ton 19, and later expanded to inevitably occupy 30 acres in the agricultural subdivision, which borders the 136-acre Hawaii Place Club golf program, taking around and ousting the preceding lessee, which is explained in court docket paperwork as “the selected grower for thirty-nine professional medical cannabis card holders.”

The court docket history has been mainly silent about irrespective of whether current marijuana plants ended up seized in the takeover, although the unique lawsuit brought on behalf of Guyland alleged residence confiscated by the group bundled the lessee’s “crops, products, healthcare cannabis registry, and other physical house.”

An preliminary confrontation amongst the landowner and the team of squatters took place in early October, when agents for Guyland and the enterprise that experienced been leasing the assets have been prevented from coming into to examine the house. A number of other confrontations followed whilst Guyland’s lawsuit manufactured its way as a result of the legal method, with police currently being continuously summoned to the web site.

As soon as in courtroom, the Mokiaos unsuccessful to present evidence to challenge Guyland’s lawfully identified chain of title, or describe how their declare of an inherited fascination could possibly have survived various prior revenue and transfers likely back again a lot more than 170 a long time.

Rather, they submitted papers in court which, they say, doc their genealogy, which are mainly irrelevant to pinpointing the rightful recent title holder, with supplemental filings heavy on pseudo-legalistic but baseless arguments evidently modeled after comparable paperwork applied by extremist anti-government teams and so-known as “sovereign citizens” on the U.S. mainland.

In simple fact, the Mokiaos failed to look at very important court hearings and were being declared to have defaulted, handing the legal victory to Guyland. McWhinnie ruled in opposition to the group’s claim and granted the landowner’s motion for summary judgment in early Might, and previous thirty day period issued the “Writ of Possession” directing law enforcement agencies to obvious the region.

At minimum three customers of the team, such as Travis Mokiao, claim to be “lawful military services combatants” and associates of the team contacting alone Occupied Forces Hawaii Army, a self-described uniformed navy power in a non-combatant mission on behalf of the “Country of Hawaii.”

Immediately after copies of OFHA “orders” dispatching two customers to aid and defend these getting part in the land seizure had been submitted in court, Occupied Forces Hawaii Army was named as a defendant in Guyland’s lawsuit.

Continued Bogus Promises

Travis Mokiao was the most articulate and vocal in this and previously confrontations when law enforcement have been known as to the profession web site.

On Friday early morning, Mokiao produced a dwell recording of himself as he drove to the website following obtaining term that law enforcement had arrived. In the video clip, which was later on publicly posted on Fb, Mokiao falsely claimed the law enforcement experienced no authority to eliminate folks from the residence because “we are still in court docket and it is a civil dispute.”

This was echoed in a social media publish by Napua Hueu, who retains the rank of captain within Occupied Forces Hawaii Military and has commonly been a spokesperson for the group, which again claimed that the legal dispute is ongoing.

In actuality, McWhinnie had by now granted Guyland’s movement for summary judgment two months ago, and signed the writ of possession past thirty day period, clearing the way for the eviction.

Once arriving on the scene, Mokiao can be read on the movie telling police, “we are in this article to tell you people to depart the non-public home … The statutes are not enforceable on non-public house.”

Mokiao also shouted out that he and the other individuals could not be ejected or arrested mainly because they have been simply engaged in regular and customary Hawaiian practices shielded by point out legislation and by the Hawaii Constitution.

“Everything you see proper now is traditional and customary apply,” Mokiao advised the officers, “and nevertheless you really feel so entitled to deprive us of these points.”

This new reference to standard and customary methods is in stark distinction to Mokiao’s repeated claims that the area is their private assets simply because they have “superior title.”

And though point out court docket selections have guarded the proper of Hawaiians to entry undeveloped land for traditional and customary methods for subsistence, cultural and spiritual reasons, these legal rights are not open finished, are matter to condition regulation, and do not prolong to developed land.

There seems to be no lawful authority for the idea that the right to acquire part in “customary and traditional practices” can be utilized to justify the entire takeover of personal home owned by yet another celebration, and the issue was never ever elevated through the system of Guyland’s eviction lawsuit.