DLNR NEWS RELEASE: DOCARE officers dismantle and confiscate Mauna Kea protest tent
Posted on Sep 21, 2015 in Latest Department News, Newsroom, Office of the Governor Press Releases(HILO) – 19 officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement
(DOCARE), with support from four Hawaii Police Department officers and a ranger with the
Office of Mauna Kea Management, conducted a third law enforcement operation in the
restricted area covered by the 120 day emergency rule, passed in June by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.
DOCARE officers disassembed, loaded and took as evidence, a large tent that protesters had erected at the 9000 foot elevation level, across the road from the Mauna Kea Visitors Center.
In an understanding reached last week, protesters had agreed to vacate the tent. A written
warning notice was posted to it last Wednesday. Officers confiscated it after its rightful owner failed to claim it and take it down. A hale adjacent to the tent was not removed.
Unlike two previous law enforcement operations, no one was arrested during this third sweep. Officers did not spot anyone camping in the restricted area.
Law enforcement operations on Mauna Kea can happen at any time. The emergency rule
prohibits camping in the restricted area between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.
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Photographs:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2bxsfdokgbla2tl/AAD3PmZJ5lBeb8LQs0ZjtnA7a?dl=0
Video:
All video and photos courtesy: DLNR
Media Contact:
Dan Dennison
Senior Communications Manager
(808) 587-0407