Videos have surfaced showing a Hawaiian woman confronting White workers who were trying to set up a barbeque spot on a sacred beach, Daily Dot reports.
Healani Sonoda-Pale uploaded the videos onto Facebook, Comic Sands reports. In the videos, a woman who has been identified as Megan Wong confronts white tourists who are setting up a barbecue on the sacred land of Hanakapi’ai Beach on Kaua’i Island.
In the first video, Wong tells the group they are doing something illegal as she approaches them. The group questioned whether Wong could record them.
“It’s a public place, I can record,” Wong says. “[Setting up a barbecue] is illegal—this is the reason we don’t appreciate yachts like that coming into our places like that.”
In the second video, Wong continues to explain that the group’s makeshift barbecue is illegal and disrespectful.
“How’s it not respectful?” a man asked.
“Because it’s illegal, this is a state park. You need permits for these kinds of activities,” she responds.
The group explained that they had a permit and would not have been there without one. Wong clarified that there were no permits for picnicking on the beach.
“No, there’s no permit. There are no permits to be given for something like this,” Wong explains. “You need a permit to hike in but no activity like this.”
The group appeared to be workers from a yacht company called Just B. One of the workers told Wong they could lose their jobs if they packed up. Instagram posts confirm that a Just B yacht had been sailing around the Hawaiian islands.
The group left eventually and had initially agreed to meet with kupuna, Native Hawaiian elders that have been helping preserve Native Hawaiian culture. In the end, however, the group backed out of the meeting claiming
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story or making a contribution.
