Authorities remove tent atop Mauna Kea days after agreement reached

19 officers from the DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) dismantled the tent with support from four Hawaii Police Department officers and a ranger with the Office of Mauna Kea Management.

The TMT opponents’ camp included a large tent and hale, which protesters called their “spiritual house”, across from the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station. There were 15 arrests during previous sweeps.

TMT protesters agreed to vacate the tent last week after receiving a notice and being assured that they would be notified if construction of the telescope was going to resume.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports that TMT board member Michael Bolte says design and production of telescope parts and structures have continued in the six months since protests halted land clearing at the construction site.

Crews were not able to arrive at the telescope site during two attempts to continue construction for the reason that protesters blocked their path. Construction has been delayed since April and it has not been determined by telescope officials that when construction will start again.

Because of the agreement, protesters question why the state felt it necessary to conduct Monday’s sweep.

Lanakila Mangauil, a protest leader, said, “We already moved out”. “The sense that they need so much force at an odd hour seems like wasted resources”.

“If that trust is broken, we’ll have to return to the mountain”, he said. Mangauil said it’s possible some protesters might choose to stay overnight, but no one is being asked to do that.