{"id":243870,"date":"2023-09-11T12:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=243870"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:06:02","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:06:02","slug":"fears-of-plantation-disaster-capitalism-mount-in-wake-of-maui-fires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/09\/fears-of-plantation-disaster-capitalism-mount-in-wake-of-maui-fires\/","title":{"rendered":"Fears of \u2018Plantation Disaster Capitalism\u2019 Mount in Wake of Maui Fires"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_243872\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lahaina-maui-hawaii-wildfires.webp\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-243872\" class=\"wp-image-243872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lahaina-maui-hawaii-wildfires-1024x341.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lahaina-maui-hawaii-wildfires-1024x341.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lahaina-maui-hawaii-wildfires-300x100.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lahaina-maui-hawaii-wildfires-768x256.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/lahaina-maui-hawaii-wildfires.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-243872\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Search and rescue crews conduct operations in fire-damaged areas of the Hawaiian island Maui on August 18, 2023.\u00a0 (Photo: Matt McClain\/The Washington Post via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cJustice is returning control of public resources like land and water to the people,\u201d wrote one activist. \u201cFor too long the strings of Maui and thousands of communities like it have been pulled by forces indifferent to their soul.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>23 Aug 2023 &#8211;<\/em> As Maui County faces a daunting recovery from the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century\u2014with at least 115 confirmed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mauicounty.gov\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=12746\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">deaths<\/a> as of Tuesday, around 1,000 people still <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mauicounty.gov\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=12747\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unaccounted<\/a> for, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/lahaina-fire-disaster-capitalism\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rebuild<\/a> expected to cost billions of dollars\u2014fears and fights over land and water are highlighting the long history of colonialism and exploitation in the Hawaiian Islands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s disaster capitalism at its finest,\u201d Hokuao Pellegrino, a seventh-generation Native Hawaiian farmer, educator, and president of the nonprofit Hui o N\u0101 Wai \u2018Eh\u0101, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/08\/21\/us\/hawaii-lahaina-water-wildfire\/index.html\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a><em>CNN<\/em> in a Monday segment about Maui\u2019s current water battles.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&#039;Disaster capitalism at its finest&#039;: Community leaders call out Hawaii&#039;s water policies\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dXtwRFtum3o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"photo-caption\"><\/div>\n<p>Disaster capitalism, as journalist <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/naomi-klein\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" >Naomi Klein<\/a> explained in her 2007 book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/naomiklein.org\/the-shock-doctrine\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Shock Doctrine<\/a><\/em>, is \u201corchestrated raids on the public sphere in the wake of catastrophic events, combined with the treatment of disasters as exciting market opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fire spread by hurricane winds earlier this month leveled Lahaina, a Maui tourist destination that was previously the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, before an 1893 coup led by American expatriates and sugar planters. The United States formally annexed the islands in 1898. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1900 and the 50th state in 1959.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDisaster capitalism has taken many forms in different contexts,\u201d Klein <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2023\/aug\/17\/hawaii-fires-maui-water-rights-disaster-capitalism\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a> last week in a <em>Guardian<\/em> column with Kapua\u2019ala Sproat, a University of Hawaii at Manoa law professor and director of the Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s always a little different, which is why some Native Hawaiians have taken to calling their unique version by a slightly different term: plantation disaster capitalism,\u201d the pair continued. \u201cIt\u2019s a name that speaks to contemporary forms of neocolonialism and climate profiteering, like the real estate agents who have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/maui-wildfires-residents-homes-damaged-targeted-scams-real-estate-officials-warn\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cold-calling<\/a> Lahaina residents who have lost everything to the fire and prodding them to sell their ancestral lands rather than wait for compensation. But it also places these moves inside the long and ongoing history of settler colonial resource theft and trickery, making clear that while disaster capitalism might have some modern disguises, it\u2019s a very old tactic. A tactic that Native Hawaiians have a great deal of experience resisting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Klein and Sproat detailed:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cFor over a century, water across Maui Komohana, the western region of the island, has been extracted to benefit outside interests: first large sugar plantations and, more recently, their corporate successors. The companies\u2014including West Maui Land Co. (WML) and its subsidiaries, as well as Kaanapali Land Management and Maui Land &amp; Pineapple Inc.\u2014have devoured the island\u2019s natural resources to develop McMansions, colonial-style subdivisions, luxury resorts, and golf courses where cane and pineapple once grew.<\/p>\n<p>This historical and modern plantation economy has taken a tremendous toll on water in particular, draining Indigenous ecologies of their natural moisture. Lahaina, once known as the Venice of the Pacific, has been transformed into a parched desert, which is part of what has made it so vulnerable to fire.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A few days after flames tore through Lahaina, Hawaiian state Attorney General Anne Lopez <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/hawaii-wildfire-probe\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> a probe into the formal response. Her sweeping investigation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.civilbeat.org\/2023\/08\/the-lahaina-fire-could-prompt-the-state-to-change-how-it-manages-water-on-maui\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">includes<\/a> a five-hour delay in the state Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM)\u2014which is <a href=\"https:\/\/dlnr.hawaii.gov\/cwrm\/surfacewater\/ifs\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">responsible<\/a> for how much water flows through streams\u2014approving WML\u2019s request to fill its private reservoirs that are not connected to local hydrants but the company was willing to make available to firefighters.<\/p>\n<p>The delay was reportedly the result of unsuccessful attempts to reach a farmer of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/11\/08\/t-magazine\/hawaii-taro.html\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">taro<\/a>\u2014or kalo, a root vegetable sacred to Native Hawaiians\u2014affected by the diversion. Activists and officials have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/08\/20\/us\/maui-hawaii-water-supply.html\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pointed out<\/a> that wind would have prevented helicopter crews from reaching the WML reservoirs for firefighting. According to the <em>Honolulu Civil Beat<\/em>, \u201cThe company suffered no significant property damage in the fires.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A water official involved with the delay, Kaleo Manuel, was then reassigned to another Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources division\u2014though the DLNR <a href=\"https:\/\/dlnr.hawaii.gov\/blog\/2023\/08\/18\/nr23-127-2\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> in a statement last week that the shift was part of an effort \u201cto focus on the necessary work to assist the people of Maui recover from the devastation of wildfires\u201d and \u201cdoes not suggest that First Deputy Manuel did anything wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a lawsuit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.civilbeat.org\/2023\/08\/lawsuit-water-officials-removal-was-illegal\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filed<\/a> Monday, Maui residents Kekai Keahi and Jennifer Kamaho\u2019i Mather argue that the redeployment was illegal, and ask a Hawaii court to void the decision and affirm that any such move must be made in an open meeting to allow public testimony.<\/p>\n<p><em>Hawaii Public Radio <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaiipublicradio.org\/local-news\/2023-08-22\/unilateral-transfer-of-water-deputy-sparks-serious-concerns-from-commissioners-and-residents\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> Tuesday that while decision has also \u201cprompted serious concerns\u201d from CWRM members, the state attorney general\u2019s office claims the case is \u201cwholly without merit\u201d and plans to file a motion to dismiss it.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lawsuit filed by Lahaina residents against DLNR Chair for unlawful removal of Deputy Kaleo Manuel <\/p>\n<p>It is terrible that these families who are suffering from impacts of fire are also battling a government that is trying to return water management to the oligarch plantations <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oM4t0gUzxx\" >pic.twitter.com\/oM4t0gUzxx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer (@kamanabeamer) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kamanabeamer\/status\/1694013608257261934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >August 22, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne thing that people need to understand especially those from far away is that there\u2019s been a great deal of water conflict on Maui for many years,\u201d Hawaii Gov. Josh Green <a href=\"https:\/\/www.civilbeat.org\/2023\/08\/a-state-official-refused-to-release-water-for-west-maui-fires-until-it-was-too-late\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> during a press briefing last week. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we\u2019re honest about this. People have been fighting against the release of water to fight fires. I\u2019ll leave that to you to explore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic governor has faced criticism for the comments and for <a href=\"https:\/\/governor.hawaii.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/2308019.pdf\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suspending<\/a> the \u201cstate water code, to the extent necessary to respond to the emergency,\u201d through his recent <a href=\"https:\/\/governor.hawaii.gov\/category\/newsroom\/emergency-proclamations\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">proclamations<\/a> relating to wildfires.<\/p>\n<p>As the <em>Civil Beat<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.civilbeat.org\/2023\/08\/the-lahaina-fire-could-prompt-the-state-to-change-how-it-manages-water-on-maui\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cNo one\u2019s trying to oppose the use of water to fight fires,\u201d said Isaac Moriwake, an attorney with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/earthjustice\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" >Earthjustice<\/a>. \u201cThat was unfair for the governor to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The real issue, Moriwake said, is that West Maui Land Co. is trying to use the fire as an excuse to gain control over the region\u2019s water supply.<\/p>\n<p>Moriwake points out that Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources Chair Dawn Chang has agreed to amend\u2014temporarily\u2014several water regulations, at West Maui Land Co.\u2019s request, pursuant to an emergency declaration related to the fire issued by Green. That included a provision allowing companies like West Maui Land to fill its reservoirs when fire was reported in the area.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey should stop trying to use this tragedy for cheap advantage,\u201d Moriwake said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Kamanamaikalani Beamer, a former member of the CWRM, also challenged Green\u2019s claims about community members fighting against the release of water for firefighting, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/climate-environment\/2023\/08\/23\/maui-water-rights-fires-lahaina\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">telling<\/a><em>The Washington Post<\/em> that \u201cin my eight years on the water commission, I never heard, in a single hearing, that testimony from anyone in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lahaina\u2019s Native Hawaiian community \u201chas fought for literally generations to seek justice and balance for the streams and the community and other usages,\u201d added Beamer, a professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa\u2019s Center for Hawaiian Studies.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/08\/20\/us\/maui-hawaii-water-supply.html\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">According to<\/a><em> The New York Times<\/em>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWayne Tanaka, director of the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/sierra-club\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" >Sierra Club<\/a> of Hawaii, said conservationists had supported the use of water for fire reserves. But he said he worried that water companies and large landowners use fire protection as an excuse to hoard water for commercial purposes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one has opposed the need to reserve water for firefighting, but we want to know how much they actually use for that purpose,\u201d Mr. Tanaka said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Sproat made similar remarks in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/2023\/8\/18\/maui_wildfire_sirens\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appearance<\/a> on <em>Democracy Now!<\/em> last week after her column with Klein was published.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlantation disaster capitalism, I think, is, unfortunately, the perfect term for what\u2019s going on in Maui Komohana, or in West Maui, right now,\u201d Sproat said. \u201cThe plantations, the large landed interests that have had control over not just the land, but really much of Hawaii\u2019s and Maui Komohana\u2019s resources for the last several centuries, are using this opportunity, are using this time of tremendous trauma for the people of Maui, to swoop in and to get past the law, basically.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re using the emergency proclamation that the governor put into place the day after the fires to, you know, ravage Lahaina, and they\u2019re using this as an opportunity to try to get their way, especially with respect to water resources, something they could not achieve when the law and Hawaii\u2019s water code, in particular, were in place,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n<div class=\"rm-embed embed-media\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/embed\/story\/2023\/8\/18\/maui_wildfire_sirens\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>During a Thursday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.civilbeat.org\/2023\/08\/hawaii-governor-commits-to-rebuild-lahaina-for-local-residents-first\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interview<\/a> with the <em>Civil Beat<\/em>, Green \u201cdefended his position that government, developers, and environmental and cultural activists need to work together to resolve issues,\u201d but also insisted that Lahaina\u2019s rebuild \u201cwill be done with direct input from fire survivors, the island, and its mayor,\u201d and \u201cnew construction will be primarily to house locals and not to favor large developers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A coalition of community members gathered at Maui\u2019s Wahikuli Beach Park for a Friday press conference about rebuilding. Keahi\u2014one of the residents behind the suit over Manuel\u2019s redeployment\u2014said that \u201cwe don\u2019t want to hear the governor\u2019s office saying that we have a plan for Lahaina because none of us ever got to speak to the governor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reporting from the event, <em>Hawaii Public Radio<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaiipublicradio.org\/local-news\/2023-08-21\/lahaina-group-demands-time-to-heal-and-a-voice-in-rebuilding-their-town\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">explained<\/a> that N\u0101 \u2018Ohana O Lele\u2014or the Families of Lele, in honor of Lahaina\u2019s ancient name\u2014has three demands for Green: \u201cOne is to allow the community time to heal before rebuilding. Two is to let Lahaina lead the planning process. And three is to amend the emergency proclamation to ensure Hawaii\u2019s open meeting regulation or \u2018Sunshine Law\u2019 remains in full force.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;Kekai Keahi said the L\u0101hain\u0101 you see today is the outcome of more than 100 years of the community being dominated by outsider and commercial interests.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>L\u0101hain\u0101 group demands time to heal and a voice in rebuilding <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wearehpr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >@wearehpr<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HInews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#HInews<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MauiFires?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#MauiFires<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MauiStrong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#MauiStrong<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RMpHRCb72Q\" >https:\/\/t.co\/RMpHRCb72Q<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nikos Leverenz (@nikosleverenz) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nikosleverenz\/status\/1693734796919243075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >August 21, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Noting the group\u2019s demands, Kaniela Ing, a seventh-generation Native Hawaiian and national director of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/green-new-deal\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\" >Green New Deal<\/a> Network, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/environment\/lahaina-hawaii-fires-justice\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a> Monday for <em>The Nation<\/em>, \u201cThe vision is clear: The restoration of Lahaina should be by the community, for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mauicounty.gov\/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=12743\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">traveled<\/a> to Maui on Monday to tour the destruction and meet first responders and survivors. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2023\/08\/21\/remarks-by-president-biden-paying-respects-to-the-lives-lost-in-maui-and-reaffirming-his-commitment-to-supporting-residents\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pair<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/speeches-remarks\/2023\/08\/21\/remarks-by-president-biden-at-community-engagement-with-residents-impacts-by-wildfires\/\" class=\"rm-stats-tracked\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">speeches<\/a>, the president claimed that \u201cwe\u2019re going to rebuild the way the people of Maui want to build.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s time to rebuild this community the way you want it built\u2014the way you want it\u2014so it\u2019s still a community, not a group of beautiful homes, but a community,\u201d Biden declared at the Lahaina Civic Center, provoking applause from residents impacted by fires.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Hawaiians stress that such words from government officials are not enough\u2014action is also required. Ing wrote Monday that \u201cpolitical and legislative fights lie ahead to ensure that rebuilding efforts steer clear of the pitfalls of external influences, and that resources are channeled to foster local resilience and empowerment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrue justice doesn\u2019t lie merely in acknowledging the climate crisis,\u201d he argued. \u201cJustice is returning control of public resources like land and water to the people. It\u2019s about recognizing that for too long the strings of Maui and thousands of communities like it have been pulled by forces indifferent to their soul. It\u2019s acknowledging that survivors aren\u2019t just figures in a news report but the heartbeats of a resilient community that demands its rightful place in shaping its future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>____________________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/jessica_corbett_headshot-e1513095716900.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-103446\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/jessica_corbett_headshot-e1513095716900.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Jessica Corbett is a staff writer for <\/em>Common Dreams.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/maui-disaster-capitalism\" >Go to Original \u2013 commondreams.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cJustice is returning control of public resources like land and water to the people,\u201d wrote one activist. \u201cFor too long the strings of Maui and thousands of communities like it have been pulled by forces indifferent to their soul.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":243872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[1149,232,1309,866,610,3131,3130,1914,70,3132],"class_list":["post-243870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific","tag-asia-and-the-pacific","tag-capitalism","tag-hawaii","tag-indigenous-rights","tag-inequality","tag-lahaina","tag-maui","tag-polynesian-culture","tag-usa","tag-wild-fires"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243870"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243876,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243870\/revisions\/243876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}