(Photos – Instagram, protectmaunakea).
Hundreds are expected at the third Protect Mauna Kea Rally in Pasadena, on Wednesday April 29, 2015, at 10:00 am in front of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Headquarters.
Since the second rally on April 26th, word of the growing movement has spread to many other Hawaiians living nearby.
To the Hawaiians, Moana Kea on “the Big Island” of Hawaii is the most sacred place in the islands. Moana Kea is also the primary source of pure drinking and irrigation water for the “Big Island” of Hawaii as it flows down to the Pacific Ocean. Protecting this sacred mountain and water from further degradation is at the very forefront cause of the protest that has now gone viral around the world. (An exhaustive list of resources regarding TMT and Mauna Kea are posted here).
Why in Pasadena?
A group of Canadian officials responsible for the funding for the actual construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope will attend a scheduled meeting with representatives of Pasadena’s California Institute of Technology (Caltech) ostensibly to discuss the investment agreement. Caltech originated and is spearheading the $1.4 billion international project. Hawaii is not represented on the TMT Board of Governors.
What do the Hawaiians want?
A concise list of the Protect Mauna Kea Hui’s demands can be found in their April 24, 2015, media release, “Mauna Kea Hui responds to OHA (Office of Hawaiian Affairs)”.
Kumu Hula Mikilani Young has confirmed that several Hula Halau’s, Hawaiian musicians, and supporters from the surrounding Los Angeles area, Hawai’i, and New Zealand, will be at the rally in Pasadena to support the opposition of the building of the telescope on Mauna Kea.
Wednesday’s rally participants are advised to park at or near the Allendale Branch Library, and walk 1-block East to the site of the TMT Corporation. Participants should bring their own signs and water, etc. This article first appeared on eturbonews.com.
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