In 2008, two attempts were made by separate groups involved in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement to occupy

ʻIolani Palace The Iolani Palace ( haw, Hale Aliʻi ʻIolani) was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty (1845) and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani (1893) under the Kalākaua D ...

, the home of the last two monarchs of the Hawaiian Kingdom in

downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

April 30 occupation of Iolani Palace grounds

At around 9:00 a.m. on the morning of April 30, 2008, roughly seventy members of a group that described itself as the Hawaiian Kingdom Government blocked entrance to the grounds of Iolani Palace in a move to assert the group's purported status as the Hawaiian Kingdom's government. According to the group's leader, Mahealani Kahau, the group put up yellow "No Trespassing" signs at the entrances to the palace grounds to "give awareness and notice to everyone that passes that the Hawaiian Kingdom Government has resumed its lawful status as the seat of government." Following negotiations between the group and the

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is a part of the Hawaii state government dedicated to managing, administering, and exercising control over public lands, water resources and streams, ocean waters, coastal areas, minerals ...

, the state agency with jurisdiction over the palace, the gates were reopened at around 2:00 p.m. No one was arrested. The group returned to the palace grounds the following day, but did not block the palace entrances and instead peacefully occupied a portion of the palace's lawn.

Statehood Day occupation

On August 15, 2008, independence proponents occupied Iolani Palace for four hours. The trespassing incident happened on Statehood Day 2008. On August 15, 2008, at 4:30 in the afternoon, 27 members of the so-called Kingdom of Hawaii Nation, a

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

fringe faction, entered the grounds of Iolani Palace. The group was led by James Akahi, who claims descent from

Kamehameha I Kamehameha I (; Kalani Paiea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiikui Kamehameha o Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea; – May 8 or 14, 1819), also known as Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Th ...

and called himself "Majesty Akahi Nui, King of Hawaii". Fifteen to twenty members of the group wore red shirts with "SECURITY" printed in yellow on the backs while other members wore black.Honolulu Star Bulletin The purported mission of the group was to establish the palace as a new seat of government, undermine the State government, and declare the

of Hawaii from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Six to ten employees of the Friends of Iolani Palace, the nonprofit that administers the palace on behalf of the state, and the nonprofit's director, Kippen de Alba Chu, locked down the buildings and locked themselves inside the administrative building, located next to the palace. Facilities manager Noelani Ah Yuen attempted to stop the intruders from locking the east gate and was injured by the trespassers; she also withdrew into the administrative building. The group flew their flag and entered

ʻIolani Barracks Iolani Barracks, or ''hale koa'' (house fwarriors); in Hawaiian, was built in 1870, designed by the architect Theodore Heuck, under the direction of King Lot Kapuaiwa. Located directly adjacent to Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu, it housed ab ...

and Palace. During the trespassing incident, a city police officer refused to stop the trespassers because the palace grounds are state property and hence under the jurisdiction of the state police, the HDPS. Police chief Boisse Correa rejected claims his officers committed wrongdoing. Seven members of the group were arraigned on burglary charges. Charges against six were dismissed, and James Akahi was acquitted of felony burglary charges, but convicted of simple trespass and fined. Two group members were tried for assaulting an employee of the palace and acquitted.

References

{{Hawaii History of Hawaii Native Hawaiian history Hawaiian sovereignty movement 2008 in Hawaii Coup d'état attempts in North America 2000s coups d'état and coup attempts 2008 in American politics

Iolani Palace Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk''." It comes from the Hawaiian words ''ʻio'', meaning "Hawaiian hawk," and ''lani'', meaning "royal." It may refer to: *ʻIolani School, a private school located in Hawaii *ʻIolani Palac ...

April 2008 events in the United States August 2008 events in the United States

April 30 occupation of Iolani Palace grounds

Statehood Day occupation

See also

References