Stop H-3 Freeway sit-down protest, 1990s

The H-3 freeway in Honolulu was first suggested by the ruling Democratic Party of the state in the early 1970s. Designed to link several military bases on the island of O‘ahu, the most populated island in the Hawaiian archipelago, the freeway was resisted for nearly 30 years by environmentalists and by Hawaiians who knew the destructive potential to our ancient temples and other sites. After thirty years of delays, including environmental law suits, the contractors began construction. In the course of a concrete pour, an ancient Hawaiian women's temple was discovered. Called a Hale o Papa, the temple was scheduled for destruction. In an attempt to stop the concrete pour, my younger sister, Mililani Trask, and her supporters occupied the path of the freeway. They were arrested, but later released. The freeway meanwhile, carved its destructive path to completion. Called the "Dan Inouye freeway" because of the Hawai‘i Senator's thirty year effort to fund and build it, the H-3 remains a bitter reminder of the vast gulf between those of us who believe in caring for the land of our people, and those, like Dan Inouye, who believe in destructive, money-making development.