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HeavenlyPossum

I came across a first-hand account of somehow who escaped the fire in #Lahaina and she noted that many roads out of town were privately owned by sugar plantations and were chained shut.

She says people died in their cars trying to escape.

These people were murdered by #PrivateProperty.

All of those sugar plantations were enclosed by the Hawaiian monarchy and sold off to American colonists, who in turn overthrew the monarchy and cemented their control of the islands and their lands.

Dying because of a chained gate on land that was stolen from the Hawaiian people is as surely murder as if they’d been pushed into the flames.

21 comments
kategenevieve

@HeavenlyPossum

Video of this account by Chyna Colorado here - facebook.com/chyna.colorado/vi She’s sharing her direct experience.

Chyna grew up in Lahaina. they've lost everything in the fires - Chyna and her daughter, & her Mother too.

HeavenlyPossum

@kategenevieve

Thank you—i retooted your post earlier as well.

Lisa Melton

@HeavenlyPossum In that first sentence, did you mean to write "someone" rather than "somehow?"

RodneyPetersonTalentAgency

@HeavenlyPossum

There’s only two directions out of town north and south east is where the fire was. The southbound road was reportedly impassable at a point due to falling debris, the northbound road eventually becomes one narrow winding lane. It’s highly unlikely any of those side roads would go anywhere.

Sounding sirens likewise would have done no good, when the power and water were gone and the wind howling for hours, that was the alarm. The whole town was in panic mode and leaving then.

RodneyPetersonTalentAgency

@HeavenlyPossum

The other problem was the fire was outrunning even the fire trucks. With 80 mile an hour winds, it’s impossible to keep ahead of it. You don’t know where it will go, you can only guess. You can’t even see.

Destroying native grasslands for ranches and such played a huge part, but sugar plantations have been in Hawaii for centuries.

It was insanely bad luck the fire took the path of greatest destruction and highest density of population in its march to the water.

FinalOverdrive

@HeavenlyPossum I knew the monarchy in Hawaii wasn't innocent.

FinalOverdrive

@HeavenlyPossum Everyone talks about what a wonderful queen she was...i knew it.

HeavenlyPossum

@FinalOverdrive

I can’t pretend to be an expert on Hawaiian monarchs, but it was one of her predecessors—a king—who initially sold off the land to the sugar planters.

FinalOverdrive

@HeavenlyPossum Okay, the Queen might have been okay, but the King wasn't. The problem is an institution where the quality of governance isn't dependent on who is in charge.

DELETED

@HeavenlyPossum

All of us need to disrespect private property much more than we do. You drive your car through that fucking fence. You tear that fucking fence down.

HeavenlyPossum

@mishi

Just bring your nose up against the opening of the gate and then gun it.

PacificNic

@HeavenlyPossum Adjacent point: I live in an area that is at extreme risk of similar outcomes as Lahaina. After seeing the pictures of the cars strewn all over the roads, my escape vehicle is now going to be a bicycle.

sidereal

@PacificNic @HeavenlyPossum Yep, my escape vehicle has always been a gravel bike with knobbly tires. I’m not getting stuck in traffic, running out of gas, or having maintenance issues in the apocalypse. Also, if you can’t pick it up and move it over barriers, it’s not really an “escape” vehicle imo.

With the fires moving up to 80 MPH, I probably couldn’t outbike them, but it would be difficult to outdrive them too.

Jimmy Havok

@HeavenlyPossum Looking at a map of large landowners in the area, it seems like the major private owner of land along the escape route is Kamehameha Schools.

Maria Langer | 🛥️ 📝 🎬🚁

@HeavenlyPossum

Honestly? That's your takeaway? Murder by private property?

You don't think that ramming a gate with your car would break that fence right open?

And don't people have a right to protect their private property in a day and age when there is so many abusive people around?

Give me a fucking break. Jesus F Christ. Always looking to blame the rich guy.🙄

HeavenlyPossum

@mlanger

All I have done is convey a first-hand account of people being blocked from escaping by locked gates; I don’t know why they weren’t able to break through but I do agree that people should absolutely break through locked gates to escape.

Locking a gate that prevents people from escaping a fire, leading to families burning to death in agony in their cars, is surely as much murder as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was murder.

Maria Langer | 🛥️ 📝 🎬🚁

@HeavenlyPossum

The difference between those two examples being that in one case you had a bunch of women who lacked the equipment or strength necessary to break through locked doors and in the other example you've got people in motor vehicles that could easily break through a fence.

What I really object to is your classification as "murder by private property." That is fucked up beyond reason.

Also, I'm done talking to you about this I've already unfollowed the person who shared your toot.

HeavenlyPossum

@mlanger

I’m sorry you’re ok with murder. I’m not ok with murder. It’s probably best you stop engaging, given that key difference between us.

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