Maui, Hawai`i (March 30, 2015) – The Five Citizen’s of Maui County, Dr. Lorrin Pang, Mark Sheehan, Lei’ohu Ryder, Bonnie Marsh, Alika Atay, and the SHAKA Movement are gathering to demand that the vote be upheld in spite of the efforts of both the County and Federal Court to negate our vote, thus allowing for harm to continue. They are calling out for the Public Trust Doctrine to be recognized as valid. The demonstration is scheduled for Tuesday March 31, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Maui County Building.

The Court had originally scheduled the hearing on all dispositive motions for March 10, 2015.  The hearing was continued, and on March 19, 2015, the Federal District Court entered an order extending the preliminary injunction until at least June 2015 without opposition from the County of Maui.  The preliminary injunction allows the Industry to continue the activities that Maui voters had voted to stop given the harmful impacts.  

In court filings submitted in opposition to this ruling, SHAKA stated that a voting majority of Maui County decided that “GMO operations are causing significant irreparable harm to the natural environment, human health, and cultural heritage when the County of Maui adopted this Ordinance.  In essence, the Court has before it the testimony of Maui voters that would need to be discredited if this Court were to continue the injunction.”

The Federal District Court also had originally scheduled for March 31, 2015 a hearing on SHAKA’s request to have the case decided in Maui State Court and the County of Maui’s request to dismiss SHAKA’s separate lawsuit to enforce the ordinance.  On March 29, 2015, the Court notified the parties that it was electing to decide the motions without a hearing.  SHAKA was disheartened by the news that the hearing will not proceed forward but plan on being heard at the Maui County Building on March 31, 2015 at 11:30 a.m., the day originally scheduled for the hearing. We will be heard. We are not going away.