Like the rest of the United States of America, Hawaii was brutally colonised by European travellers. Unlike the rest of the United States of America, it continues to be colonised today. Mark Zuckerberg has made headlines, with large public outrage over his attempts to gain even more Kauai land. What most people don’t know is how long this dispute has been going on and the multiple facades Zuckerberg hid behind during the last few years.
In December of 2016, a retired professor named Carlos Andrade notified several of his relatives that he was about to sue them. These relatives were just a few of the hundreds of partial owners of parcels of land on the island of Kauai, all distant descendants of the original landowner, Manuel Rapozo. A seemingly innocuous company, Northshore Kalo LLC, was willing to pay the legal fees to clear up the title on the property - which would enable Andrade to take full ownership of the land and then compensate his family members for their shares.
Then a month later, a Honolulu newspaper broke the story that Northshore Kalo LLC, was not an innocuous company, but rather a shell corporation run by Mark Zuckerberg. At the time, Zuckerberg had filed eight separate lawsuits against Kauai natives, all related to parcels of land surrounding his 700 acre estate. The defendants had two options - they could sell their shares or try to outbid a billionaire in an auction. If they lost they would be forced to pay Zuckerberg’s legal fees.
Unsurprisingly, the Native Hawaiians were furious, labelling him ‘the face of neocolonialism’ with the local politicians demanding justice. Within days, Zuckerberg published an announcement in the local paper, apologising for his approach and promising to drop the lawsuits. The only problem? He would continue to support Andrade’s claim to his family’s shares.
When the seventh richest person in the world competes in an auction, its not difficult to guess the outcome. This is exactly why Mia Brier, a Hawaii native, has started a petition that has, of July 12th, amassed over 763,350 signatures. A select few Rapozo descendants are also resisting the forced sale of they property, despite being aware of the likely outcome. They argue that Zuckerberg represents a system that spans centuries which allows Hawaii resident to lose their land to wealthy newcomers. Wayne Rapozo, a lawyer and and a descendant of Manuel Rapozo’s brother, who is helping coordinate and finance the fight, explained saying, “Even if we lose, this has to be fought,” Rapozo continued. “I want my nieces and descendants to know that someone thought it was wrong … I want it to be known that it was resisted.”
Like the rest of the United States of America, Hawaii was brutally colonised by European travellers. Unlike the rest of the United States of America, it continues to be colonised today. Mark Zuckerberg has made headlines, with large public outrage over his attempts to gain more Kauai land. Most people don’t know about how long this dispute has been going on, or the multiple facades Zuckerberg hid behind during the last few years.
In December of 2016, a retired professor named Carlos Andrade notified several of his relatives that he was about to sue them. These relatives were just a few among hundreds of partial landowners in Kauai—all distant descendants of the original landowner, Manuel Rapozo. Northshore Kalo LLC, a seemingly harmless company, was willing to pay the legal fees to clear up the title on the property—meaning Andrade could then take full ownership of the land and still compensate his family members for their shares.
A month later, a Honolulu newspaper revealed that NKL was not an innocuous company, but a shell corporation run by Mark Zuckerberg. At that time, Zuckerberg had filed eight separate lawsuits against Kauai natives, all related to parcels of land around his 700-acre estate. The defendants had two options – they could sell their shares or try to outbid a billionaire in an auction. If they lost, they would be forced to pay Zuckerberg’s legal fees.