HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0383.038 2018-2020 cow 38�
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From: Nimr Tamimi "
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Testimony against the Hawaii County Council Resolution 233-19y [3# �
Date: Tuesday,July 23,2019 9:08:14 AM is
Aloha Honorable Hawaii County Council Members, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you
for all your tireless efforts to better our island home. I am writing to view my opposition to the
Resolution 233-19 in reference to the moratorium on construction of the TMT telescope. I believe
that TMT has done everything required of them by law to allow them to proceed with construction.
They've abided to all the rules of the game, and now that they have successfully defended all their
challenges and obtained all the approvals that we asked them to get, we are telling them that they
still cannot proceed with their project. It is unfair to put anyone through this. The protesters have
every right to protest, but what we are portraying in this resolution is a double standard, one group
needs to abide by the law yet another group does not.
I understand that this is a very emotional issue, it tears my heart to see our friends, our family, and
our acquaintances so hurt by this, however, it is our responsibility to uphold the law.
We wake up in our community every morning knowing that in many of our communities on the
windward side of our island, almost 80%of the population lives below the national poverty level.
With this, comes all the social ills associated with poverty, domestic abuse, substance abuse, crime,
broken households, etc. We see police officers getting shot, gun fights in our neighborhoods, shoot
outs in public parking lots, drug dealing, homelessness, suicide, people high on meth committing
crimes against our people, the list is almost endless. A lot of this stems from the lack of choices
available on our Island of Hawaii. Our community needs more and better choices, our kids need
more and better choices. By stopping or making this process more difficult, we send a message that
we are not friendly towards economic development. This will have a direct impact on future
projects, thus limiting our choices and increasing our slide into poverty.
Most of us can remember back into the 1960's and 1970's and remember what a robust economic
and political engine windward Hawaii was, can we truly say we are in a better place today than we
were in the 1960's &70's? What happened? Do we want to continue this slide?Where will this
slide end—rich gated communities and welfare communities, everyone else will leave because of a
lack of choices and opportunities. Is that where we want to end up?
I ask you to please hold steadfast to the laws of our land and the rules that were set up for the
people by the people and please vote against Resolution 233-19 in reference to the moratorium on
construction of the TMT telescope.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Have a wonderful week!
Nimr Tamimi
Hilo- Hawaii
Comm. No
Ref. To:—PIMWI
Ref. Date JUL 2 3 2019