Big Island Video News will be featuring the presentations made by the many different speakers slated to talk at the Common Ground series. The archive will be available at this location.

LAUPAHOEHOE, Hawaii – The first of four highly anticipated TMT & Maunakea: Common Ground talks was held Tuesday night in Lauphaoehoe. The meetings are being organized by the Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation. The organization is hoping to bring the community together on the highly divisive issue. Both sides of the argument – for and against building the $1.4 billion project on Mauna Kea – were represented.

Lanakila Mangauil was asked to provide the cultural perspective. Mangauil is a recognized face in the movement to block the construction of the observatory from the mountain. He was the one who first charged up the summit in October 2014 during the groundbreaking ceremony. He managed to delay the event long enough for reinforcements to arrive, halting the ceremony. He again sprang into action in March when the contractors returned to the summit to begin building the telescope. Eventually joined by hundreds of others whom share his opinion, a blockade was formed on the access road by Hale Pohaku which holds to this day… even after the highly publicized arrest of 31 individuals on April 2nd.

NEXT: Astronomer Paul Coleman presents the science of TMT

Protectors meet police in the middle of the road before the arrests were carried out. Image from video by David Corrigan.