UPDATE (3:30pm) – After speaking directly to the kupuna who were prepared for arrest, law enforcement stood down. There will be no arrests tonight, they promised.
(BIVN) – As of 2 p.m. HST, the opponents of the Thirty Meter Telescope, who are holding a space on the closed Mauna Kea Access Road, were preparing for a confrontation with law enforcement, after discussions broke down earlier Tuesday.
Both sides could not agree on who should be allowed to drive up the mountain road, and other issues could not be resolved. Police are said to be assembling.
In preparation for what is to come, the Mauna Kea Kiaʻi held a press conference.
In the video clip above, Kahoʻokahi Kanuha explains how the kiaʻi are going to step aside, as per the wishes of the kupuna, so the respected elders can hold the front line.
Big Island Video News will have full video coverage of today’s events posted by late this evening.
