Friends of Sherwood Forest Waimanalo Legal Fund
Donation protected
Friends of Sherwood Forest
(Waimanalo, Hawaii)
Please help us save Sherwood Forest from development!
Your donations will benefit the Friends of Sherwood Forest legal fund. We are all volunteers, so 100% of your donations go directly to our legal efforts, which remain our best hope of stopping the wholesale destruction of Sherwood Forest. We rely entirely on your financial support to continue our legal fight to stop the City and County of Honolulu from developing this beautiful, natural space. To contribute, please click the DONATE button on this page. Mahalo for any donations you can give!
We are a collective of volunteers from all walks of life who share the conviction that Sherwood Forest is one of the most beautiful and unique places in Hawaii, or anywhere. We care deeply about preserving this rare gem and protecting every facet of its historical and cultural significance, along with its ecological importance. Our mission is to honor and defend Sherwood Forest for the sake of everyone in our community who will benefit in any way from its protection. We use the word “community” in the spirit of Aloha to include all those who might share our love for Sherwood Forest, whether they be current residents, visitors, or members of future generations.
We have been fighting to protect Sherwood Forest since April of 2019 when Mayor Caldwell first sent his bulldozers to Waimanalo, taking almost everyone by surprise. Since then the Mayor has repeatedly deceived the community, cherry-picked those he communicates with, prevented many from having a fair say in his plan, and avoided open communication with the entire community—while continually trying to craft a public image that he “listens to all sides.” Despite countless protests, dozens of arrests, over 40,000 signatures on petitions opposing his plan (and none supporting it), he proceeds with his destructive obsession, with no regard for what the vast majority clearly wants.
Each time Mayor Caldwell sends his bulldozers back to Sherwood Forest, his scorched-earth tactics re-traumatize the community of people all over Oahu who love this place for its beauty, historical importance, and environmental value. Last September, his bulldozers uncovered an archeological find; this time, they have unearthed a human bone fragment. This confirms what community members have been saying for months: the Sherwood Forest area is designated a “Funerary” by the National Register of Historic Places because archeological evidence shows it contains numerous burials. Whenever crews dig trenches and bulldoze in the area, we shouldn’t be surprised if they disturb human remains.
Even at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Mayor took the unthinkable step of spending precious resources on his nonessential project and pushing it onto a vulnerable community. He ordered the work to resume with full knowledge that it would cause people to congregate at the site and increase their risk of contracting the virus. It is possible that the Coronavirus has been spread further in our community as a direct result of his actions. The protesters who gathered at the sight included seniors, who are at especially high risk.
The Mayor used our health crisis as an opportunity to plow ahead with his agenda because people were asked to stay home and our court decision was placed on hold. He knows the City can’t win if they wait for our hearing; it can easily be proven that their plan violates the law and that they have lied on multiple counts. He ignored the pandemic, endangered the community, and risked people’s lives with the intent of destroying as much of Sherwood Forest as possible before a Judge orders the work to stop. It remains clear that the Mayor is willing to do or say almost anything to advance his destructive agenda for Sherwood Forest.
We won’t let up in our legal efforts, and we will continue to rely on your generous support. Thank you again for considering making a contribution!
(Waimanalo, Hawaii)
Please help us save Sherwood Forest from development!
Your donations will benefit the Friends of Sherwood Forest legal fund. We are all volunteers, so 100% of your donations go directly to our legal efforts, which remain our best hope of stopping the wholesale destruction of Sherwood Forest. We rely entirely on your financial support to continue our legal fight to stop the City and County of Honolulu from developing this beautiful, natural space. To contribute, please click the DONATE button on this page. Mahalo for any donations you can give!
We are a collective of volunteers from all walks of life who share the conviction that Sherwood Forest is one of the most beautiful and unique places in Hawaii, or anywhere. We care deeply about preserving this rare gem and protecting every facet of its historical and cultural significance, along with its ecological importance. Our mission is to honor and defend Sherwood Forest for the sake of everyone in our community who will benefit in any way from its protection. We use the word “community” in the spirit of Aloha to include all those who might share our love for Sherwood Forest, whether they be current residents, visitors, or members of future generations.
We have been fighting to protect Sherwood Forest since April of 2019 when Mayor Caldwell first sent his bulldozers to Waimanalo, taking almost everyone by surprise. Since then the Mayor has repeatedly deceived the community, cherry-picked those he communicates with, prevented many from having a fair say in his plan, and avoided open communication with the entire community—while continually trying to craft a public image that he “listens to all sides.” Despite countless protests, dozens of arrests, over 40,000 signatures on petitions opposing his plan (and none supporting it), he proceeds with his destructive obsession, with no regard for what the vast majority clearly wants.
Each time Mayor Caldwell sends his bulldozers back to Sherwood Forest, his scorched-earth tactics re-traumatize the community of people all over Oahu who love this place for its beauty, historical importance, and environmental value. Last September, his bulldozers uncovered an archeological find; this time, they have unearthed a human bone fragment. This confirms what community members have been saying for months: the Sherwood Forest area is designated a “Funerary” by the National Register of Historic Places because archeological evidence shows it contains numerous burials. Whenever crews dig trenches and bulldoze in the area, we shouldn’t be surprised if they disturb human remains.
Even at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Mayor took the unthinkable step of spending precious resources on his nonessential project and pushing it onto a vulnerable community. He ordered the work to resume with full knowledge that it would cause people to congregate at the site and increase their risk of contracting the virus. It is possible that the Coronavirus has been spread further in our community as a direct result of his actions. The protesters who gathered at the sight included seniors, who are at especially high risk.
The Mayor used our health crisis as an opportunity to plow ahead with his agenda because people were asked to stay home and our court decision was placed on hold. He knows the City can’t win if they wait for our hearing; it can easily be proven that their plan violates the law and that they have lied on multiple counts. He ignored the pandemic, endangered the community, and risked people’s lives with the intent of destroying as much of Sherwood Forest as possible before a Judge orders the work to stop. It remains clear that the Mayor is willing to do or say almost anything to advance his destructive agenda for Sherwood Forest.
We won’t let up in our legal efforts, and we will continue to rely on your generous support. Thank you again for considering making a contribution!
Organizer
Maureen Harnisch
Organizer
Honolulu, HI