Recently a petition called “ stop Mark Zuckerberg from Colonizing Kauai “ received more than 400,000 signatures. A Facebook spokesperson claimed it was “false”.
Sources say starting last month , Zuckerberg began to file lawsuits against Hawaiian landowners who own small patches of his estate. According to Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Eight Lawsuits have been filed against hundreds of native people who have passed the land down from Generation to Generation, which has made thousands of people on the internet think that the World’s Third Richest Man is trying to colonize the island.
The controversy about him wanting to build a mansion thereby disrupting the lives of the native people who have built a life for themselves there has been condemned as inhumane and selfish by many social media activists, who claim to sue indigenous people of the island which is indirectly making them lose their people, culture and ethics is a form of modern colonization.
Kauai is an island in Hawaii which is also been named as the “ the garden isle “ because of its luscious tropical rainforests covering 97% of the land, it also happens to be Fourth largest island of Hawaii, which has more beaches and hiking trails than any of the other islands, popularly known for being the shooting arena to the movies “ Pirates of the Caribbean “,” Jurassic Park “, “ Indiana Jones “ and “ Soul Surfer “ .
Sources say Mark Zuckerberg bought two properties in the island in the year 2014, one cost 49.6 million ( 350 acres ) and the other cost 66 million ( 357 acres ), and is now suing families who are sustaining off their only property in Kauai for 700 acres of land and might get the land because he's rich and privileged.
“Mark is not suing native Hawaiians and no one has been forced off of the land. At the beginning of 2017, Mark withdrew as a plaintiff from the process to clear title on the land he purchased in Kauai. Before Mark acquired the land, it was set to be subdivided by a commercial developer and built into 80 homes. Instead, the property is being used as a working ranch and family retreat, designed in partnership with local families and experts to help create and maintain sustainable agriculture activities while preserving its natural beauty and protecting native wildlife. Portions of the land are leased to local farmers and other portions are set aside as protective areas for endangered native species. The buildings on the land will cover about 1 percent of the land or less," said Mr.Zuckerberg’s spokesperson.
The spokesman also claims that beyond the family ranch, the Zuckerbergs “have made commitments to Kauai charitable organizations that help to improve the island’s education and health care systems, promote conservation and help to promote efforts to recover from flooding and COVID-19.”
Very nice article and beautifully presented. A few thoughts comes to my mind when I read this article. There are many reasons why some of these rich guys buy islands or large pieces of land. At the end of the day - they want value appreciation. Looking into the positive side of this...Mark is a great philanthropist. His intent could have been to save this potion of the area and preserve the forest there by preventing it from becoming commercial as mentioned in this article.
Is it possible to do some additional research on this aspect?