Who We Are
The FREE ACCESS COALITION is a loose confederation of non-profit groups and concerned individuals who want to keep Hawaii’s beaches and recreational areas free for public access which includes free parking accessibility as well as any physical block or fee of any kind.
The coalition is also here to support other public issues such as controlling unbridled development of shoreline and other natural areas on O’ahu. Our kupuna (ancestors) left today’s generation precious gifts from our aina (land) that must be preserved and passed down to all future generations, especially as population pressure and unscrupulous developers move to destroy the recreational areas Hawaii is famous for.
Whether you’re a kama’aina (long-term resident) or just a visitor (malihini) who finds the value of free access to Hawaii’s recreational areas important, you are a member of our coalition. We ask no membership fees or donations. We are truly non-profit. Our only goal is to apply what Ron Iwami of “Friends of Kewalos” calls “People Power” to our law makers when any issue of safe public access is involved.
The FREE ACCESS COALITION began in 2006 when then Honolulu Mayor, Mufi Hannemann, and the City Council introduced a draconian measure to raise the parking meter rate at Waikiki’s Kapiolani Park from twenty-five cents per hour to twenty-five cents every TEN MINUTES. Hannemann was able to get a doubling of the meter rate at the park to fifty-cents per hour after much public out-cry from FREE ACCESS COALITION poster and windshield flyers campaign informing the public of the planned action by the Mayor and Council.
Since then, FREE ACCESS COALITION in conjunction with other non-profit groups and dedicated elected public servants have successfully stopped many other attempts at taxing the free access to O’ahu’s recreation areas and open spaces.
We need you to join us when new issues arise that would take away the public’s access to our precious resources. All it takes to join us is a willingness to get involved and to volunteer to become “boots on the ground” or at least lend e-mail petition support. If you’ve read this so far, we hope you will be with us when we need you.
The coalition is also here to support other public issues such as controlling unbridled development of shoreline and other natural areas on O’ahu. Our kupuna (ancestors) left today’s generation precious gifts from our aina (land) that must be preserved and passed down to all future generations, especially as population pressure and unscrupulous developers move to destroy the recreational areas Hawaii is famous for.
Whether you’re a kama’aina (long-term resident) or just a visitor (malihini) who finds the value of free access to Hawaii’s recreational areas important, you are a member of our coalition. We ask no membership fees or donations. We are truly non-profit. Our only goal is to apply what Ron Iwami of “Friends of Kewalos” calls “People Power” to our law makers when any issue of safe public access is involved.
The FREE ACCESS COALITION began in 2006 when then Honolulu Mayor, Mufi Hannemann, and the City Council introduced a draconian measure to raise the parking meter rate at Waikiki’s Kapiolani Park from twenty-five cents per hour to twenty-five cents every TEN MINUTES. Hannemann was able to get a doubling of the meter rate at the park to fifty-cents per hour after much public out-cry from FREE ACCESS COALITION poster and windshield flyers campaign informing the public of the planned action by the Mayor and Council.
Since then, FREE ACCESS COALITION in conjunction with other non-profit groups and dedicated elected public servants have successfully stopped many other attempts at taxing the free access to O’ahu’s recreation areas and open spaces.
We need you to join us when new issues arise that would take away the public’s access to our precious resources. All it takes to join us is a willingness to get involved and to volunteer to become “boots on the ground” or at least lend e-mail petition support. If you’ve read this so far, we hope you will be with us when we need you.