Area residents had contacted the media to complain about the “eyesore” that could be seen high on the steep slopes of the crater facing toward the Ala Wai canal.
DOCARE Officer Edward Thompson first scoped out the banner’s location from just off Monsarrat Avenue and then hiked along the rim of the crater before dropping over the edge to search for it.
“Whomever put this “Trump 2021” banner up went to a lot of trouble and they could have gotten into trouble,” Thompson explained. Hiking on the rim of the Diamond Head State Monument, or anywhere off designated trails is prohibited. “Had we caught them they could have been cited for entering a closed area as well as possibly for defacing public property,” Thompson said.
Screws and hooks had been used to attach the banner to rocks and trees. Residents report first seeing the banner in mid-May and by the time Thompson retrieved it today it was furled, and weather-worn. It was about 50-feet from the rim and on a very steep slope.
“No matter your political leanings, putting banners and signs up on public property is not acceptable or lawful,” said DLNR Division of State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell. “There’s a time and place for everything and certainly given the natural and cultural importance of Lēʻahi, it is definitely not the place for making political statements or putting up signs.”