Realtor claims he was harassed out of plan to house Maui fire survivors, residents respond
By ‘A’ali’i Dukelow
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KAHANA, Hawai’i (KITV) — A reported confrontation between several men at a beach in Kahana likely ended a plan to house Lahaina fire survivors, according to realtor Gary Mooers.
If Mooers’ client bought an empty property in the area, he said the potential buyer considered placing a modular home on it to house folks displaced by the blaze.
Mooers said the plan went awry after he showed the prospective buyer the lot virtually via video call and decided to show his client the nearby beach, where he claimed two men accosted him.
“(One of the men) starts yelling at me and accusing me of being a slimeball realtor and using expletives,” Mooers recalled.
The alleged incident occurred near what is commonly known as Kahana boat ramp.
A nearby resident told Island News his family has been caretakers of the area for generations, long before the road was installed, and that he cannot imagine any of the other residents or anyone who frequents the area behaving the way Mooers described.
“I don’t know the situation because I wasn’t there personally, but for the most part, we’re very open-minded,” Jareth Lum Lung shared.
An advocate for housing Lahaina fire survivors explained he understands locals’ general frustration with realtors because many on the west side reported they’ve had negative experiences with agents shortly after the disaster.
“If there was violence, or anything involved in that, I do not condone that, but there may be some sort of feelings towards these people and may be that’s why things got out of hand because we’ve been taken advantage of for so long,” Lahaina Strong organizer Pa’ele Kiakona said.
Mooers said, “I feel bad because first of all, it would have been a great thing for Lahaina, just to have another home.”
Mooers added the buyer pulled out after witnessing the reported confrontation.
Island News called the client for a comment and we’re waiting to hear back.
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