Two Native Hawaiian men wouldn’t have brutally beaten a man if he weren’t white, a U.S. judge said Thursday in sentencing them to yearslong prison terms for a hate crime in a case that reflects Hawaii’s nuanced and complicated relationship with race.
in November, finding that they were motivated by Christopher Kunzelman’s race when they punched, kicked and used a shovel to beat him in 2014. His injuries included a concussion, two broken ribs and head trauma.
Attorneys for Aki and Alo-Kaonohi say it wasn’t Kunzelman’s race that provoked them, but his entitled and disrespectful attitude. "We loved Maui; we loved the people," Lori Kunzelman told The Associated Press, describing how her husband planned to fix up the house himself."It was obviously a hate crime from the very beginning," she said. "The whole time they’re saying things like, ‘You have the wrong skin color. No ‘haole’ is ever going to live in our neighborhood.’""Haole," a Hawaiian word with meanings that include foreigner and white person, is central to the case.
"When you watch the video ... there was almost like enthusiasm," Seabright said. "Maybe that’s what’s so disturbing about this case." Tiare Lawrence, a Native Hawaiian community advocate on Maui, said she doesn’t condone the attack but is deeply familiar with the tensions that permeate the case. They could have killed Kunzelman, Seabright said, but added that Alo-Kaonohi and Aki should also be glad to be alive. Kunzelman had a gun during the attack, Seabright said, but chose not to use it.In a letter to the judge, Aki said he doesn’t see himself as racist: "Not only because I am almost half-Caucasian but also because I have people who I love and care about who are white."In court, Aki told the judge he’s ashamed of his immature and hurtful words and actions.
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