California’s beaches are public, but on the sands of Malibu, one billionaire has been accused of stealing a slice of paradise — or at least a few scoops of it — for himself.
A lawsuit filed last week alleges that Mark Attanasio, billionaire businessman and owner of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, has been using excavators to dig up sand from Broad Beach and carry it back to his house as part of an ongoing construction project.
“This case is about a private property owner using a public beach as their own personal sandbox and the disturbing conversion of a public natural resource (i.e., sand from Broad Beach) for a nearby homeowner’s personal, private use,” the lawsuit says.
Stealing sand, stealing indigenous land in Hawaii for your private bunker, never paying taxes, getting away with rape… when you’re rich, they let you do it.
Ooh, crossover moment!
The beachfront homeowners in Hawaii are notoriously parasite foreigners from the other 48 states, literal local crime bosses, or just old plantation money.
They buy up all these mansions and act like the beaches are their property, blocking public access easements and building illegal seawalls that accelerate beach erosion, and harassing groups of middle schoolers on conservation field trips. Because of course they don’t have jobs.
The beach is not theirs. In Hawaiian culture, beaches are sacred and for the people. This is enshrined in state law. ALL beach in the state is public property.
The state has (had) the most beautiful culture and environment I’ve ever seen in the world. And it’s well past ruined by colonization.
Hawaii is one of, if not the most, solidly Democrat state in the entire nation. I’m sure just one more election and they’ll get right to work!
John Oliver just did a segment on what billionaires are doing to Hawaii. That’s why I brought it up.
Well, it’s either justice or a yacht, which would you pick?