Neighbors Outraged After Facebook CEO Zuckerburg Builds Wall Around Hawaii Property
KILAUEA, KAUAI (CBS SF) -- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg is building a wall.
No. It's not along the Mexican border, like the one fellow billionaire and GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump is pushing.
Zuckerburg is erecting a wall that borders his 700-acre property in Kilauea, Kauai. And while it won't stem a tide of immigrants, it does obstruct the ocean view and the sea breeze according to some of the people who live there.
Longtime resident Gy Hall finds Zuckerberg's border wall "oppressive."
"It's immense," Hall said in an interview with West Hawaii Today. "It's really sad that somebody would come in, and buy a huge piece of land and the first thing they do is cut off this view that's been available and appreciated by the community here for years."
The wall is about 6-feet tall, according to Hall. It's not clear how long it will extend along Koolau Road once it's finished.
Hall is joined by a chorus of neighbors who find Zuckerberg's wall downright unneighborly.
Maria Maitino says it's too high; Shosana Chantara says it stifles the ocean breeze.
"I've tried to write a letter to Mr. Zuckerberg more than once," says Chantara. "I even met someone on the beach that worked with him. In the end he wrote me and said, 'I know a lot of people close to Mark and none of them are willing to give a letter because they're afraid of what his response will be.' That's a sad statement."
Donna Mcmillen calls it a "monstrosity."
"Money is no option for him," says McMillan. "It just doesn't fit in with the natural beauty that we have here. There are people on the island who money can pay for anything. These kind of things that they do take away what Kauai is all about."
The lone voice of approval belongs to Thomas Beebe, who says he actually likes the wall.
"I find that it greatly enhances the natural beauty of the land, appropriately makes use of local materials and serves as a tasteful reminder of an ancient method of defining boundaries," he said.
Neighbors have resorted putting up messages directly on the wall -- polite ones they say -- asking Zuckerberg to take it down.
"Those signs just get ripped off as soon as they appear," says Hall.
Perhaps the community should try contacting Zuckerberg on another 'wall' -- one the CEO probably knows better then anyone because he built it, too.
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