Pictured above is the infamous Green Monster that was put up on L'Orange Place in Kailua a little over four years ago. Only one couple on that block opposed it: Bob and Trudy Moncrief, who are on the left side of the photo. Sadly, Bob passed away last year while that gate remained locked, keeping out neighbors, fishermen and visitors. He said it went against the spirit of aloha, and for speaking out publicly against the gate, the Moncriefs were ostracized by the other L'Orange homeowners (some are mainland people who care little about Hawaii's customs or traditions).
The silver lining though was it brought Kailua residents together. On the night of the first Neighborhood Board meeting at which the L'Orange gate was discussed, Bob stood up and said he lived on that street... and he was adamantly against it. Before he sat down, someone asked me to get a list of names and email addresses so we could organize our own meeting. There were eleven of us that signed up that night.
Within a couple of months, our list grew to over two hundred and Beach Access Hawaii was born. From there we went on to form a statewide coalition that now includes thousands of supporters for our cause. Although the gate at L'Orange is still there, Bob and Trudy Moncrief continue to serve as inspiration for others who are fighting to protect public beach access throughout the islands.
Mele Kalikimaka, Bob! We miss you.
