Though Lahaina residents may still be grappling with the aftermath of the Maui wildfires that killed at least 99 people and destroyed upwards of 14,000 homes and businesses last week, real estate developers are already seeing green, allegedly badgering families impacted by the fire to sell their land.


Advertisement


Despite these vulture-like attempts to turn a tragedy into big bucks as bodies are still being recovered from the rubble, Maui resident and influencer Tiare Lawrence headed to Instagram with a scathing message for the developers in question — “Lahaina is not for sale.”

 



“I was getting phone calls from people who lost their homes and they were getting phone calls from realtors that were asking if they wanted to sell their property,” she said of the harassment, which left her “frustrated” and “furious.” “Shame on you for calling families during the most difficult, devastating times of their lives and trying to land grab Lahaina.”


Beyond avowing that “investors trying to land grab Lahaina” will have to answer to a crowd of angry locals — “trust, our community will stand up and we will make sure that doesn’t happen,” she stated — Lawrence promised the universe would ultimately make them pay for this selfishness.


“If you’re a realtor on Maui and if you’re contributing to that message and reaching out to families, you are pilau and trust me, karma is gonna kick you in your ass,” Lawrence fired back, using the Hawaiian word for “rotten.” “Don’t be pilau right now.”


Unfortunately, this horrifying revelation was not at all surprising to many Twitter users involved in grassroots organizing around the country.


“I knew it, I literally fucking knew it the day the wildfires burned Lahaina to the ground: the greed of the real estate market will attempt to profit off of this,” tweeted @UgoOkere, the policy director at the Raise the Floor Alliance. “When Maui is rebuilt, it must be for the people of Maui, not for the displacement of the people of Maui.”



“Finding it utterly disgusting how real estate investors are reaching out to residents in the wake of the destructive fires on Maui,” added @DrAhmednurAli. “In times of tragedy, compassion should lead, not opportunism.”


But hey, Lawrence said it best — don’t be pilau, you fucking assholes.