Native Hawaiians face sentencing in a crime that exposed the state's racial complexity
A jury convicted two men in November, finding that they were motivated by race in the brutal 2014 beating of a white man who tried to move into their remote, traditional fishing village on Maui.
HONOLULU — In a case that reflects Hawaii's nuanced and complicated relationship with race, two Native Hawaiian men are scheduled to be sentenced Thursday for a federal hate crime in the brutal beating of a white man who tried to move into their remote, traditional fishing village.
A jury convicted Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi and Levi Aki Jr. 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.
Local lawyers believe this is the first time the U.S. has prosecuted Native Hawaiians for hate crimes. The unique
