by David Corrigan & Tiffany Edwards Hunt

HILO, Hawaii: Last week, we reported on a pending bill introduced by South Kona councilwoman Brenda Ford that would authorizing police to impound vehicles driven by intoxicated or unlicensed motorists.

The bill is being named after Aliyah Braden, who was only 17 months old when she was killed after a drunk driver crashed into a car being driven by her mother in Kona.

However, the bill caught the attention of some well known faces in Puna… Hawaiian sovereignty supporters who were alarmed that Ford’s bill might allow police to take their cars because of their license plates.

These subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom have been using these Hawaiian Kingdom license plates on their cars in place of the State of Hawaii issued license plates for years, and some have taken their case to court after being ticketed by local police.

Ford’s proposed law, if passed, will also allow police to tow cars that make – quote – “fraudulent use of plates, tags, or emblems”… a provision that prompted an outcry at Wednesday’s county council meeting.

The bill still passed first reading with unanimous support.

Tomorrow, what do the lawyers have to say about these license plates, and will this new law apply?