Evicted tenants reoccupy downtown apartment building in ‘hostile takeover’

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Christmas decorations of tinsel and ornaments adorned the unlit and unlocked entryway into Union Plaza Monday evening. Still, tenants say the inside of the apartment building is far from festive.

The complex first drew attention in September after residents received an eviction notice stating they had just 4 days to leave the property.

On Friday, the building’s owner said someone called in a false fire alarm, so that about 30 evicted tenants could storm the building and reoccupy rooms. The owner, who wished not to be named out of fear of retaliation, called the move a “hostile takeover.”

“When you take away people’s basic necessities to live, people can really turn on each other,” tenant Garrett Canullo said as she fought back tears. “We just have to be grateful to be alive...I’m just grateful to be alive. I haven’t even realized that Thanksgiving is this week, it’s just so much going on.”

Living with lupus and chronic kidney disease, Canullo spends what little energy she has enduring the conditions at the complex.

Weeks after the eviction notice was sent, the Union Mall Development Group shut off power at the building. Now, nearly two months later, the power has not been restored.

With no working elevator, Canullo has to walk up and down nine flights of stairs.

“In the dark with no lights, I mean, yeah, it’s hard, and can sometimes be dangerous,” Canullo shared. “We’ve lost thousands of dollars worth of food, like yeah, we got our EBT or whatever we get, but carrying ice and keeping it in coolers, and then we have a propane stove.”

Safety is a big concern for Canullo because her 7-year-old son was living with her, but she sent him to stay with other family members.

“I haven’t seen my son in two weeks because I won’t bring him into this environment,” Canullo added.

Management clarified that the September evictions were necessary for repairs and that some residents could stay if they could live without electricity.

The group also said all residents were given a nine-month notice to move out because the building will be converted into student housing.

“You have every health and safety hazard imaginable, and then this landlord pulls some illegal nonsense, trying to push everyone out on a dime with no announcement, no warning,” said Sorcha McCarrey of the Honolulu Tenants Union, which has been advocating for residents against what they argue is unlawful treatment.

Some residents, management reported, were being kicked out because they sell illicit drugs, damage the property, and have not paid rent for months.

“We need help. We need help. People in this building need help. They’ve been terrified,” tenant Lizcinda Mae Matsuo said.

Fearing for her own life, Canullo sought help from Honolulu police, and she said they are taking her and her son to a shelter on Tuesday.

Management said it is working with various city agencies to “help restore order to the building,” with the goal of shutting it down in mid-2026 for its remodel into student housing.