HONOLULU -- Close to 1,000 people took part in a rally Monday protesting a measure before the City Council.

HONOLULU CITY PROFILES: Honolulu City Councilmembers

The Queen Liliuokalani Coalition gathered strength in numbers at a protest Monday, on the queen's birthday. They are against council bill 53, which would lower the number of people needed to convert a condominium building from leasehold to fee.

"But the larger problem is the taking of land, not just Hawaiian land, but land owned by a private party by using the government power in order to take it." Thomas Kaulukukui Jr. said.

A former state judge, Kaulukukui, of the Liliuokalani Trust, is concerned about the Foster Tower condominium in Waikiki, which is owned by the trust. He said if forced to sell its land, the trust's beneficiaries would suffer.

The Liliuokalani Trust helps about 9,000 Hawaiian children each year, officials said.

"When I was 4 years old and my brother was 3 my mom passed away and the queen's trust takes care of half orphaned and orphaned Hawaiian children," trust beneficiary Malia Akutagawa said.

"When I was 7 I lost my mother and my dad raised seven kids by himself. Nine years later, I heard about Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center and they were a light upon a dark tunnel," trust beneficiary Puna Kihoi said.

Council members John Henry Felix, Duke Bainum, Steve Holmes, Gary Okino and Jon Yoshimura support bill 53.

"The message they're sending is they don't really care about private rights. They don't care about Hawaiian children, and they don't care about what the people say because the people have spoken out against it and yet they continue," Kaulukukui said.

Bill 53 is set to come up for a third and final reading sometime this month. Participants in the march said they would be there.

Supporters of bill 53 said the measure is the only way to gain title to the land at a reasonable cost.