Security needed at Mayor Wright

There is some good news coming out of the morass of Mayor Wright Homes, a state-subsidized housing complex that for too long received the back of the hand from leaders who should have been keeping it in better shape. Both deteriorating conditions and crime keep Mayor Wright a fixture in the news, but its most recent spotlight is due to the fatal stabbing that happened Jan. 27 on the Palama property.

The glimmer of hope is that the state, which has finally started addressing some of the building repair issues, now seems positioned to act on the security problem as well.

Sheriff Shawn Tsuha, during a tenants’ meeting about the incidents, told the Star-Advertiser that his division is planning to station a deputy sheriff at Mayor Wright permanently, 24 hours a day. Details still must be worked out, but this project would be the correct move for the Abercrombie administration and deserves support and funding.

It’s only one element of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority’s response, officials say, which seems to be aimed at establishing a kind of cooling-off period for the project. Mayor Wright Homes needs this kind of calming approach and a refocused effort on controlling access to a complex that has been allowed to become a crime magnet for years.

Other initiatives sound promising:

» Security cameras would be posted at strategic points to help its security team provide oversight on the sprawling grounds.

» ID cards would be issued to residents, who would enter and leave at controlled locations. Mayor Wright has always been plagued by its easy access to the larger neighborhood, enabling gang incursions and conflicts.

» A 10 p.m. curfew for visitors, coinciding with a 10 p.m. "quiet time" for residents, would further discourage disturbances originating outside the community and excessive noise within the gates.

The other important element, which some residents raised themselves at last week’s meeting, is personal responsibility. For example, one of the factors leading to the Jan. 27 deadly fight, tenants said, may have been children who, unsupervised, were jumping on cars. Tenants do need to be held accountable for actions of those in their own households. Fulfilling that duty should be considered part of the contract with the government for access to subsidized housing.

But without a doubt, the state’s own responsibility is to provide greater assurance of safety within the bounds of its housing projects. Having the continuity of the Sheriff Division taking charge should help management keep tabs on problem areas and simply get to know the residents better.

Mayor Wright was built 60 years ago. Conditions were allowed to deteriorate to shameful levels; the long battle to restore reliable hot water service was only the most recent noteworthy episode.

Thankfully, the Abercrombie administration made a start last year at addressing the deferred maintenance, nudged in part by class-action lawsuits filed for the longstanding failure to provide "decent, safe and sanitary conditions" as state and federal laws require.

The enhancement of security is merely another step the state needs to make in that course correction.