Chinatown merchants are gathering today to rally around beleaguered cheesecake baker "Otto" and to hear from police who want to offer tips on how to combat drug dealing in the historic neighborhood.

Scott Michael McDonough, who is known by nearly everyone as "Otto," owns Otto Cake, a small shop on Smith Street across the street from Smith-Beretania Park that is known for its 100-plus varieties of cheesecakes.

McDonough said that since September, both he and an employee have been assaulted, his customers have been harassed, a number of employees have quit and he’s received at least five death threats.

The reason, according to McDonough and his supporters, is his staunch resistance to the drug dealing and drug use taking place in his building, the park and surrounding area. The situation has gotten to the point where McDonough often locks the front door to his shop, even when he’s behind the counter.

Joshua Hancock, co-owner of Downbeat Diner, is hosting today’s 10 a.m. gathering at his Hotel Street eatery. There is some frustration with the Honolulu Police Department, he said, but also a recognition that they are short-staffed.

As a result, Hancock said, Chinatown businesses agreed to hold the gathering with HPD Cpl. Richard Fikani of the Honolulu district’s community policing team.

"We’ll keep doing whatever we’re asked to do," he said.

Fikani said today’s discussion will focus on encouraging businesses and other community groups to be proactive and to continue to call in criminal activity and to be watchdogs with each other. "That’s the way community watch works," he said.

Fikani warned, however, that citizens should not do things that will antagonize criminals.

"We want everyone to use common sense," he said. "Don’t do anything to put yourself in danger."

Michelle Yu, HPD spokeswoman, declined to speak specifically about McDonough’s concerns.

HPD "is aware of the problems in Chinatown, and we are working hard to provide a safe environment," Yu said by email. "We have increased foot patrols and are continually working with the HPD Narcotics/Vice Division and plainclothes units to generate drug investigations in Chinatown."

When Otto Cake opened on Smith Street in July 2009, McDonough said, his focus was on his fledgling business and he was largely oblivious to the crime around him.

On Sept. 8, his employee was assaulted outside the shop.

"Then I started watching," McDonough said.

"Then I began seeing a lot," he said, nodding at the front-row view from his picture window of the park across the street.

McDonough has taken numerous photos and videos, including one of a man he calls "the swap meet man" because he lays out his plastic bags of drugs along the wall that forms the park’s perimeter.

The drug dealing started picking up in the fall, McDonough said. On First Fridays, the once-a-month nighttime Chinatown festival, Otto Cake used to gross $1,200 but that began dropping to about $200 because "there were more drug dealers than anybody else." Today, he said, he doesn’t even bother to open on First Fridays.

McDonough estimated that from the beginning of the year until Feb. 29, he called police 40 times to lodge complaints about drug dealing and other criminal activity.

Most of the people McDonough has complained about, including the ones who assaulted him and his employee, are still living or hanging around or near Otto Cake’s building, he said.

McDonough said he thinks most of the drug dealing involves crystal methamphetamine because "they’ll stand right on the street and yell ‘Crystal,’" he said. "And I’ve asked around. There’s no one named Crystal living here."

His calls to police stopped on Feb. 29, the day he was punched in the chest, choked and then punched in the face by a man selling drugs in front of the Christian radio station next door, he said. The same man had sold drugs to two school-age children in front of his shop the previous day, McDonough said, acknowledging words were exchanged. When he called police, friends of the man said it was McDonough who attacked him.

Police at one point were about to handcuff him and arrest him, but later decided not to, he said.

McDonough said his lease runs out in January but that he would like to stay.

"Hopefully, things will be cleaned up by then," he said.

In the meantime, he said, he’s received countless calls of support and encouragement from both customers and other business owners, even old-timers like lei and manapua shop vendors, he said.

Mountain View resident Bob Hackney said he makes it a point to stop by Otto Cake at least once every time he visits from Hawaii island, which is at least three times a month. Among his favorites is the dark chocolate chip banana cheesecake, he said. "It’s terrible," Hackney said of the problems experienced by McDonough. "l’ll come to Otto’s to support it."