WE CAN ORGANIZE TO OSTRACIZE DRUG DEALERS

For those who live next door to drug dealers, and cannot afford to
move away, life can be utterly miserable, as one letter writer reminds
us.

Not only do they feel threatened as unwitting observers of constant
illegal activity, but they must also suffer the round-the-clock noise
and anti-social activities that are part of this seedy underground
industry.

Who can blame these peripheral victims for wanting to give police
broader powers to put drug dealers out of business? No one should have
to live in fear.

Nonetheless, it's going to take a lot more than loosening wiretapping
and walk-and-talk restrictions to make your average homegrown drug
dealers disappear. As long as there's a demand for drugs, they'll be
in business.

Moreover, for every drug dealer sent to prison, a dozen others are
poised to take over his or her turf. Consider the case of the Kalihi
home that police say has been a drug center for years.

The Stanley Street home is owned by a convicted drug dealer now
serving a prison sentence in Oklahoma. Police say his sons, who were
raised in the home, took over the drug business when their father was
convicted. Now there's a touching tale of a multi-generational enterprise.

Neighbors of drug houses depend on police to shut down these
operations, and occasionally they do.

But the community must also make a sustained effort to let drug
dealers know they're not welcome.

One such effort is the New York-based Dads and Mad Moms Against Drug
Dealers. It was founded by Steven Steiner Sr., whose son died of a
drug overdose in 2001.

Aside from raising drug awareness, the program pays cash rewards for
tips about drug activity that lead to the arrest and conviction of
drug dealers. Tips are sent to a Web site, and all information is kept
anonymous to ensure safety.

We've seen various communities around O'ahu rally against crystal
methamphetamine, and we'd hate to see them lulled back into apathy by
promises that get-tough-on-crime measures will solve Hawai'i's drug
crisis. Where have they gotten us today?

That said, we're encouraged at the advancement of a Senate omnibus
bill that addresses prevention, treatment, community involvement and
law-enforcement measures. Among various provisions, the bill would:

* Allow families, individuals, companies, government agencies and
anyone else who can show an injury or financial harm resulting from a
person's drug addiction to file lawsuits seeking compensation from
drug pushers.

* Protect citizens who file complaints about drug activities in their
neighborhoods in the same manner as are witnesses and victims in
criminal proceedings.

Let's not underestimate the power of the community's everyday response
to the drug crisis.