EDITORIAL
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.