Members of the Chinatown community have continued to fight prostitution, drugs and violence during the past year through a series of art projects and a newly formed crime committee.

Now they've got a dragon in their corner.

A 30-foot dragon sculpture created by neighborhood children and local artists sits as a symbol of protection at Nu'uanu Avenue and North Kukui Street, where a fatal shooting happened one year ago and a car injured four boys after climbing the curb last month.

The situation in Chinatown is improving, said Dolores Mollring of the Downtown/Chinatown Citizen's Patrol and Downtown Neighborhood Board. But, she said, neighborhood children are most at risk because of their exposure to prostitution and drugs.

The Arts at Marks Garage invited more than 40 children from Chinatown to participate in the dragon sculpture project, which took three weeks to complete.

"It was hard work, coming down and spending time here instead of playing," Victor Yi, 8, said at a blessing ceremony for the sculpture yesterday. Victor lives in Kukui Tower, where the painted Styrofoam figure rests.

Sixteen-year-old Ikaika Thompson said he took his step-brother, John Asebido, 6, to work on the sculpture so that he could learn about the dragon's importance to the community.

"Little kids see the bad stuff that goes on here," Thompson said. "I wanted to get him involved in good stuff, like art."

Since the city's push to revitalize the historic district last year — emphasizing arts and culture as one means of improvement — problems facing the area have lessened, Mollring said.

The number of bars has declined in recent years, while major crimes appear to be decreasing. Robbery, burglary and auto theft decreased from 2003 to 2004, the latest year for which police statistics are available.

And prostitution appears to be down, said Mollring, who has lived in Kukui Plaza since 1976 and patrols downtown for illegal activity every Tuesday night.

A crime committee formed in May and consisting of neighborhood residents and Kukui Plaza security guards tallied about 24 prostitutes in the area from May 15 to July 9. Mollring said that's much less than what she saw in previous years. The committee immediately notifies the police of suspected acts of prostitution.

The city helped by stepping up work in Chinatown, power-washing sidewalks, improving street lighting and revamping three municipal garages in the area last year.

Through it all, art has been an important component of the fight to reclaim the neighborhood.

The city provided about $20,000 to Arts at Marks Garage for fiscal 2007, according to business director Eric Takashita. The community project aimed at transforming Downtown with art has received about $400,000 overall from the city, state and Ford Foundation, which provides grants for community-building efforts throughout the nation.

Besides the dragon sculpture, other art projects included one in January, in which the homeless took photographs of Chinatown and created three-dimensional art pieces, while another involves high school students who will give an oral history of the area during an exhibit in November.

Even with all the effort by Chinatown residents, police and public officials and the art community making a difference, the dragon — which, according to Chinese custom, wards off evil spirits — couldn't hurt.

"Our neighborhood could use all the good luck we can get," Mollring said.