It's simply intolerable that a group proclaiming itself to be a Hawaiian government should be able to lock down a state-owned landmark as important as 'Iolani Palace without repercussions.

And yet the enforcement branches of both state and city government so far have communicated just such a message in media reports around the country: We tolerate it.

First of all, the Hawaiian Kingdom Government, as this sovereignty group is called, has no popular mandate, among Native Hawaiians or any other group, to do what it did. And Wednesday's action of locking the gates of the palace grounds was illegal on its face.

Laura Thielen, director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, said the Wednesday-morning game plan of her agency — which is in charge of the palace grounds — was to convene a briefing to size up the situation, muster whatever manpower was needed and open a dialogue with the group.

This took several hours. Meanwhile, the palace and archives building were closed and employees sent home. It wasn't until midafternoon that the gates were unlocked, peacefully. Thielen credits the sheriff's office with supplementing the limited staffing of DLNR's enforcement office in defusing the situation.

But Honolulu Police Department officials limited their efforts to a sit-down on the lawn between Chief Boisse Correa and the Hawaiian Kingdom Government group leader. Correa won't say what was discussed, so the public can only judge by appearances. And the appearance of the police chief conferring with the protest group — giving them credibility that they did not deserve — conveyed the wrong impression.

Thielen said the state's enforcement practice is to seek voluntary compliance before slapping on fines, and the group ultimately complied. That's a deficient approach for such an egregious case. At least a fine is appropriate now.

The director vows today to issue a warning to other groups that preventing public use of palace property is a lawless act that will draw down enforcement action.

A bit late, but that would be the right message to send.