Mayor Wright residents say they're increasingly worried about violent crimes in the Palama housing project following two recent severe beatings, including one that left a 15-year-old boy in critical condition.

"We have so many people who have lived here their entire lives," said resident Luaai Lafaele, 22, who grew up in the project. "Now, they live in fear."

Police are looking for four men in connection with the beating of the teenager, who remains in the hospital. The attack happened about 11:48 p.m. Saturday, when the boy was chased down, then repeatedly punched and kicked.

Two witnesses suffered minor injuries when they tried to intervene.

The attack came less than a week after a 20-year-old man was beaten unconscious by five men at the housing project. Police say the March 1 attack happened about 12:47 a.m., when the men allegedly repeatedly kicked the victim and hit him with a wooden stick. His backpack was also stolen, police said.

The beatings have no clear motive, police said, and residents say the incidents were unprovoked and the victims chosen at random. Police have not determined whether the suspects are residents of the housing project.

Mayor Wright Homes has long had crime problems — from assaults to thefts to drug dealing — but several residents said the beatings are particularly worrisome since it appears anyone could have been a target. Some residents add that the attacks have made them fearful of stepping outside their door at night.

"You can be walking ... and get conked out," said Pamela Marks, 59, who moved into Mayor Wright 28 years ago. Marks said she believes violence at the housing project is getting worse, and that the state needs to do something about it.

"There's plenty problems," she said.

SECURITY NEEDS UPGRADE

The state acknowledges security at public housing projects needs improvement. This year, Hawai'i Public Housing Authority is asking lawmakers to double its appropriation for security operations, to about $3 million.

The current appropriation covers security for nine housing projects statewide.

Mayor Wright has around-the-clock security, with guards who roam the premises and check the identification of people who drive on to the site. But residents say the security guards are stretched thin and can do little to deter violence.

Chad Taniguchi, Hawai'i Public Housing Authority executive director, would not discuss specifics about the two beatings since he had not yet talked with the victims' families. But he said that the attacks warrant serious attention.

He also said that it appears most of the problems are being caused by outsiders, who visit relatives at the housing project or sometimes just come to hang out, drink or take drugs. Taniguchi and many residents of the project have voiced strong support for Senate Bill 1221, which would extend the definition of criminal trespass to specifically include public housing projects.

Under the measure, anyone who doesn't live or work at a public housing project or hasn't been invited would have to leave if asked. Police have said the bill would be hard to enforce, but Taniguchi said it would help deter wrongdoers from seeking out public housing projects as safe havens for criminal activity.

Fetu Kolio, a Mayor Wright resident who has called for the state to improve security at the housing project, said the recent beatings follow a spate of less violent assaults and threats that have left many in the community scared.

Mayor Wright, built in 1952, has 364 apartments and is one of the largest public housing developments in Hawai'i, .

Kolio said he's been grappling with crime at the project since he moved in five years ago.

"All-night drinking, drug dealing, regular fights," he said, adding that he doesn't expect the situation to improve by much anytime soon.