Are more Honolulu homeless becoming armed aggressors? And are authorities in denial about it?

A recent rash of stabbings certainly suggest that Honolulu’s streets are becoming more and more dangerous as homeless drug addicts and psychotics increasingly take over public spaces while authorities dither.

The incidents have included a homeless man’s random face and neck-slashing box-cutter attack on an innocent woman enjoying her lunch in Waikiki on March 21, a homeless man’s vicious neck-stabbing of another homeless man along Fort Street Mall downtown on March 31, and the chest-stabbing on April 1 of a man near the restrooms where homeless people often congregate in Thomas Square, near the Honolulu Art Museum.

Sometimes a rash of unrelated incidents create the false impression of a trend.  But sometimes they demonstrate a real increase in danger.

Many homeless people live in a constant state of danger.  For protection, they may band together with others, keep dogs, or arm themselves.  And there are plenty of angry, ranting lunatics wandering our streets, and some of them present a real danger to other street people and everyone else.

But all too often, authorities respond with confusion and weakness, or just wait until the next tragedy.

Our society simply has to do better than that.