Can you legislate ‘action’?
SEVERAL years ago, a Koblerville resident complained about “unruly” juveniles who “hung out” in abandoned homes some of which had also been turned into illegal dumpsites for household trash. The lawmakers’ “solution” was…to pass a law, of course. Signed by the governor in June 2018, Saipan Local Law 20-25 aims to “require all property owners that hold blighted properties within the island of Saipan to be held accountable to secure and maintain abandoned, vacant, and blighted properties….”
Like many well-intentioned laws, S.L.L. 20-25 explained why it had to be enacted: “The Legislature finds that the biggest risk that blighted properties, particularly vacant or abandoned properties, present is to the safety of the community. Blighted properties, especially properties with vacant buildings and or structures, create a haven for crime. In many instances the property becomes a tool that exposes our youth to criminal activity in one form or another.”
Moreover, the Legislature “finds that, for the protection of our neighborhoods and communities, homes, residences, and buildings that are abandoned must and should be maintained. Their maintenance and upkeep is vital to sustaining the property value and safety of the community. It is the intent of this Act to address blighted properties that are having a negative impact on surrounding properties and neighborhoods….”
Not just a local law, but a call to action!
What followed its enactment was a year-long public outreach to educate community members about S.L.L. 20-25. The central government, for its part, said it would apply for a $2 million federal grant so that the lead implementation agency, the zoning office, would have “sufficient funding to implement the law.” That was one of our news stories in December 2019.
Recently, Koblerville residents interviewed by Variety said the authorities should “take appropriate action regarding acts of vandalism that have damaged vehicles, among other things, in their neighborhood…. The residents said a group of juveniles ‘hang out’ in an abandoned house before ‘coming out and making trouble.’ ”
So much for legislative “calls to action.”
Just watch?
IT seems like a “simple” problem. It involves a specific area in Koblerville, and the complainants can identify the perps and the abandoned house where the juveniles “hang out” in the evening before they go out to vandalize and/or destroy other people’s properties.
Surely DPS could increase police presence in that area. If not, why not? And where are the parents of these kids? Isn’t there a curfew law for minors on Saipan? Or is it like the anti-littering law already — almost forgotten and virtually unenforced.
Neighborhood Watch is a great idea. However, residents who have watched their property damaged by kids would also appreciate the presence of law enforcement officers enforcing the law.
But please. Not another legislative “solution” — not until you can actually enforce at least one or two of the current laws in the CNMI’s already voluminous statute book.
