SDN Rundown- Guardian Angels

[Ahriman238]

So about six or seven years ago a group called the Guardian Angels made headlines in Boston. They claimed to be sort of a beefed-up neighborhood watch/highly trained but unarmed citizen patrol walking the streets in highly visible red jackets and berets. The cops said they were at best a nuisance, at worst vigilantes.



From articles at the time, I recall that the Angels were founded in '79 to patrol the NYC subway specifically. They claimed to now be a national, indeed international force "stepping up wherever law enforcement is unable."

They lasted maybe two weeks before being driven out with their tails between their legs, to the crowing of newspaper editorialists. Then about four years ago made a highly publicized comeback before disappearing from public notice completely.

So what's up with these guys? Would you say they're more help or hindrance? And whatever happened to their 2010 Boston glorious return to Boston?


*picture unrelated to Angel activity in Boston, I just grabbed the first image of them in uniform that wasn't format-breaking.

[salm]

Bizarr. I remember them from my english class book in highschool. Cornelson English G - Neue Ausgabe. That was in the early or middle 90s.
They were presented as helpful and friendly neighborhood watch that patrolled dangerous ares of New York to help understaffed police.

[Raw Shark]

So what's up with these guys? Would you say they're more help or hindrance?

Depends on the chapter, from what I've heard. In some places the police think they're a nuisance (putting themselves in danger, creating even more people for the police to rescue) or that they act like vigilantes, but they have a pretty good reputation around here because (as far as I know) they only do low-key stuff like walk girls to their cars at night, call the cops when they witness a crime and provide video or at least serve as a sober witness when the cops arrive, and offer classes in self defense and first aid to the public.

[Broomstick]

I used to see them in Chicago from the early 80' through the 90's. Mostly, they made themselves visible on the El trains, buses, and subways, and did some escorting of women after dark. I think their presence probably did discourage some low-level criminal activity and thuggery, but being unarmed and with limited numbers they couldn't possibly do much against the more organized gangs.

Since the chapters are local organizations composed of individuals some are better and some are worse. There have been problems, but that shouldn't tar everyone connected with the organization. Done right, a chapter can, indeed, be an asset, a beefed up neighborhood watch. Done wrong... well, yeah, vigilantes or hardly different than another gang. In Chicago there have been some of them hurt trying to defend civilians. Sometimes they're regarded as heroes. Other times the cops accuse them of looking for trouble or getting in over their heads. I don't recall them being accused of vigilantism around here, but cops do express worry they're amateurs that will get in over their heads and become victims themselves.

[Zaune]

Well-meaning but probably not very useful. There's a reason the police don't do these high-visibility 'deterrent' patrols anymore; you'd need one cop -or more realistically one pair of cops- for every couple of city blocks to be an actually effective deterrent. And actual cops have the equipment and training to do something other than yell for help into a radio.

[Flagg]

They're not the heroes we need right now.

[FaxModem1]

They're not the heroes we need right now.

Out of curiosity, who are the heroes we need right now?

[spaceviking]

Pretty sure he was just semi quoting batman.

[Simon_Jester]

Well-meaning but probably not very useful. There's a reason the police don't do these high-visibility 'deterrent' patrols anymore; you'd need one cop -or more realistically one pair of cops- for every couple of city blocks to be an actually effective deterrent. And actual cops have the equipment and training to do something other than yell for help into a radio.

The flip side of this is that there is a real effect on public morale from having the police basically retreat into their stations and close the doors, coming out only when called. It makes the outside world look, well, police-free.

Especially in high-crime neighborhoods where police callouts in response to crimes are common. Because then the locals only see the police when they're doing their full-on "control the scene, act like a bunch of authoritarian jerks because we need to protect the witnesses and keep random people away, and we're realistically going to arrest somebody" act. It does a lot of damage to any attempt to enforce the Peelian principles. Check the list below of enumerated ideas, especially numbers three, four, and seven. You'll see the problem.

While funding issues and manpower may make it impractical for the police to actually put officers scattered liberally throughout the community, it would be desirable to have officers in place, and a neighborhood watch or other such organization that can (begin to) do so is a desirable thing if you can arrange it.

[Flagg]

They're not the heroes we need right now.

Out of curiosity, who are the heroes we need right now?

Cops that aren't corrupt abusive twats.

Or Batman.

[Havok]

I've heard of them my whole life. Never ran into any. I've never heard anything bad about them specifically, but I can certainly imagine police don't want them around for a myriad of reasons, mostly though I would suspect morale. IF these people did actually start making a difference where the police did and could not, that would be a serious problem.

I knew about them more from California than New York though.

[Sidewinder]

I was invited to participate in a Guardian Angels patrol, by a member I met at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Los Angeles, in 2007. This Guardian Angel specifically stated the organization was NOT a vigilante group (an initial impression I had, when the Guardian Angels were mentioned in 'Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040'). The members received training in Krav Maga, and my friend said I'd also receive training, if I decided to increase participation.

I joined my friend and another Guardian Angel- three people, including myself- and patrolled from 6-10 pm. Unfortunately, during the patrol, an angry drunk confronted us and accused the Guardian Angels of being a gang; I began hyperventilating and exhibiting other symptoms of a panic attack. A police officer managed to calm down the drunk, and no violence occurred during my patrol; the officer seemed polite towards the senior Guardian Angels, and didn't openly express hostility towards us. Nonetheless, I felt the program just wasn't for me.