Police Are The Real Guardian Angels

The Guardian Angels‘ attempt to start up a franchise in New Bedford, Massachusetts has prompted an outpouring of opposition from government officials, local civic groups and citizens. Well-known SouthCoast media personality Mike Moran has come out full-force against the latest attempt by Degenerate Liar Curtis Sliwa to expand his so-called empire. Mike’s column appears in The Herald News every Thursday. Here is his great op-ed:

No one will ever accuse Curtis Sliwa of lacking self confidence. For the past 30 years, the larger-than-life leader and founder of the Guardian Angels has offered a unique approach to crime-fighting with what he calls “neighborhood safety patrols” — watchdog teams whose members are known as much for their style as their substance.

Sliwa’s brand of streetwise law enforcement is a slick product he packages and sells effectively, utilizing colorful phrases that roll off his tongue in rapid fire fashion. On a Web site tour of a particularly notorious New York City subway line, Curtis provides the soundtrack, warning visitors about the “Uzi-toting, dope-sucking, psychopathic killing machines” who are ready to “thug you and mug you.”

You’ll hear these and other well-rehearsed expressions frequently from Sliwa, a guy who uses his rhetorical skills not only as a Guardian Angel but also, not surprisingly, as a radio talk show host.

Now the man in the signature red beret and satin jacket is setting his sights on the SouthCoast as he considers plans to re-start a chapter of his crime-busting organization in New Bedford. He met with officials there last week and during his brief media blitz, mentioned his concerns about crime in Fall River as well. So far, New Bedford is offering mixed reviews, with citizens generally welcoming the effort and city officials offering skepticism and doubt.

Both Fall River and New Bedford have been through this drill before, with chapters of the Guardian Angels surfacing briefly in the 1980s. Neither group lasted all that long, although the criminal behavior they pledged to thwart has hardly subsided since that time. A recent string of murders in New Bedford and the reduction in police personnel there and in Fall River have apparently captured Mr. Sliwa’s interest in our region once again.

New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang and Police Chief Ron Teachman agreed to meet with Sliwa, but came away unconvinced that the patrols would effectively address their city’s problems. Both men are wise to raise questions — lots of them.

Here are some of mine: Just how cooperatively does this group work with local police? What skills are employed by the Angels and how are they acquired? At what age are members allowed to join? Does the local community face liability if officials there approve of the group and an injury to an Angel or member of the public occurs? What is the overall track record of the Guardian Angels’ success? How is that success measured?

With municipal police ranks reduced, it’s tempting to try almost anything to get the upper hand on criminal behavior. But giving unconditional approval to a uniformed and immediately identifiable group like the Guardian Angels is a temptation that should be resisted. The presence of the Angels may increase our psychological sense of security, but it will never take the place of professional law enforcement.

If, as they claim, the Angels recruit their members from the local population, chances are those who are inclined to join are already helping their communities as involved citizens in some way. Perhaps a well organized citizen crime watch, something that should always be encouraged in every community, can be every bit, if not more, helpful than a patrolling squad of self-appointed protectors?

In the past, many have placed their faith in Sheriff Tom Hodgson’s deputies, another wrong answer to the question regarding how we fight crime effectively. Presently, the sheriff is curiously quiet as he, like officials at every level of government, struggles to maintain his department’s funding.

I don’t know what Curtis Sliwa’s true motivations are. His involvement in the Guardian Angels cause over a 30-year span would seem to demonstrate a high degree of perseverance and dedication. But to what? Public safety or self-promotion?

Like all media figures with no shortage of ego, Sliwa seems to thrive on publicity and attention, whether he is embraced or rejected by the communities he targets. Sliwa skillfully uses the web, YouTubing, Facebooking, MySpacing and Tweeting nonstop for all those who just can’t get enough of the guy. He promotes his cause with the bluster and bravado of the biggest superstars of the WWE. And maybe that’s the problem.

We may feel safer when young men and women in red berets and white T-shirts patrol our streets and offer law-abiding citizens polite and reassuring smiles. But if we really mean business when it comes to protecting our neighborhoods from crime, city government needs to re-arrange its priorities and we need to dig deeper into our pockets, as difficult as that is, to ensure that professionally trained police officers in sufficient numbers are on the job.

No amount of ego, shrewd marketing or clever slogans can take the place of that.

More from TRP

• Guardian Angels Exposed By 30-Year Member
• Swedes March Against Boer Genocide
• Guardian Angels Break Iraq War Vet’s Arm

TRP Recommends

• KBR sues the United States of America (Ms Sparky)
• What Do You Tell the Demons? (maggiesnotebook)
• “Big Daddy” Obama and the American Police State (faultlineusa)

Related posts:

1. New Bedford Resists Guardian Angels Franchise
2. Guardian Angels “A Paramilitary Organization”: Sliwa
3. Youths Kick Guardian Angels Out Of Norwalk
4. Guardian Angels Sent To Hospital
5. Guardian Angels Try Again In Toronto