Greetings everyone,
 
What’s up with Washington, DC’s Metro! For over 20 years the Guardian Angels have been assisting the Metropolitan Police with protecting the citizens, recently have been ‘DENIED’ to ride Metro for ‘Free’.
 
Now does this make any sense? Here you have an organization (The Guardian Angels) who have been extremely instrumental in deterring crime in some of the roughest areas and providing a sense of safety to residents, and who are willing to provide protection for ‘FREE’, are not allowed to do so unless they pay their way on the Metro! This is ‘Crazy’!
 
So Metro would rather allow crime on public transportation to continue or possibly increase, rather than letting a ‘Few Good Men and Women’ to board the trains ‘Free’ of charge and provide protection ‘Free’ of charge! (hmmmmmmmm). Let’s face it, the Metropolitan police cannot be everywhere, so why not allow the Guardian Angels to patrol the Metro rails for ‘Free’. In today’s society in which people are always talking about crime, I can’t imagine anyone refusing ‘Legitimate, Proven, and Free’ security and citizen protection!!!!!!!
 
I leave you with this to think about, to Metro a citizen’s safety and life is not worth the price of a fare ticket! Please share this with everyone you know and let Metro and your council members know that you object to Metro not allowing the Guardian Angels to ride the Metro free of charge and provide a much needed service – SAFETY!
 
Peace & One Love,
Wessita
www.sistasunited.org

 
Metro denies Guardian Angels free rides despite citizens’ pleas
 
Apr 3, 2008 3:00 AM (5 hrs ago) by Scott McCabe, The Examiner
 
WASHINGTON (Map, News) – Metro officials have rejected citizens’ pleas to give free passes to Guardian Angels to patrol the city’s most dangerous buses and trains.
D.C. Councilman Jim Graham, motivated by strong interest in the patrols by constituents, tried to get the transit agency to reverse its decision Wednesday. But he was told liability concerns by Metro officials made their opposition “insurmountable.”
 
Danielle Sigmon, who lives near Gallaudet University, was one of several residents who asked Metro to use the Guardian Angels, a volunteer crime-patrol organization, after a bus rider pulled a knife on a neighbor. Sigmon said she has been accosted numerous times and rarely rides the bus now.
 
“I always am afraid when I take the bus,” Sigmon said. “The bus ride is a nightmare and the provisions they have now in place are not working. Metro’s denial comes as Metro robberies increased by more than 100 percent last year and attacks on bus drivers have doubled from five years earlier.
 
The Guardian Angels have placed three-member patrols on buses in Anacostia and Northeast D.C. for the past two years, since teenagers attacked and shot one of the Metro buses on Rhode Island Avenue, said John Ayala, D.C. chapter leader and Mid-Atlantic director of the Guardian Angels. Last month, on the bus between Minnesota Avenue and North Capitol Street, the Guardian Angels made a citizen’s arrest after a man who was smoking marijuana pulled a knife on the members.
 
But the cost to hop on and off the routes limits the volunteer patrols to about an hour a week, he said. “We’re not asking for a dime. We’re just trying to help the citizens,” Ayala said. “We are not a fly-by-night group. We’ve been in D.C. for 20 years.”
But Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority officials said the red beret-wearing safety patrol group was not a law enforcement agency.
 
“We’re not turning them away,” said WMATA spokeswoman Cathy Asato. “They’re welcome into our system. They just have to pay like anybody else.”
 
Ayala pointed out the group got its start patrolling the subways in New York 30 years ago, and this week the Guardian Angels have been asked to bolster subway security in Philadelphia after a passenger was brutally beaten on one of the trains.
 
If you are a concerned citizen and would like to see the Guardian Angels continue to provide protection on the Metro rails, please asssist the Guardian Angels with providing them with Metro rail cards. Please contact:
 
John Ayala
DC Guardian Angel Commander
(202) 359-0601

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Train Patrol
Saturday April 24, 2010-
7:00pm- Six Guardian Angels met up just outside of the Chinatown/ Gallery Place train station on 7th and H. 
7:30pm- After performing our compulsory searches, we headed downstairs to the catch the metro to Anacostia via the Green line.  A lady in the metro stopped us and thanks us for what we were doing to help the city. She asked us to take a picture with her to which we agreed.
7:45pm- We took the Green line from Anacostia to Fort Totten. Once we arrived at Fort Totten, we made walked along the platform and made sure that there weren’t any problems.
8:10pm- We took the Green line from Fort Totten back to Gallery Place while talking to commuters and handing out our recruitment cards.
 
 
Street Patrol
Saturday April 24, 2010-
08:33pm- Six Guardian Angels began street patrol starting on 7th and H, we patrolled approximately a 4 block radius
08:45pm- D.C Chapter leader, Unique and another Guardian Angel arrive and we continue patrolling the 4 block radius with seven Guardian Angels while the Chapter leader stayed outside of the 7th and H metro station. People thanked us for caring about the neighborhood.
09:30pm- The Guardian Angels receive a radio call by Unique to a priority at 7th and H. A single police officer, Officer Davis, was detaining a suspect and was outnumber by the suspects friends. The Chapter leader was the only one on scene at the time and assisted the officer by creating space between the officer and the crowd of friends. Shortly after receiving the priority on the radio, the other Angel showed up and set up a perimeter around the officer, preventing further distractions. Other officers arrived on the scene shortly thereafter.
09:45pm- The Guardian Angel break the perimeter due to the increased police presence and decrease of bystanders. We resume street patrol.
10:30pm- The Guardian Angels end patrol and conduct a debrief of the day’s events.
 
Anacostia Metro Station
 
Thursday April 22, 2010
2 PM To 5PM
Three Guardian Angels patrolling Anacostia Metro Station was told a male was beating a pregnant woman on the Howard road side of the metro.  Guardian Angels ran to the Howard road side to stop the beating.  When the Guardian Angels got there they was told that the woman got on the metro bus and the male ran towards Berry Farms.  MPD arrived two min after the Angels.

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Principal found dead in his home

April 16, 2010 – 6:02am

The victim had a 2007 blue Nissan Xterra similar to this one. Police say it is missing. (Photo courtesy of Montgomery County Police)

SILVER SPRING, Md. – A well-regarded middle school principal is dead. Police are looking for your help in solving this suspicious death.

The victim is Brian Keith Betts, 42, of Silver Spring.

He’s the principal of Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson in the District.

Betts was found dead in his home in the 9300 block of Columbia Boulevard. A co-worker found him at 7:37 p.m. Betts had not showed up for work Thursday.

Missing is the victim’s dark blue 2007 Nissan Xterra with Maryland registration 562M222.

Anyone who may have seen the victim’s Nissan Xterra are asked to call 301-279-8000. Anyone with information related to his death should call 240-773-5070 and may remain anonymous.

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Today 10 Guardian Angels patrolled Around the area of South Capitol and Atlantic Street, SE  from 2 PM to 5 PM.  We had a great day many people walk up to say hi and thank us.  We also had 4 new recruits age 18, 19,19 and 24 come fill out an application to join.    We are enjoying the love the people from the area is giving us.  But we need more to  join us if we are to continue our patrols in the area.  Our next Patrol will be next Thursday April 22, 2010 from 2PM to 5 PM in the Area of MLK and Malcolm X.  

This Saturday April 17  the Guardian Angels will be attending the open house at Youth Investigation Division 1700 Rhode Island, Ave Washington, DC 20018.  We will meet at the Rhode Metro Station between 1 PM and 1: 30 PM head to Youth Division until 5 PM.

Than we will head to Gallery Place/China Town to start patrol at 6 PM.   

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“Guardian Angels” strive to give peace of mind to residents

John “Unique” Ayala, leader of the D.C. chapter of the Guardian Angels, talks to members of the Anacostia community about the organization.

Their ammunition is a stack of pamphlets. Their weapons are rolls of masking tape. Their sirens are bright red berets.

They are the D.C. Guardian Angels, a civilian police organization that works to deter crime in at-risk communities in the District. An international organization with 138 chapters in 14 countries, members work toward a universal goal, pushing the belief that everyone has the right to be safe.

Last Thursday afternoon, John “Unique” Ayala – the leader of the D.C. chapter of Guardian Angels – gathered with two comrades at the intersection of Atlantic and South Capital streets in Southeast D.C. They tape up their first poster of the day – a single page that explains who they are and what they do and asks for others to get involved – on a telephone pole that is just a stone’s throw away from the site of a drive-by shooting that occurred March 30, killing four people.

Ayala said talking with members of the communities they patrol and taping up posters is a regular day for the Guardian Angels.

“We want to teach people that you can fight back and take back your community,” he said. “Criminals don’t wanna be where people are watching.”

Ayala carries a Metropolitan Police Department radio on his belt, and the patrolmen are authorized to use force in self-defense and make civilian arrests if necessary. The others don’t carry radios. None of the Guardian Angels carry weapons.

The Guardian Angels’ uniforms consist of the signature red berets, a white shirt bearing the black insignia of the organization and black pants. Ayala said he believes just the sight of his patrollers prevents crime.

“We walk in there with no weapons where people are getting shot,” Ayala said. “But our presence in the community helps. We serve as visual deterrents to crime.”

Marcos, a stocky middle-aged man known as “The Punisher,” who hosts a trim beard and two ears lined with gold and diamond earrings, is on his first patrol since he stopped working with the group four years ago. He said the news report about the March 30 homicides made him want to come back.

“It’s not my community, but I’m coming out and helping the community,” Marcos said. Even with the Metropolitan Police Department patrols, there is fear in the community, he said.

Tamika Reed, a young mother of two, said she certainly feels afraid.

“Violence is here constantly,” she says, standing on the side of South Capitol Street.

Her 3-year-old daughter, Arionne, dances in a patch of grass nearby and demands that the photographer from The Hatchet take her picture. Reed’s 7-month-old son blinks tiredly in his stroller.

“It’s really not safe here,” Reed said.

Reed said she remembers playing double-dutch and hopscotch as a child in the streets of Southeast D.C., but that young people today need better options.

“Kids need something they can get involved in,” she said. “They mothers and fathers are all on drugs… they just need more stuff [to do].”

Ayala and Marcos said they believe that Guardian Angels can be a positive alternative for young people who would otherwise get involved with drugs and gangs. In fact, they say it’s how they got into the organization.

“When I was young, I always wanted to be in a gang,” Marcos said. He saw the Guardian Angels patrolling his Wilmington, Del. neighborhood and said he thought they looked cool.

Ayala, now 40 years old, said he has been involved with the Angels since he was 21, but was first inspired when he saw them in his community when he was 13.

“I thought, ‘these look like tough dudes, but they’re here to help,’ ” he said.

While on patrol, the Guardian Angels get more than a few nods that lets them know their presence is appreciated. Two motorists honked gently when passing the patrollers, shouting, “Thank you for protecting our neighborhood!” and “Thanks for coming back out! We need y’all.”

Sitting in his police cruiser outside Al’s Liquor Store, MPD officer Donnell Covington says he too appreciates the organization’s work.

“This is an excellent group,” he says. “They help us a lot in things we do here. I see them a lot.”

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CHERRY BLOSSOM PARADE

0900: Four Guardian Angels meet at the Anacostia metro station and took the train to L’enfant Plaza to meet up with four other Guardian Angels.

0930: A total of eight Guardian Angels meet at L’enfant Plaza and proceeded to Gallery Place via the Greenline to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival.
10:38: Guardian Angels arrive at the Cherry Blossom Festival and began recruiting. Public support was very high, many received us positively. 
10:52 A police officer notified us that a man has fallen on his head on 7th and Constitution and needed medical assistance. He asked if we were able to help; three Guardian Angels responded to the aid of a Caucasian man while the other five continued recruiting within the immediate area. The ambulance arrived at the same time and took over the scene.
13:10 The Guardian Angels proceed to the Federal Triangle metro station at the end of the Parade to go to Anacostia to recruit and patrol; Parade Patrol Ceases. 

Anthony Feliciano

Guardian Angels Recruit

Anacostia Report 

0100 hours, the Guardian Angels arrived in Anacostia. It was me, Shaggy, Lawman, Bulldog, Skyler, and a few new members. Bulldog had to go home. For about 20 minutes we waited for the bus.

When the bus finally arrived around 0130 hours, we boarded and it took us to Martin Luther King Street. When we got out, we began our street patrol. We approached a park where there were some new trees growing. A man about 60 approached us and gave us some words of encouragement. His words did not exactly follow, which leads me to question whether or not he was sane/homeless.

Within the next few minutes, we approached some very young kids sitting on the stoop of a row house. There was one kid about 19, and then kids who were very young, ranging from age 12 to 14. We walked over, handed out some cards and told them about our organization. We then walked over to a part where there was a swing that had been thrown over the bar, and the chains all tangled up. At my suggestion, we fixed it, as that is a way to help the community. Skyler jumped up to the top of the swingset to untangle it.

0200 we started just walking around the community. We got a lot of positive feedback. A couple gave us their names. Another man who said he was a boxing coach gave us his name as well. 

0230 we went back around the block. It was a fairly quiet day. 

We patrolled from MLK and Malcolm X to the unit block of Galveston Street. This is the spot  the multiple shooting incident resulted in four fatalities.  Teddy.Bear’s are up in memory.  Outside of the library, a policeman thanked us, and a mom and her daughter also thanked us. We walked across a creek, and waited for the bus to take us back. While waiting for the bus, one car of youth apparently drove past and flipped the middle finger at us. That was the only negative reaction we got. We left at about 0300.

Edmund T Cotter

Guardian Angels Recruit

CHINATOWN/GALLERY PLACE

We arrived at Gallery Place Chinatown Metro at 7pm. We began patrolling the streets surrounding gallery place and posted in Gallery Place itself. For the first hour things were dead calm till around 930 or 10. A group of about 40-60 kids ranging 17-20 years of age gathered. The Guardian Angels posted up in anticipation something was going to happen. Sure enough about 5 minutes later a code red was called in response to a fight breaking out between two young ladies. After a short foot pursuit we were able to separate the two and contain two other small skirmishes going on in the same area. The young lady had her purse taken which is what sparked the fight in the first place as was later revealed.   The rest of the night till 1230 we posted up at Gallery Place and walked around the surrounding area. However the rest of the night went by smoothly with no disturbances.

Alex W Young

Guardian Angels Recruit

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On April 7-8, the Washington DC Guardian Angels patrolled Ward 8 and recruited residents (16 years old and over) to come out and volunteer to deter crime and take back their community from the criminals.  The Guardian Angels were contacted by residents to patrol the area after the March 30 shooting of nine people (six males and three females) gunned down in the 4000 block of South Capitol Street, SE and in the unit block of Galveston Street.  During the the two days of patrolling South Capitol Street to 3rd Street and from Atlantic Street to Galveston Street, we got 15 names, numbers and emails from residents of  Ward 8 who would like to join the Guardian Angels and patrol their community.  We were welcomed with open arms and are willing to patrol the area twice a week for four hours if the residents are willing to volunteer as well.  We are asking everyone to come out, get community service hours and become a leader and role model.  This community belongs to the residents who care  It does not belong to the thugs, drug dealers and killers  The Guardian Angels are here to help any and everyone who is willing to step up to the plate and say enough is enough.  The Guardian Angels will be back in the community this Saturday, April. 10th and  Thursday, April 15.  Please call or send an email if you would like to join in the fight to make the community a safer place to live and work.

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On the evening of Tuesday, March 30, 2010, a total of nine people (six males and three females) were shot in the 4000 block of South Capitol Street, SE and in the unit block of Galveston Street.  The multiple shooting incident resulted in four fatalities.  Due to the many requests from the residents of Ward 8, the Washington DC Guardian Angels will begin patrolling and conducting outreach and recruiting youth from Ward 8 to become Guardian Angels.  
 
The Guardian Angels will begin its first patrol on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 2 pm from the corner of South Capitol Street and Atlantic Street, SE and work its way down to Galveston Street.

Contact person

John Ayala

202-359-0601

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2300 Ten Guardian Angels want in to the Meetro syetem to conduct saferty patrols on the Green line betweeon Gallery Place and L’Enfant Plaza.  we came across many yorth that was loud on the trains.  We just ask them to keep the noise down as they travel.  

0030 We end train patrol with no  incident

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