Washington

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

Share on Facebook

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.

Share on Facebook