Alberta_Rose

I heard on the radio this week that Calgary authorities may be willing to meet with leaders of the Guardian Angels, the "vigilante" group that originated in New York. Other Canadian cities have apparently refused to even start talks with them, ..... what are your opinions, eh?

http://www.guardianangels.org/pdf/1178.pdf

rod burner

I always wanted to become one ,only if no one hits me in the face.

Janietrz

These sound similiar to the "community Police" volunteers we have here around us in Surrey, I dont know much about the guardian angels , but if it helps make the roads and cities safer, surley thats a good thing?

hot wasabi peas

What has always gotten under my skin about the Guardian Angels is their chosen colour for their uniforms; red. To me that is just such as basic mistake and makes me wonder if that reflects a basic lack in understanding human behaviour.

I'm not sure what I think about them in terms of real life though. I haven't got past the 'red' bit.

Alberta_Rose

I think that is one of the things that marks their difference to community police volunteers/special constables etc .... the red, especially the red beret, is an example of how they come over as being much more in-your-face, aggressive (pro-active if you will!) Almost para-military.

Actually I have just read, and never realised, that they have apparently been operational in London for 10 years. I've never seen any on my (admittedly infrequent) trips on the tube.

Novocastrian

Those aren't Guardian Angels, they're Daily Mail Cherubims

MikeUK

yep.. I heard that some times the football hooligans would go looking for them..

Judy in Calgary

Hmmm, I don't know much about the Guardian Angels.

They may be more proactive than the police are. But I still think their volunteer work (insofar as I understand what it is) is basically reactive. I mean they patrol neighbourhoods and stuff like that, to the best of my knowledge. So I guess it's a more proactive form of a basically reactive strategy, if you know what I'm trying to say.

What is really proactive is the hockey coaching that several wonderful neighbourhood dads provided to my younger son, the after school computer club that my older son's computer teacher ran, the science programs that my retired geologist friends, Bob and Ward, run in elementary schools in Calgary's poorer districts and at First Nations schools outside of Calgary, etc., etc.

Coming back to the Guardian Angels, perhaps the organisation serves a purpose in the sense that it gives young men a "good" gang that they can join as an alternative to a "bad" gang.

I would be very sad if I believed Calgary really needed the Guardian Angels. Perhaps it does need them. If that is so, it's the passing of an era. I was privileged to experience Calgary before it needed them.

I don't know. I have to think about it some more.

ClareBC

*chuckle*

Alberta_Rose

That's kinda how I feel Judy.

CalgaryBlade

I saw one once on the tube.

I'm not violent, nor do I advocate violence, but I reckon I could've handled him quite easily.

What he would've done against some of the real low-life that used the tube, I don't know.

After years of watching Frank Spencer and "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'em" the beret was never going to cut it.

As for "does Calgary need them?" - IMHO No. The police are trained to deal with the sort of threat The Guardian Angels seek to nullify.

Alberta_Rose

Was he on his own? I thought they travelled in packs
Do you suppose the Canadian guys would be armed? I'm sure the American ones are? I just think it could be an outlet for some macho guys with no real selection and training to cause a heap of trouble, and escalate violence rather than reduce it.

I mean .... I'm not a thug ..... but that red beret would have to be a target eh?

dingbat

I don't agree with them. I have difficulty accepting where and how they are different to the unlawful thugs they claim to deter. They have no legal mandate. They operate without the checks and balances hopefully afforded by the law of the land, be it state, federal, provincial, whatever. You can become a "Guardian Angel" in New York (not London, they died a death there btw) with a clean criminal record check. No one is able to perform in-depth collateral checks however, as those who are hiring are not allowed access to the real information about the applicants - i.e. spent convictions, stayed convictions, indexes to other files as suspects. Who knows if they aren't really just on a power trip? Look at how some uniformed police officers behave and there are mechanisms in place to rein them in if needs be. They are no different to the vigilantes who went after strike breakers in the 1980's in the UK and groups who target sex offenders without realising all they do is send them into hiding where being less visible makes them more dangerous. The job of protecting the public should be left to the people with the training and the warrant cards.

Londonuck

more like 20 years. used to see them from time to time. asking for aggro dressing like that in london. nice idea but they were set up for 70's NYC when violence was out of control there.