The San Francisco Guardian Angels brought their stoic brand of street justice to the Mission on 9/17 and posted the patrol log today.
Did you think standing around in a line with your arms folded neatly is all it takes to be an Angel? Think again! They also do litter clean-up:
Same old story, the bad guys see us they run that way and they this way, but they leave and it calms down. But we just don’t leave that fast, the second team stays posted up at the BART STATION while the first team checks the alleys. First team then arrives back to the BART STATION to the second team to advise us, they pick up dirty needles and that the alley is all clear.
Special shout out to 16th St. Walgreen’s, everyone’s favorite crime-fighting resource:
Next we get to our rest stop WALGREEN’S, bathroom break, smoke break, and water break. If we did not do this or if we did not have this Resource, we could not stay out as long as we could.
Read the rest of their patrol log at the SF Guardian Angels blog.
Honestly, who are these people?
Its like the Special (Olympics) Patrol.
Oh my. Did I just say that?
….people who take ownership of the city they live in.
If you’re right, then I’m wrong. And I hope you’re right.
Wow. Can’t say this is the first time I’ve read or heard stuff like this, but it only confirms for me that people profoundly misunderstand the purpose of the Angels.
People make fun of the Angels for getting beaten up or stabbed in the line of duty. But they also make fun of the Angels for being able to patrol successfully — that is, without incident.
And “cleanup” involves picking up used hypodermic needles that are crawling with God-knows-what disease, as well as taking crackpipes out of the hands and mouths of people who are in the act of using them. All of this while being stared down, sized up and threatened with death by complete strangers every few minutes.
And yes, in light of the treatment that the Angels get in communities they patrol, places like Walgreen’s are indeed a resource and safe haven.
No appreciation, no respect. I’d love to see the writer of this blog suit up and patrol with the Angels for just one night. Oh, wait, he wouldn’t do that — he’d be too busy cleaning the shit off of himself after just contemplating the idea.
That’s right — I’m talking to you, Vic Wong. You’re a pussy.
On the one hand, I certainly appreciate what you and the rest of the Angels do in so far as I think you really think you’re helping. On the other hand, a lot of people are more than a little wary of the idea of vigilantism, and threatening posts on a local blog calling people pussies is a pretty good way to convince them that they’re right to be wary.
Especially since I’m having trouble finding the part where Vic Wong is disrespectful.
I gotta say too that I don’t think giving people the feel of a police state is really the best way to help out people in hard times. I think that and the childish bullying, like the kind seen here, is what makes people want to diminish what you do. Not to mention the < a href="/2010/05/06/keeping-watch-of-the-guardian-angels/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">code names, which make it hard to think that you’re really out to help and not just to be in a cool club.
Then again, the commenters on this very blog take ridiculous code names and hurl childish insults. But I don’t think they expect anyone to take them too seriously. And if they do, they tend to get outed as well.
vigilantism??? Are you on crack? A vigilante goes around beating people and killing them with no trial. These guys see a crime, they call 911. They see some dude beating up an old lady, they protect the old lady. What are you going to do run back home and post on someone’s blog that you just saw an awful crime and felt bad for the old woman? I can’t believe these stupid posts. This isn’t the Old South. These guys aren’t all white if you haven’t noticed. They’re live in the communities they patrol, and look closely, most are minorities. You want to make fun of poor minorities who can’t afford security and gated communities looking after their own neighborhoods, I suggest you go f yourself you elitist f. What good are you doing mocking them on websites and hiding in your room? When’s the last time you heard these guys getting sued by the ACLU. Here’s news, the ACLU have sued thousands of people and NOT ONE OF THEM IS A F N GUARDIAN ANGEL!!! What does that tell you??? The US government steps on my civil rights more than anyone else, go mock those screwballs. So you notice these guys standing around crossing their arms. Wow, that’s so f n observant this is why the Internet was created so you can take notice of people standing around crossing their arms. Unreal.
perhaps these people get no respect because they don’t actually solve any problems, but instead only ever increase tension wherever they are. Honestly, every time I’ve seen them on 24th St., I could feel the mood instantly change. Personally, I always try to get out of there as fast as possible when I see these idiots, cuz it feels like something bad is about to go down.
also, their grammar is terrible
Sure, there’s a little snark in Vic’s post, but not an overwhelming amount, and it brings to light a group of people actually trying to make the streets safer.
I actually did spend a night with the Guardian Angels in the Mish (and you don’t suit up, by the by):
http://thebolditalic.com/lisat15/stories/78-stand-up-acts.
I think they’re pretty aware of their place/ability to effect change. They see it as a way to make the Mission safer while they’re patrolling (and not necessarily for the longer-term) and to make people feel more comfortable walking around. A lot of them have their own troubled pasts with drugs and violence and for what it’s worth, they try to encourage others to join, get off the streets, and really provide a support base/family.
This post wasn’t near as humorous as the previous Mission patrol a couple months back. This paragraph was pretty strong though:
“Next we march to 24th street BART STATION, we get there, we post up on both corner’s of BART, we did come up on this man that was stone drunk with his credit card sticking out of his pocket, and he had his NIKE shoes off of his feet. So we did wake the man up and explained to him in Spanish that he needed to go home and to get off the streets, he did.”
Do you have to be overweight to do this effectively?
Does SimonSays have to be an asshole to post a comment?