Saint Guardian Angels

The Guardian Angels is an American nonprofit volunteer organization with the goal of unarmed crime prevention. The organization was founded by Curtis Sliwa in New York City on February 14, 1979. Sliwa originally created the Guardian Angels to combat violence and crime on the New York City Subway. The organization originally trained members to make citizen's arrests for violent crimes. Members patrolled streets and neighborhoods without involving the police or any external authority, and they provided educational programs for schools and businesses. In December 2024, Sliwa told the New York Post that the group's focus would shift to include wellness checks on homeless people, as well as people who seemed emotionally distressed. Initially, New York City Mayor Ed Koch publicly opposed the group. Over the years, the controversy has diminished. As citizen involvement and outreach have increased, there has been less public opposition to the group by administration officials. Koch later reversed his stance on the organization, and former New York City Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg have publicly supported the group. The original and primary activity of the Guardian Angels is "safety patrol", in which members walk the streets or ride public transit. Guardian Angels must be in uniform to represent the organization. They can be identified by their red berets and red jackets, or white T-shirts with the Guardian Angels' logo in red—an eye inside a pyramid on a winged shield. Chapters of the Guardian Angels operate similarly to franchise networks, by supporting each other regionally according to standard rules, regulations, and training. The organization states that it offers equal opportunity and encourages diversity. The organization accepts volunteers who have no recent or serious criminal record, as well as those who do not belong to a gang or a racial-hate group.