The news said they (the Guardian Angels) are comming to downtown and then uptown.

Is this a Good or a Bad thing?

I am pretty much already doing that kind of stuff in Uptown. We don't need outsiders.

This is all for show and the criminals will adapt and move as needed.

We need actual arrests, prosecution, and incarceration of the criminals, not some feel good headline news.

Same as Jessie Jackson, they are basically camera hounds.

I will have to guess that they will show some impact on the surface, but really will do no long term good.

That's fine, but I cartainly disapprove if they want to come in from outside, and score on the pool of non-profit money that we could put to better use.

It's all a show, IMHO. I doubt they can really do much to stop or decrease the overall crime. They are not armed, they are not LEOS, and if anything, they might become a target. Chunk is right, outsiders don't need to traipsing around, showing off. What would be better is IF MPD went to beat cops in certain areas, if anything. Of course, they aren't going to do THAT!!!

10-4

If a group from another state is looking to infiltrate, then word of "Murderapolis" has gotten out again... Maybe it's a slow news time. Interesting...

I heard on it on 1500 friday morning that all they are doing is what the residents should be doing and that is taking control of the neighborhood, reporting criminals and their whereabouts.

The point is, however, we are already doing this. We can benefit from the GA's experiences elsewhere, but we don't need them actually conducting patrols in our neighborhoods.

You may be part of a group that IS doing this, but many are not. The other big difference is that most of the Angels are trained in some sort of weaponless self-defense, whereas many in the neighborhood watch groups are not.

The Angels were here before, don't forget. What they do is come to a city with an already trained group, recruit members from the new city, and let them take over the chapter.

The big problem with the Angels is the amount of news magnification they receive, wanted or unwanted. Granted, some of them do get a little over zealous, but if the crime wasn't there, they wouldn't be there either.

The Angels coming back is not a terrible thing. Some times things don't work the first time you try them.

Also, I'd rather have a group of Angels watching my neighborhood vs. a group of soccer moms with a couple of us (i.e. guys who give a rats patoot) in the mix.

There are just not enough people that want to get involved, due to fear & apathy. If more groups were invovlved, with more people watching over their neighborhoods, there would already be less crime and the Angels would have no reason to be here.

Just my $.02

Mark

Well, I got buttonholed by Channel 9 News tonight, on this very issue. You could see me there, in my yellow patrol vest, getting my words twisted by the jackals of the media.

I missed it, and now I'm curious. What exactly did you say, and how did they twist it? Mis-quote? Mis-interpretation? Out of context?

TK

Really, I have no idea how the editing played, I didn't see it, either. But the news often get mangled, and Ch. 9 has a less than average record, too. My wife might have taped it, but I haven't been able to look at it yet.

I dunno... while I am a pro-carry sort as most people who know me will attest to, I honestly thing the Guardians are a bad influence.

If it was a true "neighborhood watch" group, guys who lived on the block and knew their neighbors, guys who looked out for the guy next door, then it would be okay.

But if I got pepper-sprayed, kicked to the ground, tased, or had a gun pulled on me by some jerkwad in a red beret from two towns over simply because I like to take walks at two in the morning and he didn't know who I was... well... there would be hell to pay.

Keep the outsiders on the outside, and let me look after my own neighbors.

Is there any evidence that this is how the Angels operate?