As violence continues to plague Hartford and even starts to become a way of life for some the Guardian Angels visited the city. The Guardian Angels are an international group that started in NYC that works to reduce crime. They came to see if they could start a Hartford chapter. The group's founder Curtis Silwa was contacted by many people in the North End because of the violence in their neighborhood. Mr. Silwa and about a dozen Guardian Angels in red berets walked the streets of the North End in the Albany Avenue & Garden Street area.
Hopefully the Guardian Angels will receive enough interest from the community so that they can start a chapter. This is a tremendous opportunity for the people of Hartford to take a stand against the violence. Members receive extensive training and serve as foot patrols that are visible in their red berets and jackets. Mr. Silwa told the Courant that if members witness a crime they may conduct a citizen's arrest.
18-24 volunteers will be needed to start a chapter. Those volunteers will undergo a 3 week training program. A previous effort to bring the Guardian Angels to the city in the 1980s failed. The group has chapters around the world including chapters in the UK, Italy, Japan, Israel, South Africa and New Zealand. Chapters in the Northeast include those in New Haven, New York City, Albany, Brockton and Poughkipsee. Chapters are under development in Norwalk, Newburgh and Yonkers.
And just to update everyone the city has had 18 homicides so far this year, 3 more then during the same period last year.
One can't ignore this group's controversial history, though. I think that we can still be discerning in *how* we attempt to stop violence here.
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