BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
The Guardian Angels celebrated
the completion of four
decades of fi ghting crime with a
reunion near where it all began
in the Bronx.
Members of the original 13
Guardian Angels, the group that
formed safety patrols in the city
and later throughout the world,
celebrated on Sunday, February
10 their 40th anniversary
at a McDonald’s on Southern
Boulevard and Fordham Road,
near the spot where they were
founded in 1979.
Known for their red berets
and jackets, members of the
group known originally as the
‘Magnifi cent 13’ gathered at another
McDonalds’ restaurant
not far from the one were it all
started: at East Fordham Road
near Webster Avenue, where
founder Curtis Sliwa worked as
a night manager.
The Angels received proclamations
from Borough President
Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Councilman
Ritchie Torres recognizing their
important contributions.
The current owner of the
McDonalds where Sliwa and
many of the founding members
worked, Tony Rodriguez,
hailed the Guardian Angels and
wished them safety, peace and
good health.
“I am extremely proud to
host and celebrate the 40th Anniversary
of Curtis Sliwa and the
Guardian Angels at the roots of
where the original 13 members
fi rst started: at McDonald’s,”
said Rodriguez. “Congratulations
to the Guardian Angels
and thank you for all that you
have done and continue to do for
the betterment of our community.”
At the event, Sliwa recalled
how the organization got its
start.
“We started with the Golden
Arches, we expand to wherever
the Golden Arches exists, and
we will continue to perpetuate
and franchise ourselves to people
who dare to care,” said Sliwa
on February 10.
He added: “There was hopelessness
and total despair in the
1970s. The golden arches provided
a sanctuary.”
The group would sit in the
restaurant’s ‘crew room’ and plot
out their patrols, he recalled.
The patrols grew from the
cleanup crew known as the
‘Rock Brigade’ that volunteered
to clean community streets in
the early morning hours after
the restaurant closed.
In a city caught in a fi nancial
crisis, with cutbacks to police,
fi re and social workers, Sliwa
said, such volunteerism was
badly needed.
The group moved to patrolling
the IRT #4 subway, which
some police referred to in 1979 as
the ‘muggers express,’ and then
took on the moniker ‘Guardian
Angels.’
Gangs often dominated
trains, and Sliwa had the vision
to use teamwork to combat the
miscreants, said Don Chin, who
fi rst hired Sliwa at McDonalds
and is one of the original 13 present
at the occasion.
“You have to really give them
kudos,” said Chin. “These were
young kids about 17- or 18-yearsold
willing to volunteer their
time and try someone new.”
People in the early train patrols
did not get overly physical,
but often the Angels presence
was enough to deter muggings,
said Chin.
The Guardian Angels also
empowered their members to
learn self-defense to raise their
self-esteem, said Chin.
“It was a way to lift people
up and have them do something
positive,” said Chin.
Among the original members
who attended, according to
an event organizer, were Sliwa,
Chin, William Bohnenberger,
Eddie Brown, Anthony Ng,
Tom McArdle, Arnaldo Salinas,
Dominic Serra, Tommy Kijewski,
George Mole and Dennis
‘Superstretch’ Torres.
There are over 138 Guardian
Angels chapters, boasting
approximately 5,000 members,
patrolling the streets of 13 countries
today.
BRONX WEEKLY F www.BXTimes.com ebruary 24, 2019 12
Guardian Angels
celebrate their start
in our borough
Curtis Sliwa is pictured in a recent photo with a subway train like those
the Guardian Angels made their reputation patrolling.
Photo courtesy of Guardian Angels
The original members in their debut news story about the founding of their organization and their patrol of
the IRT #4 train, what some cops referred to in 1979 as the ‘muggers express.’ Photo courtesy of Guardian Angels
Members of the original Guardian Angels are pictured aboard a subway car shortly after their founding. Photo courtesy of Guardian Angels
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