SFGA History: Guardian Angel Letter to the Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; San Francisco Chronicle : Feb 20, 1988. pg. A.12

MUNI VIOLENCE
Editor - The Guardian Angels don't claim to have all the answers to the violence plaguing some of the Muni bus lines, but after having the chance to patrol the troubled lines and assess the situation, here are three: Muni should install plexiglass windows on the more troublesome bus lines as has AC Transit, BART and many other systems. By seeing the rocks and bottles bounce off the windows, the thrill of seeing the glass shatter will be gone.

Take away the ammunition. Alongside the bus route near the Hunters Point projects are dumpsters that are usually overflowing with ready-made ammo such as brick, bottles and pipes. These dumpsters should be emptied every day around dusk, or, in the very least, moved away from the bus route to discourage spontaneous attacks. In addition, sweeps should be made daily through the projects to pick up any loose, potential projectiles. Perhaps local unemployed youth could be hired, essentially turning the predators into the protectors. As well, nearby construction sites should be required to haul away loose rocks and chunks of cement. Increase floodlighting around the housing projects so as to not provide easy hiding places from which to launch attacks.

SCOTT McKEOWN
West Coast Director
Guardian Angels
San Francisco