Muni bus patrol, 9/19/09

Saturday September 19th 2009, we the San Francisco Guardian Angels are doing a very special patrol this evening on the #49 MUNI BUS LINE. The story had came out a few weeks back about a little boy being stabbed on this bus, this shouldn't have happened in a safe place, but it did. There are 12 angels that has arrived at HQ to do this patrol, there will be two teams, Freddy (AKA) Greencard will be team one, and I Jerry (AKA) J.D. will be team two. There is no lead team or shadow team today because we will be split up into two #49 buses, each with six angels on board, and we will be using all radios for communication. Next we begin our pre-brief for upcoming events and patrols, then pick out our teams and make sure everyone is geared up, this means everyone has a full uniform on and duty belt.



Next we march to the bus stop on foot to VAN NESS, team one gets on the first #49 bus, then I J.D. team two got on the next #49 bus, we all had decided that when we where on the buses that we would be posted up into three areas, front of the bus, middle of the bus, and back of the bus, two angels on each post. Our plan is to talk to driver, give him a flier of the incident that happened with the little boy and to ride his bus to the end of this line OUTBOUND, he agreed. As Guardian Angels we are a professional group and we act like a professional group, we answer questions, we give directions, we stand at all times for other people to be seated, and we want it to be SAFE.

We get to the end of the line, we turn around and go INBOUND, but our next stop is on 16th Mission St. where we break for something to eat. Next we get right back on the #49 bus to do another tour on this bus line, as Guardian Angels we also abide by the LAW, the law states that you have to enter at the front of the bus, this ordinance is stated on the back doors of the bus, so we did follow through with this ordinance and ask everyone to enter at the front of the bus, as bus riders they didn't mind doing this at all, I guess it is the way we had asked them to do this for the riders to listen to us. But it all work out well, for the teams, for the driver of the bus who felt very safe, for the passengers of the bus who rides this bus regularly, and for MUNI because they do care about their transportation.



There were no bad guys arrested today and we could not take the bad guy that stabbed the little boy off the streets like we wanted, but we did our best as the San Francisco Guardian Angels, and called it a night. Next we came back to the HQ from doing the bus patrols to do debrief, everyone was wanting to something meaningful from this patrol,and I J.D. explained to them that we did! Because we care about people and we care especially about kids or we wouldn't be doing this, next we said our closing prayer, and everyone went home SAFE.


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SFPD release sketch of stabbing suspect

SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS PUBLIC’S HELP IN LOCATING MUNI STABBING SUSPECT

San Francisco police are seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect in a stabbing that occurred on a Muni bus on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at approximately 6:10 P.M. In this unprovoked incident, the victim, an 11-year-old boy, was riding the #49 line outbound bus. The suspect boarded the bus from the rear at 16th and Mission streets. As the bus reached 19th and Mission streets, the suspect stabbed the victim. After the stabbing, the suspect got off the bus and fled.

Witnesses described the suspect as an African-American male, 25-30 years old, dark complexion, 6’, 180 lbs., transient type, with strong body odor. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweat shirt that was torn on the right side, a black knit cap, blue denim jeans and dark shoes.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the General Work Section, 553-1141, during business hours, the Confidential Tip Line, 415-575-4444, or Text-a-Tip.

Crime Bulletin 09-90 showing a composite sketch of the suspect is posted on the SFPD’S Web site home page, sfgov.org/police.

For more information, please contact:

Public Affairs Office

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Patrol in the Mission, 9/20/08

On patrol today we had four Guardian Angels and covered a lot of ground. The weather was nice, and local residents were very glad to see us out today, including a MUNI bus driver who requested our assistance.



We started the afternoon by clearing Hunter's Alley. The alley was filthy with human feces and trash, and we picked up several used and discarded needles such as the ones pictured below. (You can click on the pictures to view a larger version)






After Hunter's Alley, we cleared an area next to a school that had several needles and beer bottles littered around it, and then we stopped by Kid Power Park where everything was clean and families were enjoying the nice weather. After that, we posted up at the 16th St. BART station (pictured below ) for a few minutes before heading down Mission St.




Everything went well down Mission, so we headed up to Alioto Park at 20th and Mission and searched the park to make sure it was safe for families to use. After a short break in Alioto Park, we headed down Mission and disrupted the drug traffic of some local dealers on Mission St. The dealers lounge against the wall of a business and store their drugs in a bag wedged in between two mail boxes. Every time we approach them they grab their bag of drugs and take off down the street. We continued down Mission to 24th St. and started to walk around the 24th St. BART station when a MUNI bus driver came out of his bus requesting our help.

There was an intoxicated man passed out on the bus who the driver could not wake up, but the driver had to get the man off the bus in order to continue his work day, so he asked us to get the man off the bus. Intoxicated bus riders or people under the influence of other drugs often attack the bus drivers, so we were happy to help the driver with the situation. We tried several times to wake the man, but he was out cold. He had both his hands in his lap though, so one Guardian Angel grabbed his left wrist and another grabbed his right wrist, and we pulled him out of his seat and stood him up while restraining him to prevent him from attacking us. He snapped out of his stupor as soon as we had him on his feet, but he resisted leaving the bus. We informed him his option was to leave the bus or go to jail, and after that he decided to comply and we escorted him off the bus.

After that, we posted up at 24 St. BART for awhile to observe the station before heading down Mission St. to clear Travis Alley. Travis Alley was relatively clean, and after that we headed down 24th St. towards Portero Ave. where there have been a lot of shootings lately. Everything went smoothly though and we looped back to check in on 24th St. Mini Park where some local residents took a picture of us.



The park was clear, so we headed back up Mission and checked Alioto Park once more to make sure no one was doing drugs there, and then we continued back up Mission St. to visit Hunter's Alley once again and another parallel alley. In the few hours since we had first cleared Hunter's Alley, some drug users had clearly been back as we found several more used needles and two dope cookers (pictured below).






After Hunter's Alley, we checked another alley nearby and came across another dope cooker and a crack pipe (pictured below). We put the dope cookers into a zip-lock bag and throw them away, but we dispose of the needles and crack pipes at the San Francisco Needle exchange. While on patrol, we carry the needles and crack pipes in portable containers provided by the needle exchange. All told, at the end of the day we had collected 16 needles, 1 crack pipe, and 3 dope cookers.




We received lots of positive feedback from people on the street and several motorists, including one who is going to make a donation and two individuals who were interested in becoming Guardian Angels themselves. If you would like to become a San Francisco Guardian Angel, send us an email at sfguardianangels@gmail.com

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SFGA history: Angels Watching Over Muni / Unarmed volunteer patrols ride buses to deter crime

Angels Watching Over Muni / Unarmed volunteer patrols ride buses to deter crime;

San Francisco, Calif.: Aug 10, 1994. pg. A.15

Tom Joson now says a little prayer before boarding a public bus in San Francisco, asking God to protect him from criminals.

A recent wave of violent crime on the city's Municipal Railway buses had left the 39-year-old man scared. But his fears lightened a little yesterday, when he saw three Guardian Angels board the No. 14-Mission bus and stand around him.

"Now, I feel more safe," Joson said with a smile.

In response to an outbreak of violent crime on Muni in the past four days, including the stabbing of a 20-year-old man Monday night, a dozen Guardian Angels boarded buses from 7 a.m. to midnight yesterday to help police restore safety on city buses.

By the end of the week, as many as 30 Guardian Angels will ride the No. 9, 14, 15 and 48 lines, the routes having the most problems, said Eric Johnson, San Francisco chapter leader of the Guardian Angels. They will continue to act as "visual deterrents" on Muni buses until Mayor Frank Jordan puts more officers on patrol in high-crime areas.

The latest violent crime on Muni occurred about 9 p.m. Monday, when five men in their 20s stabbed a 20-year-old man repeatedly in his right leg and upper back after an argument on the No. 15 bus at Geneva and Santos streets.

The man is in fair condition and is being treated for seven stab wounds to his leg and one to his upper back at San Francisco General Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

In another incident, a gang fight broke out on a No. 14 bus at 18th and Mission streets early Sunday. On Saturday, an off-duty security guard shot to death a man who attempted to stab a female passenger aboard a westbound No. 9-San Bruno bus.

"What happened this weekend, especially so close together, is very unusual," Muni spokesman Alan Siegel said. "People need to know that they can still ride the buses safely. This system is a secure system."

Muni carries 730,000 riders each weekday, and very little crime occurs relative to the number of people who use the system, Siegel said.

After the weekend incidents, Mayor Jordan said he would try to increase the number of police officers assigned to the transit system.

Siegel said Muni is working with police and the mayor's office to increase the number of officers assigned to Muni security from 17 to 50, reassign some officers to high-crime areas and require foot patrol officers to also ride buses occasionally.
But it could take three months for more officers to finish the police academy or for the city to fund 33 new officers in its budget.

Until then, Johnson said the Guardian Angels are prepared to pitch in and help patrol the buses.

"Our presence is making a difference," Johnson said. "I've gotten on buses that were rowdy and watched it quiet down quite a bit."

Many riders said they felt safer with the Guardian Angels on board. But some said the Angels' presence made little difference, but added that they would continue to ride Muni.

"It's just the sign of the times," said Winnie Ahern, 50, a San Francisco homemaker who rides the Muni every day. "You can't stop living just because some people want you to. Once you become a prisoner, you're a prisoner forever."

[Illustration]
PHOTO; Caption: Eric Johnson, San Francisco chapter leader of the Guardian Angels, rode a Muni bus with two other red-beret-wearing members of the public protection group / BY MICHAEL MACOR/THE CHRONICLE


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SFGA History: A Well-Guarded Muni Ride Into The Hunters Point Battle Zone

A Well-Guarded Muni Ride Into The Hunters Point Battle Zone;

San Francisco Chronicle : Feb 20, 1988. pg. A.4

The mood was secure and calm aboard the Muni's embattled 15-Third Street line as driver Reginald Jones wheeled his articulated bus into a Hunters Point combat zone.
"Here we go into the front- lines," laughed Jones, 39, a streetwise, eight-year veteran driver, as the long bus hissed to a stop near the intersection of Third and Palou streets Wednesday night.

Third and Palou is one of the danger spots near housing projects where buses have been ambushed and bombarded with bricks, sticks and bottles during the past few weeks, including a rock attack and a violent robbery on Tuesday night.
Yet there was no sense of apprehension among the dozen or so passengers. They appeared secure with six, red-bereted Guardian Angels and a private security guard on board and a black-and-white police cruiser following close behind.

`We Make People Feel Safe'

"Beautiful. God Bless you," an elderly woman passenger whispered to Scott McKeown, 31, West Coast director of the Angels and leader of the squad on the bus.
McKeown smiled and thanked her, then turned to his team spread through the bus.
"OK, heads up," he commanded when the bus moved through the Sunnydale projects. Twelve Angel eyes probed the darkness outside.

"There's not much we can do about rocks hitting the bus, but we can sure do a lot about people coming aboard and beating the passengers," he said. "We make people feel safe."

Zoima Herrera, 37, hugged her 3-year-old son, Marvin, and said, "Yes, they make me feel better, especially with the baby here."

A portly man in a heavy jacket leaned forward in his seat and pulled up his sleeve, exposing a lead-tipped billy club. "I've been on a bus that was rocked," he chuckled. "This is what makes me feel safe."

The Captain of the Ship

McKeown assured Jones that the Angels would not usurp his authority. "You are the captain of the ship, we're just here to help out and act as your eyes and ears. You make the decisions. You are the leader."

Jones smiled, shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"You bet I'm the leader. They start throwing rocks and I'll lead us right out of here. I'll turn this bus around and go off duty. We get rocked tonight, and we'll be gone."

Later, after the Angels transferred to another bus, Jones said that he did not want their protection because it only drew attention to his bus.

"I don't need the Guardian Angels or a police escort," said Jones, whose bus has been spared attacks in the recent wave of violence against Muni. "I was born and raised in this area. I'm familiar with the neighborhoods. I know the people and how to handle trouble."

Jones has seen plenty of violence on buses during his eight-year career, and expects to see more before he retires in about 15 years. He figures the latest series of rock-throwing incidents has just about run its course.

The Dealers Control the Streets

"The drug dealers are losing business with all this police activity and public attention," said Jones. "They are the ones who are going to solve the problem. The dealers are going to tell those kids with the rocks, `Hey, the stock in cocaine is down, cool it.' The dealers control the streets."

Jones remembers when he was a kid, and admits to tossing a few brickbats at buses himself in those days. "Just like these kids, we did it for fun, just screwing around. We rocked the bus and ran, just to have someone chase us."

"These kids don't get much attention, and when they get all this TV coverage, it just encourages them," said Jones.

Others speculate that rock-throwing has been instigated by dope dealers to divert attention from their activities that Jones pointed out on many street corners in the Hunters Point-Visitacion Valley area.

Violence Occurs in Cycles

"One of our problems is that we don't know who is doing it, or if it is being done by a variety of groups or who is most to blame," said Muni spokesman Alan Siegel. "Violence against the buses seems to occur in cycles, and we hope it is winding down."

There were no violent incidents reported Wednesday night. But Thursday around 8:30 a.m., someone broke a window with a thrown object on a 9-San Bruno Line bus in Visitacion Valley. A few minutes later, a window was smashed on a 44-O'Shaughnessy Line in Hunters Point. No injuries were reported.

"A heavy police presence and community outrage seems to have calmed the situation," Siegel said. "But the Muni and the police will continue their vigilance."

Siegel said there have been more than 100 reports of serious incidents on buses since December 1. about half of them have been rock, bottle and egg barrages, mostly in Hunters Point and Visitacion Valley.

"A lot of people in those neighborhoods are dependent on public transportation, and are really upset and inconvenienced by the violence," Siegel said.
`
[Illustration]
PHOTO; Caption: Muni veteran Reginald Jones grew up in the Hunters Point neighborhood he now drives through / BY TOM LEVY/THE CHRONICLE

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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
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SFGA History: Muni Bus With Guardian Angels Attacked

Muni Bus With Guardian Angels Attacked;

San Francisco Chronicle : Feb 17, 1988. pg. A.6

Four San Francisco Municipal Railway buses were attacked last night, despite intensified police surveillance and patrols by 20 members of the Guardian Angels.

Meanwhile, community leaders, police brass, bus drivers and irate residents met in the Bayview area to discuss what could be done about the latest rash of violence and vandalism against Muni buses.

The most serious incident was an attack on a 15-Third Street bus that was being patrolled by Curtis Sliwa, the leader of the Guardian Angels, a civilian crime-fighting group.

It happened at 8:36 p.m. at Palou Avenue and Hawes Street in the Bayview District, where rocks were thrown at the bus carrying Sliwa, three other Guardian Angels and five passengers.
As 10 youths hid behind garbage dumpsters and threw bottles and lead pipes at the bus, passengers sprawled on the floor and their Guardian Angel escorts covered them with their bodies.

When the bus lurched to a stop, Sliwa and the other three Guardian Angels chased the vandals.
"The moment we got off the bus and went at them, they just scattered," he said.
There were no injuries or damages other than a broken window.

Earlier in the evening, a fight was reported on a 44-line bus at Third and Palou in the Bayview area.

Although most recent violence on Muni buses has been reported in the Bayview and Visitacion Valley areas, two minor incidents occurred in the Western Addition last night.

At 5:28 p.m. an "unknown object" broke a side passenger window on a westbound 38-line bus at Geary Boulevard and Baker Street. At 7:06 p.m., a bottle was thrown at a westbound 38-line coach at Geary and Scott Street.

There were no injuries in either incident.

Although Sliwa's bus came under attack, the other buses patrolled by 20 members of the Guardian Angels last night operated routinely.

Many regular riders of the buses seemed perplexed by their red-bereted escorts, staring at them openly as they got on board.

Others seemed more amused than impressed by their uniformed protectors. Many passengers chatted happily with the Guardian Angels, complementing them on their belted white jackets and red-berets adorned with beads, studs and other paraphernalia.

While police and Guardian Angels patrolled the Muni, about 100 people - including Police Chief Frank Jordan, District Attorney Arlo Smith and Supervisor Doris Ward - attended a 7 p.m. meeting on Muni violence at the Joseph Lee Recreation Center in Visitacion Valley.

Many residents angrily criticized the Police Department, saying officers sweep through the neighborhoods with occasional highly publicized drug raids, but leave them at the mercy of dope dealers the rest of the time.

"Every time we call the police, the brutality happens," said Enola D. Malwell, who lives on DeHaro Street.

"When we call you, you just start sweeping, and the good go in with the bad. We don't want all our people arrested."

Speakers made a number of suggestions, including enforcing the 11 p.m. curfew for teenagers, opening after-school youth programs, increasing drug counseling and putting speed bumps in the road.

Captain Frank Reed of Potrero Station said that in the last two weeks police have added 12 new Muni transit officers to escort buses, and 6 community service officers riding on the buses.
During the past two months, Muni buses have been the target of more than 100 attacks, including rock-throwing incidents and assaults against drivers. Most of the incidents have occurred in the Visitacion Valley and Hunters Point areas.

In one incident, a young man held a gun to a bus driver's head.

Chronicle Staff Writer Jim Doyle contributed to this report.

[Illustration]
PHOTO; Caption: Members of the Guardian Angels stood guard on a Muni bus as it made its way down Third Street / BY BRANT WARD/THE CHRONICLE
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SFGA history: Residents Worry / Youth Violence - Muni Drivers Want More Cops;

Residents Worry / Youth Violence - Muni Drivers Want More Cops;

San Francisco Chronicle : Feb 16, 1988. pg. A.1

Community leaders and representatives of San Francisco's bus drivers' union plan to ask today for more police protection to help stop youth gang attacks on Municipal Railway buses and in the streets.

The violence intensified this weekend in southeast neighborhoods of the city, when officers surrounded by a jeering mob had to fire a warning shotgun blast to disperse the crowd. Yesterday, police said they, too, fear conditions are turning explosive.
The loose-knit youth gangs "feel like it's a free zone," said Lieutenant Joaquin Santos, adding that the gangs virtually have taken over some blocks in the Visitacion Valley and Hunters Point areas.




Bobbie L. Brown, president of Transport Workers Union Local 250-A, said he will meet today with Muni officials to request that additional "preventive measures" be taken to protect bus drivers and passengers from rock-throwing and other attacks.

Tonight, Muni and police officials plan to meet with the Bayview-Hunters Point Crime Abatement Committee to discuss ways to quell the bus-bashing and other youth crimes.
"We thought the problem would go away but it didn't," Brown said yesterday.

"I don't want to have to tell my people not to drive in those (high-risk) areas because there are a number of good people who rely on that bus service," he said. "But we've got to find some solution for protecting those people."

The Police Department last week beefed up its uniformed presence on high-risk Muni lines, adding police escorts for some buses, after two especially violent attacks. The Guardian Angels will also begin regular patrols tonight on 15-Third Street buses, where much of the violence has occurred.

Last Tuesday, a gang of 15 teenagers took over a 15-Third Street bus in the Visitacion Valley area and threatened the driver with a gun. The youths chanted, "Shoot the driver!" Instead, they shot out a bus window and fled.

A few days earlier, up to 200 teenagers pelted a 15-Third Street bus with rocks. The operator was able to drive the bus away without injury to herself or three passengers.

Since the additional police support began last week, Muni reported 10 minor rock-throwing attacks and other disturbances by juveniles. Police arrested a youth on Friday night for spitting on a passenger.

"The attacks have fallen off considerably in terms of the level of violence," said Muni's George Newkirk. "And the police are doing their job. I think things will settle down."

During the past two months, Muni has logged more than 100 "major disturbances" on buses, including rock-throwing attacks, fights and assaults on bus drivers.
Many of the attacks have occurred at night in the Visitacion Valley area. Others have hit the Bayview, Hunters Point and Outer Mission districts.

"We're going to monitor the situation very closely to determine whether (the problem) needs additional manpower," said Hadley Roff, deputy mayor for public safety.

Although attacks on buses have become the focus of recent attention, violence in the southeast end of the city has not been limited to attacks on buses, police said. Police officers in the Potrero Station have been joined in their patrols by 34 extra narcotics officers - and some have come under attack by unruly crowds.

In Visitacion Valley, police fired a warning shot into the ground late Saturday night as a crowd of 150 youths armed with baseball bats and tree stakes began pelting two officers with rocks and bottles.

The officers had just stopped three young men for speeding along Sunnydale Avenue and running two stop signs.

A crowd gathered around the police officers at Sunnydale Avenue and Santos Street at about 10:45 p.m. and began threatening them, said Santos of the Potrero Station.
"They said, `Leave them alone, we're going to kill you pigs,' " and were preparing to wrest the men from police, Santos said.

The youths retreated after one officer fired his shotgun into a lawn and other police cars began arriving in response to the officers' radio call for help.
Two 17-year-olds were arrested, one for driving without a license and the other for possession of cocaine. An adult, John Barkley, was arrested for outstanding traffic warrants.

Over the weekend, there were other violent incidents in the same area.
Santos said that on Friday night someone fired five shots at police officers who were making a drug arrest at Argonaut and Garrison avenues near a housing project.
An officer was hit in the shoulder with a bottle that shattered on impact, Santos said.

"They think they can do whatever they want to do when they get a large crowd of people to help them," he said. "The Muni rock-throwing is just one part of all this."


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