SFGA history: Guardian Angels to patrol Safeway after mugging; victim eventually dies, 1995

After the attack, the San Francisco Guardian Angels stepped up to provide residents and shoppers with protective patrol services in the parking lots and surrounding areas at night.

-No guard on duty when woman beaten, robbed; Woman dies of injuries from attack at Safeway



November 22, 1995





November 23, 1995



December 6, 1995


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SFGA history: Gang rape sparks demand for housing project patrols, 1995

Gang rape sparks demand for housing project patrols;

Carla Marinucci. San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, Calif.: Oct 8, 1995. pg. C.1

Neighbors of San Francisco's Plaza East housing project say the recent gang rape and beating of a woman was "the last straw" for the Western Addition area terrorized by crime, gangs and drug deals.





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SFGA history: Peninsula cops seek rape suspect, 1995

While this may have occurred a long time ago, San Francisco still has a major problem with rape. If you feel the San Francisco Guardian Angels can be of assistance to you or your friends to help deter or prevent sexual assaults in certain areas or if you would like us to provide security for an event, please contact us via email.

Peninsula cops seek rape suspect. Women have been assaulted walking or jogging during day;

Erin McCormick. San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, Calif.: Sep 8, 1995. pg. A.11




and

Cops seek "crazed' rapist after attack on Sunnyvale woman;
San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, Calif.: Sep 9, 1995. pg. A.2

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SFGA history: Beating mobilizes Guardian Angels to patrol Visitacion Valley, 1995

Beating mobilizes Guardian Angels Watchdog group to patrol neighborhood after elderly couple is viciously attacked;

Jim Herron Zamora. San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, Calif.: May 7, 1995. pg. C.1







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SFGA history: incorrect characterization of the SF Guardian Angels, 1995

This article from the San Francisco Examiner describes the laudable efforts of some San Francisco residents to patrol their community from their cars and call police upon witnessing criminal activity. However, it inaccurately references the San Francisco Guardian Angels:

“Unlike the well-known Guardian Angels...Portola Patrol ‘is nonconfrontational, it’s not a get-in-your-face kind of group,’”

For the record, we work to reduce crime and confrontations, and we do not antagonize people on the street or advocate "get-in-your-face" type of actions.

Our primary purpose is to serve as a visual deterrent to crime, and the last thing we want is a confrontation with criminals. While we train and are prepared for a confrontation, we work to resolve situations peacefully and attempt to call the police before getting involved in a risky situation ourselves.

We are not vigilantes. We simply dare to care to make our neighborhoods and cities as safe as possible as peacefully as possible

Neighbors in S.F. launch Portola area crime patrol;

Rachel Gordon. San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, Calif.: Jan 19, 1995. pg. A.1


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SFGA History: Guardian Angels assist in hunt for hate crimes perpetrators, 1995

Gay shooting victim's life changed. For holding hands, he nearly died;

Matt Hicks. San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, Calif.: Jan 15, 1995. pg. B.1






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SFGA history: Guardian Angels back on their feet

Guardian Angels back on their feet

Volunteer patrol returns to help clean up trouble spots

San Francisco Chronicle : Friday, December 17, 2004

The red berets are back.

Two decades after their heyday, the Guardian Angels are again patrolling the streets of the Tenderloin and Mission in their trademark headgear.

After membership dwindled to practically zero in the mid-1990s, the San Francisco chapter of the Guardian Angels is up to 45 active members, with plans for a bigger headquarters and a new chapter in Oakland.

"We're just people who care about our community," said Marcia Martin, a recovering drug addict who joined the all-volunteer safety patrol seven months ago. "We come from all walks of life. We're just trying to make the streets safe for the elderly, moms and kids."


The Guardian Angels are a nonprofit with chapters throughout the United States, mostly concentrated on the East Coast. San Francisco's chapter reached its zenith in the 1980s, with more than 200 members.

These days, the local Angels operate out of a small office at the Hotel Rose on the seediest block of Sixth Street. Members go out on three- to eight- hour shifts, walking the streets in groups of two to six in search of crime.

They're not armed, but that hardly matters. The Angels say their mere presence often deters crime. Easily identifiable in their red berets, fatigues and white sweatshirts with bright red logo, the Angels do leave an impression.

"We know how to spot a perpetrator. We just hang out and the criminals know we're not going to leave," said Juan Carlos Morales, leader of the San Francisco chapter. "When the Guardian Angels are around, it's a lot less likely that crimes will be committed."

San Francisco Police Lt. Larry Minasian said he hasn't had any contact with the local chapter of the Guardian Angels, but in general they can be a beneficial presence.

"As long as they don't overstep their bounds and become pseudo-police, they can be a big help keeping the bad guys down," he said. "As long as they're identifiable and don't create more trouble than they're trying to prevent, they can serve a useful purpose."

The Angels are a familiar presence at Kentucky Fried Chicken at Polk and Eddy streets. In exchange for discounted meals, they stop in periodically and stay for an hour or so.

"If there's someone in the restaurant panhandling, or using the restrooms or bothering the customers, or digging in the garbage, the Angels will talk to them and take them outside," owner Francis Gomez said. "Most of the time they just come in and check up on us, make sure everything is OK."

Gomez said they're great for the neighborhood.

"I think it's a good idea to have them around, as long as they're professional and respectful," he said. "And they are."

The Angels undergo intensive training in martial arts, handcuff use, patrol techniques, the penal code and CPR, conducted in the library at the Hotel Rose. While on patrol, they carry cell phones, first-aid kits, notebooks and handcuffs.

The training program lasts about 10 hours a week for three months, although the martial arts training is ongoing, thanks to a donation from a martial arts studio in San Rafael.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old, have no serious criminal record and be working or attending school.

When they see a crime in progress, they sometimes make citizens' arrests, handcuff the perpetrator and call the police. Once the police arrive, the Angels can help with police reports and serve as witnesses, if necessary. But their main goal is to prevent crimes from happening, often by diffusing tense situations before they escalate.

Recently, Morales and five of his cohorts intervened in a drug-related fight brewing among about 40 people on Sixth Street. Undaunted by the numbers, Morales got in the middle and managed to calm the two sides down, he and Martin said.

"A little guy owed a big guy money, and he didn't have it so the big guy was jumping up and down," Morales said. "I went after the big guy first, and it turned out I knew him because he goes to St. Anthony's. So I told him, 'Do you really want to go to jail?' And that seemed to calm him down."

Morales works at St. Anthony's as a security guard, and the "big guy" was a client there.

"The main thing is communication," he said. "You treat people with respect. They know who I am and what I do, and they respected that. Sure, they might have had guns, but that's a risk you take."

Perhaps the Angels' most effective crime-fighting tool is that many of them live in the neighborhoods they patrol, which gives them a credibility the police might not have.

Morales grew up in foster homes in San Francisco and was spending time with the Border Brothers gang, until he went to a foster care meeting and met a few Guardian Angels.

"I saw their uniforms and asked them what gang they were in," Morales said. "They said, 'We're not a gang, we're the Guardian Angels.' The next day I was checking it out. I loved the fact they were against crime and drugs and were helping the community."

Morales has been a member, on and off, for 14 years. When he's not at his regular job he's organizing trainings, patrols and expansion plans for the Guardian Angels.

Despite his love of crime prevention, however, he says he would never become a police officer.

"I have nothing against cops. My brother is a cop," he said. "But if I became a cop, I know for sure I'd be a corrupt cop. When you put on that cop uniform, you gain so much power. I know I'd do something I'd regret."

Martin, one of three women on the squad, joined seven months ago. A former drug addict and victim of domestic violence, Martin said she joined the Angels as a way of "taking my power back and redirecting my time."

Her particular crusade is to protect mothers, children and the elderly. She also reaches out to women who need drug treatment -- a position she was in not long ago.
"I've been there," she said. "They're not criminals. They need help. We talk to them about a better way of life. We talk to them with a friendly attitude, and communicate with respect. It really works."

But no matter how tied they are to a community, the Angels would have little success at all without the cooperation of the police. In San Francisco, the police ask the Angels' help in patrolling certain blocks or trouble spots. They also inform the Angels of special projects in progress so the Angels can keep clear.

A decade ago, however, that relationship was not so friendly.

One day the Angels chased down an apparent drug offender, slammed him so hard to the sidewalk his head was cut open, and proceeded to handcuff him. They let up just long enough for the alleged perpetrator to show his police badge.

Shortly thereafter, the Angels all but disbanded in San Francisco. But now the chapter has new management, an improved relationship with the police department and increasing membership.

They're currently planning to move to a space across the street, at 72 Sixth St., a former coin laundry facility donated by a nearby hotel. The space remains vacant, however, pending new plaster, paint and cleaning. Once it's refurbished, the Angels hope to use it for training and recreation.

"You can't complain about the neighborhood unless you're prepared to do something about it," said Martin. "Well, we're doing something about it."

Where to go:

The Guardian Angels' San Francisco headquarters are at 125 Sixth St., San Francisco. To volunteer or donate, call the office at (415) 495-0403, or Juan Carlos Morales, chapter leader, at (415) 368-4475.

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SFGA history: Guardian Angels' Tenderloin Base

Guardian Angels' Tenderloin Base;

San Francisco Chronicle : Mar 15, 1989. pg. A.22

The Guardian Angels have a new base in the Tenderloin and will begin 24-hour patrols of the neighborhood next Wednesday, Caesar A. Cruz, the group's San Francisco coordinator, said yesterday.

Cruz said from two to 10 people will be on the streets at all times, with special patrols on the first and 15th days of each montn welfare checks are issued and some recipients spend the money on crack.

The Guardian Angels have been patrolling in the Mission District for the past five years.

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Misconceptions about the Guardian Angels

In 1988, the Chronicle featured a poll in which "79% of Women In Poll Approve Of Vigilantes" and specifically mentioned the Guardian Angels.

However, we are not vigilantes.

Vigilantes take the law into their own hands without recourse to lawful procedures. The Guardian Angels do not have any special authority or powers. We are citizens and must obey all laws.

We will not arrest anyone unless they have committed a crime in our presence or we have reasonable cause to believe they committed a felony. We focus on violent crimes when there is a victim. We do not arrest people for jaywalking or spitting on the sidewalk.

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79% of Women In Poll Approve Of Vigilantes;
San Francisco Chronicle : Nov 15, 1988. pg. A.19

New York
A majority of women surveyed think vigilante groups are doing a better job than police in the war on drugs, and more than a third approve of breaking the law to curb violent street crime, according to a poll released yesterday.

Of 1,010 women between the ages of 18 and 35 who were surveyed for Glamour Magazine's December issue, 79 percent said they approve of vigilante groups such as the Guardian Angels, who patrol the streets and subways of New York and other cities.

Forty-five percent said they think neighborhood patrol groups are justified in breaking the law in order to intimidate violent criminals.

Eighty-one percent said they believe watchdog groups deter crime, and 53 percent said vigilante groups are more effective than police in driving out drug dealers.

Thirty-two percent of the women said they would consider joining a vigilante group, and 43 percent said they would approve of their husband or boyfriend joining one.
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SFGA history: Guardian Angels' S.F. Anti-Drug March

San Francisco Chronicle; Feb 22, 1988

Thirty members of the Guardian Angels staged an anti-drug march through San Francisco yesterday, at one point drawing a hail of rocks and bottles from a crowd at a housing project.

The brief clash at Santos Street and Sunnydale Avenue was the only one as the marchers, wearing red berets and toting a mock coffin to dramatize the effects of crack abuse, walked for nearly three hours from Visitacion Valley to City Hall.

The group planned to hold an all-night vigil on the City Hall steps in hopes of meeting today with Mayor Art Agnos.

Their march was disrupted shortly after 2 p.m. when a group of about 40 adults gathered on both sides of the street and hurled bottles and rocks at the uniformed marchers. No one was injured and there were no arrests.

At one point, a Guardian Angel shouted back, "Why don't you come down here and fight like a man?" No one took him up on the offer.

The marchers passed out leaflets to bystanders and urged city officials to take more decisive action against crack dealing in the neighborhoods.

The founder of the volunteer crime-fighting organization, Curtis Sliwa, suggested that Mayor Art Agnos and the Board of Supervisors adopt a four-point program to undermine the crack trade. The city should impound the vehicles of convicted buyers of the highly addictive, smokable form of cocaine, set up a special court to process crack cases, add police patrols and keep schools open with activities for kids until 9 p.m., he said.

Crack abuse in some public housing projects in San Francisco "is creating a system of violence, which, if not nipped in the bud, could spread to other areas," said Sliwa, who founded the Guardian Angels in New York in 1979.

The Guardian Angels have been patrolling Municipal Railway buses since last week in hope of stemming violence on the buses. Muni reported two minor attacks against buses on Saturday night. The incidents, which caused no property damage and resulted in no arrests, occurred at 31st and Balboa avenues, and 23rd Street and Potrero Avenue.

[Illustration]
PHOTO; Caption: Carrying signs denouncing the use of crack cocaine, Guardian Angels marched to City Hall / BY DEANNE FITZMAURICE/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
San Francisco Read the rest

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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Guardian Angels Plan Rapist Patrol, 1987

Guardian Angels Plan Rapist Patrol;

Edward Iwata. San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco, Calif.: Nov 30, 1987. pg. A.2

The Guardian Angels, the crime-fighting group known for its bright red berets, said yesterday that it will start patrolling Santa Clara County to help combat the notorious Ski Mask Rapist.

Curtis Sliwa, the outspoken founder of the Guardian Angels, criticized local police forces for not thwarting the rapist who has attacked 30 women since 1984 in San Jose, Mountain View, Los Altos and other South Bay towns.

"Let's face it - anywhere else, people would be screaming for the head of the police chief," said Sliwa. "Nowhere else in the country would 30 rapes have been tolerated and accepted as passively as they have in this region.
"Come hell or high water, regardless of the reaction of police or political officials, we're going to be there to help patrol. . . ."

Sliwa spoke in Hayward yesterday afternoon at a graduation ceremony for 40 new Guardian Angels, who completed 128 hours of self-defense and legal training. They will join 100 veteran Guardian Angels in the Bay Area and Sacramento.
To the nods of graduates and local residents, Sliwa also questioned the "archaic" self-defense tactics being taught to women by local police departments.
Sliwa said that five women in Los Altos had contacted the Guardian Angels, complaining that the self-defense methods described at a recent seminar by the Los Altos Police Department are outdated and sexist.

"Women are being told to get on their hands and knees and eat grass, hoping that the rapist - who is nuts himself - will think they're nuts," said Sliwa. "Women are being told to stick their fingers in their mouths and regurgitate, to scare off the attacker."

Sliwa said that women must "take the offensive" by screaming and yelling, or jabbing fingers into an attacker's eyes or nose. "The key is fighting back," he said.
Police officials in Mountain View and San Jose declined to comment yesterday on Sliwa's remarks.

On Friday, San Jose Police Chief Joseph McNamara, a nationally known law enforcement expert, told United Press International that he "stops far short of endorsing the Guardian Angels." McNamara added, however, that "any organization that helps people from being victimized, that's great."

In Los Altos, police Sergeant Frank Pearson said yesterday that the department has not talked yet to the Guardian Angels, but "if they can be of help, that would be appreciated."

Guardian Angels leaders said they do not mean to disrupt or compete with police investigations. Rather, they hope to give residents an extra feeling of security during crime waves.

"We want to comb the area and give the rapist one more thing to throw him off balance," said Scott McKeown, West Coast director of the Guardian Angels.

Today, the Guardian Angels will start 24-hour patrols on foot and in cars at the San Antonio Shopping Center in Mountain View. They will also offer self-defense classes and escorts for women.

At the graduation yesterday, dozens of East Bay residents praised the group for helping the police patrol their neighborhoods during the recent manhunt for accused murderer Franklin Lynch.

Apprehended in Los Angeles, he is charged with killing two elderly women and is suspected of several other attacks.
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