Last week WCAX featured Stand Your Ground Vermont, a citizen gathering in Rutland to battle street crime, with the city police down three officers and the prosecutors complaining how their hands are tied. This is a very encouraging report. I hope it leads to a Rutland Guardian Angels group.
On their web site the Guardian Angels tell us that since 1979, the New York City based group has been responsible for creating hundreds of safety patrol chapters throughout the United States and worldwide. The 13 founders were dedicated volunteers who rode the subways to conduct safety patrol. For 37 years, thousands of people have joined the Guardian Angels and created chapters in over 130 cities in 13 countries to protect their communities and improve substantially the quality of life.
The Angels aren’t armed, but I have to assume they carry cell phones that can speed dial the police and emergency services and send pictures. They are eyes on the street deterrents to street crime and other civic disasters, like fires, road washouts, health emergencies and homelessness crises.
The key ingredient, of course, is the commitment and leadership of volunteer citizens to regain control of their streets from drug merchants and petty thieves, as well as providing real time information to police, public agencies and ambulance services.
A vigorous public spirit is essential to building civic confidence and optimism. Maybe Rutlanders can show other Vermonters how to do it.
The author is the founder and past president and vice-president of the Ethan Allen Institute.
Categories: Commentary, Uncategorized
Amen to John’s hope and encouragement for a Guardian presence…the defunders and Dem Rats are destroying our cities across America and here in Vermont…concerned citizens are very capable of this initiative and God Bless any formation of such community group formations…NYC would have been better served with a Silwa mayoral victory but they are now reaping the harvest of more crime and chaos under the spineless Dem Rats regime…Vermont is now following with the same mindset…Trump and Republicans in 2024!
Where do I donate to buy them kevlar vests?
“The enemy is already here”. – Dan Bongino
“…the prosecutors complaining how their hands are tied.” Their hands are tied by who exactly? Do they not swear to an oath to uphold the law as written? Is in not their job to prosecute crimes? Is it not their duty to be ethical and take action if they are instructed or witness unethical, illegal violations? Who are they actually working for these days? Are they not officers of the court and if that court is a kangaroo court, are they complicit and/or liable for violating their oaths and/or partaking in illegal, unethical, and fraudulent activities? Any lawyer, of any type, with a license has a duty to the serve the People, not their Master. Yet, as we see here in Pervmont[sic], the canons of ethics and moral decency was flung out the window decades ago – the price of selling one’s soul must be worth it for a good many of them.
There is currently workings for a Guardian Angels Chapter in Vermont. It is slow going but if you are interested, please join “Vermont Neighborhood Watch” on Facebook.