The controversial anti-crime group the Guardian Angels has come to Wilmington. The group has chapters in New York City, where it was founded, and in Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Members of the group patrol city streets while wearing signature bright red berets and jackets with “Guardian Angels” printed on the front. They are unarmed and make citizens’ arrests or attempt to intervene in violence before it escalates.
The group’s founder, Curtis Sliwa, said the crime data led his organization to Delaware’s largest city.
"Wilmington, right on that conduit of I-95, has developed the most violent crime problem of all small cities in America, surpassing Camden, which we patrol. And that was quite shocking."
Sliwa said he went on a preliminary patrol last Sunday, along with some members of the Baltimore Guardian Angels.
"We saw some skirmishes taking place in the Hilltop area. We just broke them up, we did a crisis intervention, calmed people down. They walked, they went on their separate ways. No need to detain anybody, turn them over to the police," he said.
The chapter will be headed by Marcos Velez, who started out working with the group in Baltimore, but is a native of Wilmington.
In an emailed statement to Delaware Public Media, Alexandra Coppadge, a spokesperson for the city of Wilmington said, “The City welcomes the Guardian Angels engaging with the community in an effort to build trust and prevent violent crime.” She added that the police department will continue to work with various community stakeholders and deploy public safety strategies to tackle violent crime.
