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The original and primary activity of the Guardian Angels is "safety patrol", in which members walk the streets or ride public transit. Guardian Angels must be in uniform to represent the organization.As if there wasn't enough violence on the streets of American cities, Curtis Sliwa has been busy inventing some. Sliwa, founder of the New York-based Guardian Angels, recently acknowledged that he faked a half dozen of the crime-stopping interventions for which his security group has gained national attention. Current and former associates of Sliwa say there are even more.Why would a group that claims to work in the public interest stoop to such behavior? Sliwa said he did it to gain publicity and support when the idea for a security force was a new idea, and later when something was needed to keep the Angels' public profile high. With no authority and no credibility beyond what they could win through their own good deeds, the fledgling citizen patrollers started small when they staged their first trick, the return of a stolen wallet. Sliwa has been quoted as saying that a parish priest dreamed this up in 1978. While the priest, who is now retired, told the New York Times that it wasn't his idea, he acknowledged playing along because the young do-gooders needed positive attention.A staged crime is never harmless, however, no matter how noble the motive. In a society beset by violence and the fear of harm, trust is the ultimate victim. It is hard enough for people who live in high-crime areas to conduct normal activities, faced with the constant awareness that they might be mugged _ or worse. Raising that anxiety level by creating artificial victims can only harm the fragile trust that allows community life to continue despite drive-by shootings and other random violence.The Guardian Angels allegedly staged more serious stunts as well, including one in which a group member was soaked with gasoline by two would-be "robbers." Tony Mao, the former Angel who now says he doused himself with gasoline, told the New York Times that the idea came from an actual incident.
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