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Guardian Angels

(Above) Three “Guardian Angels” pose for this photo, posted on the group’s Facebook page, while patrolling River North on August 9 near the intersection of North State Street and East Grand Avenue. The AMA Building is in the background at right.

River North ‘easy pickings’ for criminals, says director of crime-fighting group

20-Aug-13 – When the Guardian Angels, a group that was formed to fight crime on New York subways, takes an interest in your neighborhood, it might be time to worry about safety. Miguel Fuentes, the national director of the non-profit organization, says River North is safe. And that is the problem.

“Because it’s safe, people who want to commit crimes go where there’s the least resistance,” says Fuentes, “and where people have more to take, whether it’s electronic devices or money.”

Fuentes, the 38-year-old leader of the Chicago chapter of the Guardian Angels, has been to River North, most recently following an assault on August 6 inside a bookstore on West Illinois Street. The Guardian Angels patrolled the area, escorted people to and from their jobs, and posted flyers offering safety tips. The group is concerned about crime in River North and not above using high-profile incidents to raise awareness of personal safety as well as what they do to fight crime in Chicago.

Miguel Fuentes

In July, the Guardian Angels passed out flyers on North Michigan Avenue suggesting the Magnificent Mile could become “Mugger’s Mile,” to which Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel suggested they take their efforts elsewhere, to which the Guardian Angels suggested Emanuel tag along on one of their neighborhood patrols.

Fuentes (left, in a photo from the group’s website) sees River North, with its tourists, visitors from the suburbs, and people distracted by electronic devices, as “easy pickings” and “window shopping for criminals.”

He is also pessimistic about justice being served even if a thief is caught.

Much of his advice has been heard before. Keep use of electronic devices in public to a minimum, do not get distracted by a device, leave it unattended, or unwittingly show it off to a potential thief. But Fuentes sees other vulnerabilities he says are more unique to River North.

“One of the things that stands out about River North, especially a lot of businesses, is they don’t communicate with each other. They don’t share information.”

And while there may be video surveillance, he says too often it is just to make sure employees are not stealing.

“They may not have the cameras positioned where they may record somebody who is actually coming in to cause harm or rob the store. I’m not sure but I’m almost betting that a lot of these stores, their video recorders, the cameras, stop recording after the store closes.”

He says the camera is there to protect the business. “So it would only make sense that you would protect the business when the business is closed.”

Although they do not announce in advance where they will be, most of the time you will find Guardian Angels on the city’s CTA trains, where their mission is to be “a visible crime deterrent.”

It is the trains, says Fuentes, which brings criminals into River North, where the crime rate is relatively low but still a major concern. Off the top of his head, speaking with Loop North News on Monday, Fuentes rattled off details of three recent incidents, all involving theft of iPhones – two incidents in which the victims were physically struck.

“They take your phone or electronic device and they punch you. And if you get up and try to fight back, a lot of times they’re either bigger than you or they work in groups and they jump on you and they beat you up.”

(Right) A CTA L train crosses into the Loop from the west.

Photo by Steven Dahlman

The suspects in all three incidents were caught and Fuentes says they all live on Chicago’s south side. “More than likely, they’re jumping on the rail line to come down because no one is going to drive and pay 20-30 dollars in parking to come rob somebody.”

Founded in 1979, the Guardian Angels now have chapters in 144 cities around the world. Known for their red berets, members, who are all volunteers, patrol unarmed. They are trained in martial arts as well as communication, conflict resolution, and first aid.

Fuentes has been with the Guardian Angels for more than 20 years, joining when he was 16 years old. According to the group’s website, his nickname is “Third Rail,” referring to the electrified rail on a train track.

No arrest in rape near State & Illinois

Photo by Steven Dahlman

(Above) This sign was posted recently by the Guardian Angels on an equipment box at North State Street and West Illinois Street, near where a 42-year-old woman was raped on August 6. Chicago police have not announced any arrest in the case.

The woman was closing her bookstore at around 10:15 p.m. when a man approached her and claimed to have left something inside. When she opened the door and let him in, he pulled a knife, forced her to a restroom in the back of the store, and assaulted her. The woman’s husband walked into the store, heard her screaming, and with a baseball bat chased the suspect out onto Illinois Street. The man escaped before police arrived.

Photo by Steven Dahlman

The sign offers “safety tips for store owners” that include making sure security cameras are working, not allowing anyone back into the store after hours, and advice to “fight back, scream, bite, and scratch.”

Four days after the assault, Guardian Angels were still patrolling the area.

(Left) Area where the attack occurred – East Illinois Street, looking west from Wabash Avenue. (Click on image to view larger version.)