Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa To Astoria: 'We Have The Right To Patrol'

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A cacophony of boos and claps filled the Astoria World Manor’s Empire room when Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa took his turn at the podium during the neighborhood’s monthly NYPD precinct meeting Tuesday night.

“We have the right to patrol these streets!” Sliwa shouted. “There’s nothing you can do to stop us and stop the police from bringing peace, justice, law and order to Astoria!”

While some welcome the extra patrol, Sliwa’s presence added fuel to the fire already brewing at the 114th Precinct meetings.

The last three meetings have amassed a crowd of young residents, mostly organizing through Reddit, calling for the police to increase their protection for pedestrians and cyclists.

“It’s pathetic,” Alex Duncan said, referring to the Guardian Angels. “They come to our peaceful neighborhood and try to pretend that there's a huge amount of crime that they're here to solve. They’re just turning up the temperature.”

The Guardian Angels, an unarmed, civilian crime-watch group with chapters throughout the country, installed a patrol in Astoria in mid-April. The move by Sliwa, a Republican who unsuccessfully ran for mayor against Eric Adams, was met with a mix of emotions from residents during Tuesday’s forum.

Precinct meetings this year have gathered a group of locals who want to hold police accountable after the tragic deaths of cyclists and pedestrians in the neighborhood.

The young Reddit users are using these meetings to take the online conversations to an in-person space where their concerns about the tragic deaths of 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun and 16-year-old Jaydan McLaurin have taken the forefront of the Q&A sections of these gatherings.

Dolma was hit by a car while crossing the street in February, while an SUV driver struck Jaydan as he was riding his bike earlier this month.

But another group of residents thinks the police in Astoria should maintain their focus on shootings and crime, which brings a sense of welcome to the Guardian Angels.

Two men were fatally shot in Astoria earlier this month, and a man was found fatally shot in Astoria Houses in March.

Despite several hands still being raised for questions at Tuesday’s meeting, the inquiries were cut short for Sliwa’s speech following a transit-heavy discussion. While some cheered for Sliwa after each sentence, others booed and heckled.

“We are very interested in traffic safety, we see it as a quality of life issue,” Duncan, 37, said. “Then there’s the older crowd, which is a lot more interested in street crime.”

Duncan said that “drivers have become emboldened since the pandemic and they’re terrorizing the neighborhood.”

The Guardian Angels have hung up posters across Astoria seeking volunteers for the neighborhood patrol.

“In response to a string of deadly shootings and other crimes in Astoria, the Guardian Angels will begin patrolling the affected areas to help assure public safety in the local streets, subways and parks,” reads the poster.

The next meeting by the NYPD’s 114th Precinct is scheduled for May 23 at 7 p.m.