Chicago’s favorite red-capped crime fighters could be moving into Lakeview come spring. The Guardian Angels, the volunteer CTA anti-crime patrol, could be housed close to Halsted Street in Boystown as soon as March.
While the Angels have been housed in Uptown and Wicker Park in the past, the 30-year-old Chicago chapter is currently without a headquarters. The Angels have promised residents that if they set up an office for the Angels, they will patrol the neighborhood.
A handful of community members met with the Angels at Center on Halsted Sept. 14 to strategize on the collaboration and learn about how they can become Angels.
Lakeview residents invited the Angels to the neighborhood after a summer of crime that made headlines and sparked fears that violence in the neighborhood was out of control.
While initial efforts, led by longtime HIV/AIDS advocate Keith Green, focused on building a foot patrol of Lakeview residents, the group recently decided to work on bringing the Angels themselves to the neighborhood.
Lakeview residents will also be invited to become Guardian Angels. They must first complete a lengthy interview process and three month training.
Residents are currently searching for an office space to house the Angels.