Welcome listener, I'm glad you're here.

Take a seat next to the fire.

New York City in the 1980s was not the place we know it to be today, especially when it comes to

violent crime. According to some reports, during the 10-year period from 1980 to 1990,

there was an average of up to 2000 murders per year. Almost no neighborhood was without risks,

and no one was off limit. The blackout riots of 1977 were still fresh in many New Yorkers' minds,

and the city was densely populated with millions of people living and working in such a confined space.

Commuting to Anaround Manhattan, we have the dirty, dangerous, and heavily graffitied subway system.

It was the only choice available to most residents. 3.3 million of whom were lied on the subway every day.

These days on the subway, transit officers have a reassuring presence. They ensure things are

running smoothly, and that any disturbances aren't dealt with swiftly. But in the 1980s,

the city couldn't afford to employ such security on the subway.

3.3 million of whom were lied on the subway every day. City Mayor Ed Koch openly dismissed the idea

that New Yorkers were fearful of the subway, and even being on the street after dark in some neighborhoods.

But many citizens felt scared. They resented it. But there was little else they could do.

It was just part of living in New York. Then YPD already had their work cut out for them in terms

of responding to an overwhelming amount of emergency calls daily, where someone had been violently

assaulted or murdered. This led to the founding in 1979, a volunteer patrol group, the Guardian Angels.

They wore distinctive red berets and provided a visible presence in writing on the subways.

Based in the Bronx, they believed in self-defense and were physically intervening if necessary.

Making citizens a rest to keep people safe. But they weren't law enforcement, and as such,

were open to prosecution themselves in the event that things turned ugly.

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