Guardian Angels hold first recruitment in Riverhead, at Spanish church service

Urging residents to get involved, to show solidarity as a community and help police prevent crime by being their eyes and ears, Guardian Angel Arnaldo Salinas, the International Liaison for the neighborhood watch group, spoke last night before more than 500 people at St. John the Evangelist’s Spanish Mass.

“These are difficult times for Latinos,” he told churchgoers. “Politically, especially now with Trump and his rhetoric, we have to show everybody that we are strong as a community and that we’ll survive,” he said.

He went on to explain that, even though the nonprofit organization has no religious affiliations, their main duty was one of service and that the main message is to “help people help themselves.” First invited by Town Supervisor Sean Walter, the Guardian Angels have patrolled a few times through downtown Riverhead and last night was the culmination of those visits by inviting residents to join their volunteer-based organization.

“We’re not here to take care of crime overnight, we’re here to train people to help themselves one problem at a time,” Salinas said.

He said that through their patrols, the Angels “are the eyes and the ears of the police,” and that sometimes they couldn’t wait for the [local] government or police to do it alone.

Salina’s words resonated with many, who listened avidly and signed up for a future meeting to listen to the group’s mission in more detail.

Melvin Bustillo, a Riverhead resident, was impressed by the group’s message and said that although the Riverhead Police Department is very good with the Latino community, a lot of the incidents concerning Latinos go unreported because of fear of being detained due to their legal status.

“This community needs something like this. I’ve seen too many cases where Latinos have been discriminated against, assaulted or beaten and nothing has happened,” he said.

Bustillo said that the Latino community in Riverhead is very aware of the recent anti-immigrant comments from several Town Board members, especially those from Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, who said last month that people who could not produce proof of legal status would be taken into custody for fingerprinting — something that would violate federal law, according to Amol Sinha, director of the Suffolk County chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union and an attorney.

“She [Giglio], does not realize that we live here, it’s our home and we want to protect it too. There is a total disconnection,” Bustillo said.

North Fork Spanish Apostolate executive director Sister Margaret Smyth, who was present last night, said she believes the Guardian Angels intentions are good, especially if it makes the community get involved and feel more secure, but she said that they have limitations since they are not the police and that is something to have in mind.

Nevertheless Smyth said that their presence is also part of the solution, a sentiment echoed by Antonio Huit, one of the congregants last night.

“As Latinos we are persecuted, either through words or actions and that is not fair. We are working hard just like everybody else, not only for our families, but also because we love this country and we want to help our community, and if becoming a Guardian [Angel] will make everybody feel safer, then that’s great” he said.

However not everybody believes that weekly patrols would necessarily make Riverhead safer.

Riverhead Town Supervisor candidate Anthony Coates, said last night after the service, that although he believes politically that the Angels’ outreach to the community can be a good thing, personally, he had a lot of questions regarding the patrols.

“Patrols are not something I favor, but as a liaison, any bridge is welcome,” he said.

With more than 5,000 members and over 130 chapters in 14 countries, the red-beret wearing nonprofit organization, has not been without controversy throughout its 36-year history — especially surrounding its founder, Curtis Sliwa — and has often met with opposition.

Such was the case in Riverhead, where the Riverhead Police Union, downtown business owners and the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management
Association, all took a stand in May against the Guardian Angels coming to Riverhead.

They believe their presence would create a climate of perceived crime, and that would drive people away. However, other downtown business owners disagreed, and welcomed the initiative because they said it would make them feel safer.

Salinas said in his speech last night that, by joining the Guardian Angels, Latinos in Riverhead would be able to change the negative perception that some have towards them.

“Just like when I joined as a Latino teenager and people thought we were the ones causing problems, and then we changed that belief because we showed everybody the opposite. We are here for all of those who want to help themselves and their community through service,” he said.

In order for the Guardian Angels to form a chapter in Riverhead, members of the community would have to volunteer.

“We’re not going to bring people from outside, all efforts have to come from within,” Salinas said.

A 1985 study by the Criminal Justice Research Unit of the San Diego Association of Governments on the effectiveness of Guardian Angels pointed out that the organization’s success in any given community where the group is active, can only come from “the extent to which Sliwa [and Guardian Angels in general] can seek rapprochement with law enforcement and community leaders.”

In order to join, prospective members have to be over the age of 16 and be able to pass a background check that doesn’t list any major crimes.

After a three-month training program consisting of several different courses like self-defense and organization procedures and methodology, the new Guardian Angels would start weekly patrols as needed. They would also have the opportunity to expand the chapter beyond patrols by establishing other programs such as the Junior Angels, a prevention program for children ages 7 to 11 years old that “teaches values and instills a sense of purpose,” according to the organization’s website.

The organization is planning to hold an information session this week for residents who showed interest — about 25 in all — during last night’s recruiting efforts.