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Guardian Angels chapter
welcomes first members
First, it was his Ewa Beach home. Then, his daughter's was hit.
The burglaries left John Kalaau angry but also looking for a way to reduce crime in his community.
When a friend told him about the newly formed Hawaii chapter of the Guardian Angels -- a worldwide citizens patrol group started 25 years ago in New York -- Kalaau jumped at the chance to join.
After three months of training, Kalaau was named a Guardian Angel yesterday along with 13 other Hawaii residents at a special ceremony at the Capitol's courtyard. They are the chapter's first graduating class, committed to making weekly patrols in several neighborhoods islandwide.
"This is your opportunity to make another contribution," Curtis Sliwa, Guardian Angels national founder and president, told the graduates. "For those who dare to care, the Guardian Angels is one way to do that."
The Hawaii Angels will don the group's trademark red beret and patrol with handcuffs but no weapons.
They will also wear recognizable white T-shirts, which read "Guardian Angels Patrol."
Ricardo Garcia, the Hawaii chapter's founder and director, said the new graduates will initially concentrate their patrols on Waikiki, Ewa Beach and Waipahu.
He hopes to expand the group's patrols to other communities once more trainees have graduated, he said.
And eventually, other islands.
The graduates are all men, some are combat veterans and one is a chiropractor. But there are several women who are training to become Angels, including Wahiawa resident Brigitte Taylor.
"We're there to deter crime activity," said Taylor, who joined the group to help clean up her own neighborhood.
Her 10-year-old daughter, Jazzmyn, is also in Angels training, along with several other children.
The youths cannot graduate or go on patrol until they are 16, but they can learn self-defense techniques and participate in public-service events.
The Angels are in 16 states and have an additional 16 international chapters. Mainly known for the citizen patrols, they also have an Internet "cyber safety" campaign and a program for urban kids.
Garcia, who petitioned the organization's headquarters for two years to get permission to start one, was surprised with the number of graduates in the chapter's first class.
"I thought it was going to take time" to drum up interest, he said. "It's just overwhelming."
He said there are about 20 trainees in the program now, and several more people have inquired about joining.
Sliwa, who was in Honolulu yesterday for the graduation, said the volunteer organization encourages participation from a variety of people with different backgrounds.
"You don't have to be the second coming of Spike Lee," he said. "Really, you have to be consistent. People have to commit to be there."
Graduate Al Dacascos, a martial arts instructor, got involved with the Angels after getting frustrated with the drug activity in his Waianae community.
"It's (the group) meant to subdue ... this problem of drugs," he said. "We do a lot of helping people."
After the ceremony yesterday afternoon, Kalaau's wife and daughters showered him with leis and kisses. As he talked about his reasons for joining the Angels, his wife had her arm around him and was beaming.
"I wanted to make a difference," Kalaau said.
And in addition to regular patrols, he has also appointed himself an Angels recruiter.
He said he is anxious to get his relatives and friends involved. "I've got six daughters," he added with a laugh.
