Guardian Angels member recruiting for Philadelphia chapter
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia, like all major cities, has it's problems. One man is hoping to make a change, one volunteer at a time, as he recruits an army of Guardian Angels.
TJ Cahill joined the Guardian Angels almost a year ago. Last week, he was joined by FOX 29's Hank Flynn as he contacted SEPTA about drug paraphernalia in the hallways of Jefferson Station.
"I was just letting you know, hoping somebody can come down here and clean it up before the kids get out of school so the kids will be safe," Cahill said on the phone with SEPTA.
He's recruiting to rebuild a Philadelphia chapter of the Guardian Angels – a 40-plus year old service organization founded by Curtis Sliwa.
Sliwa says he believes in TJ.
"He has sort of set the template now. We'll certainly help him in whatever way we can, but he's going to end up crawling into the belly of the beast because the city of Philadelphia has always been tough. In order for you to survive in Philly, whether you’re law enforcement, a Guardian Angel, or anybody else, you gotta be better than tough," Sliwa said. "I think TJ's got the right stuff."
For TJ, making a difference is as simple as stepping into a bad situation to help, or pulling out your phone to call for help.
"If we see somebody getting attacked on the corner we're going over stop it and detain that person until the police get there – do a citizens arrest," TJ said. "We will never watch a crime go down."
"You already have 100 homicides, you're setting all-time crime records. The city of Philadelphia has always been good to the Guardian Angels so its time that the Guardian Angels repay the favor," Sliwa added.
TJ says he's gotten all positive feedback so far.
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