In the late 1970s, it was a city in decline that led Curtis Sliwa to form what is today known as the Guardian Angels.
New York City was saddled with a massive budget deficit, and lawlessness ran amok. What had literally begun as a volunteer clean team, Curtis' "Rock Brigade," was retooled to address the city's rise in murders, robberies, and burglaries.
Curtis and his multi-racial group of volunteers, just thirteen at the time, rode the 4 train to help put a stop to the crimes that were occurring to citizens riding the subway.
From here, the Guardian Angels were born.
My name is Arnold Salinas and I am one of the original members of the Guardian Angels Safety Patrol, the "Magnificent Thirteen."
There's an old saying that history has a way of repeating itself. Just look at New York City today and tell me I'm wrong.
Democrats at City Hall recently passed the largest budget in this city's history -- a whopping $98.7 billion -- despite facing one of its worst financial crises in recent history.
And just like the 1970s, crime is up across the board in nearly every neighborhood -- especially on our subways -- yet Democrats are calling for more cuts to the NYPD.
History is repeating itself right in front of our eyes. Now more than ever, New Yorkers need a tough-on-crime, "no B.S." Mayor who won't settle for business as usual.
For nearly 50 years, I have fought side-by-side with Curtis to clean up this city, which is why I know he is the best person for this very important job.