Transit Security and The Guardian Angels

My brother and I were discussing the lack of success the Guardian Angels are having in Calgary.

Where the Sun's article on the subject attempts to frame the issue as a matter of public apathy, I think it's more subtle than that.

As our conversation whirled about, two things kept coming to the foreground as issues. The first being the simple fact that the Guardian Angels haven't been very successful in getting their message out to Canadians as to just who and what they are. It's one thing to be "good samaritans", it's something altogether different to formalize an organization around actively being a presence to inhibit malfeasance. Simply put, the Guardian Angels have done little to convince Canadians that they aren't just a group of vigilantes with a hero complex.

The second point that kept bubbling up was that of oversight and transparency. While the group has a website, neither the parent site, or the local chapter's website exactly addresses the issues of oversight and accountability - choosing to focus instead upon a "nice, sunny view" of the group's activities.

I'm not saying that the group doesn't address these issues - merely that the vast majority of people won't have a great deal of visibility into just what the oversight processes look like, or the public accountability. (and yes, by placing themselves where they do, they become part of the public scene as something of an authority figure)

The net result is a perception that the group is essentially a private paramilitary of sorts, and one that is not governed by the same accountability that we demand of our police and other law enforcement agencies that are already charged with maintaining the peace.

Canada is an odd beast when it comes to the public's perception of "private militias". Unlike the United States where such things are a part of the local traditions, Canada's tradition is rooted in highly respected, but large, public organizations. Even with the corruption scandals that have rocked the RCMP in recent years, the fact is that the NWMP and its successor agencies have had the general trust of the people to a degree that has not been the case in the US.

Similarly, the Canadian military is also seen - typically - as a trustworthy organization by most Canadians, and a certain amount of deference is given to someone in uniform almost automatically.

In dramatic contrast, the very foundations of the US Constitution are written around a profound worry that the government might arm itself against its people.

Where the US is psychologically built up around a fundamental mistrust of "public sector" endeavors - even law enforcement or the military, Canada has exactly the opposite experience and mentality. Canadians tend to generally trust the public officials and agencies we have charged with maintaining the peace. {and even when scandals occur, they don't seem to have a lasting effect}

Conversely, private militias are often equated in the public mind with disruptions of the peace, and are generally not well received by Canadians in general. The few occasions where a "private militia" has tried to form in Canada, they are either very, very small - and thus inconsequential, or they reach a size where they are noticeable, and they are seen as a potential threat.

Whether or not the Guardian Angels are a "force for good" is irrelevant. They simply have not yet convinced the Canadian public (and Calgary in particular) that in fact the organization is worthy of the public's trust, and that it will work effectively with the public organizations already in place to maintain the police. That will be a long and difficult process, as it involves overcoming the cultural assumptions that stand in their way.

Speaking for myself, while I'm all in favor of an increased presence of some kind to help secure our transit system and make it safe for all riders, I'm a little uneasy with the idea of that security being provided in the form of a private, semi-military organization - frankly that's just as unsettling to me as the current situation, but in different ways. I know what the rules are that the police and transit security people operate under are, and I know where and whom to raise concerns with. I can't say the same about the Guardian Angels.