The other day as I walked around downtown San Francisco I was reminded that the Guardian Angels — those groups of beret-sporting urban watchdogs I remember from my childhood — are alive and well, and still patrolling our streets. And as part of Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard’s plan to clean up the capital city, the Angels are off to D.F., where they will be watching the streets of the Centro Historico, the city’s historic center and tourist destination for many visitors which has been plagued by petty crime throughout the years.

The Angels that will be working in Mexico City aren’t a Mexican offshoot but are from U.S. According to Mexico City’s La Jornada, they will be paid by the tourism sector and will assist English-speaking visitors to the city. On a rather strange note, La Jornada reports that the Angels will also report “outsiders to the commmunity” to the authorities. Indeed, the headline in the paper translates roughly to “Foreigners to report the presence of ‘outsiders’ in the community”. Hmm…

Not everyone is happy with the impending arrival of the Angels. Some politicians aren’t sold yet, and want clarification that the group will be there to also train Mexican citizens and not “carry arms or assume the role of police,” reports La Jornada.

Via / La Jornada