The Guardian Angels are patrolling the area where a victim was beaten so severely his jaw had to be wired shut.
The vicious, broad-daylight attack in an alley along 14th and W streets NW happened Thursday after the victim is said to have asked a man drinking in the alley behind the victim’s condo to pick up the beer can the attacker discarded.
The victim's recovering from a broken jaw and surgery to repair his shattered face.
"We were asked to come here because of the recent beating that occurred here,” said Guardian Angel John Ayala.
The guardian angels began a patrol in the area of the attack Monday.
The outrage is compounded because the attack happened in the middle of the afternoon with people close by in an area that is attractive to new development and all it entails.
"We're clearly making a difference but we have people hanging out,” D.C. Councilman Jim Graham said. “We have people coming from all over the city dealing and using drugs and you know they gotta be arrested.”
“You see something going on and if you want to approach somebody and ask them to clean up, don't do it unless you’ve got a buddy with you,” Ayala said.
A meeting was scheduled for Tuesday with residents and neighborhood police officials. It was planned before last week’s attack, but now those who live in the neighborhood hope to make the attack and the larger problems played out in this alley top of the agenda.
