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 Curtis Sliwa in Bahrain in Jan 2007. Photo by Mahmood Al-Yousif | |
| Born | March 26, 1954 Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Known for | founding the Guardian Angels and hosting a radio talk show |
Curtis Sliwa (born March 26, 1954 in Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York) is an anti-crime activist, founder of the Guardian Angels, and conservative radio talk show host.
Career
Sliwa originally created the organization to combat widespread violence and crime on the New York City subways. At the time, the city was suffering a double burden, both as the crime capital of the nation and from broad cutbacks in municipal services to reduce its huge debt.
The Guardian Angels' activism drew strong reactions, both positive and negative, from the public and the media. Sliwa later admitted that, in order to attract favorable media attention for the Guardian Angels, he had fabricated a series of criminal incidents "that clearly had not taken place" in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Throughout the early 1980s the group's distinctive uniform, a red beret and white insignia t-shirt, became instantly recognizable as the group grew.
In the early 1980s, he was also active in Buffalo, New York and was often critical of local police policies and practices. The Guardian Angels are currently organized in nine countries and eighty-two cities around the world, with approximately 5,000 members.
Sliwa later became a populist conservative radio talk show host. In the early 1990s, Sliwa was co-host with his then-wife Lisa Evers on WABC-AM in New York City.
Assassination attempt on Sliwa
On June 19, 1992 Sliwa was ambushed by two gunmen after getting in the back of a taxi in New York City. Sliwa was shot multiple times and underwent surgery for internal injuries and leg wounds. John A. "Junior" Gotti, son of the late Mafia boss John Gotti, and two members of the Gambino crime family were charged with conspiring to murder Sliwa in retaliation for comments about the elder Gotti that Sliwa made during his radio program.
On September 20, 2005, the case against Gotti was declared a mistrial after the jury became hopelessly deadlocked, though it acquitted Gotti on a $25 million securities fraud charge. On October 20, 2006, prosecutors announced that they would not re-try Gotti, and dismissed the charges against him. Sliwa was outraged by the decision and announced that he would sue Gotti for the kidnapping attempt.
According to a November 13, 2006 New York Post article, Michael Yannotti was convicted by a jury of racketeering and loan sharking. Yannotti was apparently ordered by "Junior" Gotti to intimidate Sliwa, however Yannotti shot Sliwa instead of beating him. The injuries resulted in a life of debilitating pain for Sliwa. Yannotti's sentencing Judge said that she found the evidence regarding his involvement in Sliwa's shooting "quite credible" when she sentenced him to twenty years in federal prison.
The TV series Law & Order dramatized these events in the 15th season episode "Cry Wolf". Jose Zuniga played Sliwa's fictional counterpart, called "Kristoff".
Current media presence
After his attempted murder, his WABC (AM) program was cancelled. Through his friendship with Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sliwa landed a radio program on the then city-owned and operated WNYC.
In 2000, Sliwa became the co-host, with Ron Kuby, of the "Curtis and Kuby in the Morning" program aired weekdays from 5 A.M. to 10 A.M. on WABC (AM). Sliwa and Kuby also co-hosted a television version of "Curtis & Kuby" on MSNBC in the afternoons for a time in 2002-2003. The "Curtis and Kuby" radio show, produced by Frank Morano, has won many broadcasting awards.
He occasionally fills in for Sean Hannity and Mark Levin on the The Sean Hannity Show and the Mark Levin Show.
Sliwa has more recently been active in forming chapters of the Guardian Angels in New Orleans and Boston.
On November 1, 2007 it was announced that Don Imus would return to WABC and replace the morning team of Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby on the Citadel Broadcasting-owned station. As a direct result Kuby was let go, However, the station retained Sliwa as host of the 5:00 hour. In March 2008, Sliwa moved to the 10:00-11:45 time slot after mass layoffs by parent company Citadel Broadcasting; he replaces John R. Gambling, who was dismissed in the layoffs.
Personal life
Curtis Sliwa was born and raised in the city of New York in the borough of Brooklyn. His life experiences of violence on the streets as a youth stimulated him to begin combatting street violence through peaceful surveillance. Sliwa was born into a Polish Christian family and raised a member of the Assyrian Church of the East. Sliwa attended and was expelled from Brooklyn Prep, a Jesuit Catholic high school, and graduated from Canarsie High School, a New York City public high school located in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Prior to founding the Guardian Angels, he was night manager of a McDonald's restaurant on Fordham Road in The Bronx. In 2004 Sliwa married for a third time and became a father to his son, Anthony Chester.
Trivia
Sliwa is known for his connection with the New York City local community and frequently participates in local events. He is an active proponent of the game of stickball and sometimes refers to himself as the "Stickball Commissioner" of New York City. He is also a former host and participant in competitive eating events. His achievements in those events include four reigns as the world pickle-eating champion.
Notes
- Lambert, Bruce (1995-10-29). "Guardian Angels Lose Home Base on Restaurant Row". New York Times. p. 13.1.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - JamesCunningham,68,Dies; Buffalo Police Commissioner
- Garcia, Michelle (July 23), "'Junior' Gotti Charged With Murder", Washington Post, pp. A13
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=and|year=/|date=mismatch (help) - Feuer, Allan (2006-10-20). "No Fourth Trial for Gotti, Prosecutors Say". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Avenging Angel
- Nichols, Adam (2007) Ron Kuby and Curtis Sliwa blast WABC NY Daily News November 21st, 2007
- "Curtis Sliwa, CEO and Founder". Guardian Angels. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
External links
- Biography on Guardian Angels' web site
- Sliwa's MySpace page
- WABC Radio Profile for Sliwa
- Williams, Timothy (2006) Sliwa, a Gotti Antagonist, Is Called by the Defense This Time The New York Times, September 6th, 2006
- 2004 YouTube video of Sliwa introducing stickball to Cuba