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Curtis Sliwa

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Curtis Sliwa
Sliwa in Bahrain, January 2007
Born (1954-03-26) March 26, 1954 (age 70)
Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Known forfounding the Guardian Angels and New York City radio talk show host

Curtis Sliwa (born March 26, 1954) is an American anti-crime activist, founder of the Guardian Angels, and conservative radio talk show host.

Career

In February 1979, Sliwa created the "Magnificent 13", a group dedicated to combating violence and crime on the New York City subways. At the time, the city was the crime capital of the nation and was cutting back municipal services to reduce its debt.

The Magnificent 13 grew and became known as The Guardian Angels. The group's actions—some called it vigilantism—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 criminal incidents "that clearly had not taken place" emphasizing non-existent acts of heroism, as well as false allegations that he had been kidnapped by the New York Transit Police.[1] Throughout the early 1980s the group's distinctive uniform, a red beret and white insignia t-shirt, became recognizable as the group grew.

In the early 1980s, he was active in Buffalo, New York and was often critical of local police policies and practices.[2] Today, Sliwa claims that the Guardian Angels operate 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 in New York City.

Murder attempt on Sliwa

On June 19, 1992 Sliwa was ambushed by two gunmen after getting into a taxi in New York City. Junior Gotti, upset by remarks made by Sliwa about Gotti senior during his radio talk show, ordered Michael "Mikey Y." Yannotti and Joseph "Little Joe" D'Angelo to "shut him up!"

According to court records, D'Angelo drove a stolen taxi that picked up Mr. Sliwa in the East Village on June 19, 1992; Yannotti was the gunman who was hiding in the front passenger seat. Yannoti fired several shots at Mr. Sliwa, hitting him three times in the groin and legs. Sliwa underwent surgery for internal injuries and leg wounds. John A. "Junior" Gotti, son of the late Mafia boss John Gotti, and the two members of the Gambino crime family were charged with conspiring to murder Sliwa.[3] Gambino captain Nicholas "Little Nick" Corozzo was also connected to the shooting.

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.[4]

According to a November 13, 2006 New York Post article,[5] Michael Yannotti was convicted 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.[6] 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 loosely dramatized these events in the episode "Cry Wolf" (Nov. 17, 2004). Jose Zuniga played Sliwa's fictional counterpart, called "Kristoff".

Current media presence

Curtis Sliwa in September 2007

After his attempted murder, his WABC radio program was cancelled. Through his friendship with Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sliwa landed a radio program on the then city-owned and operated WNYC.

In 1996,[7] Sliwa returned to WABC, and later he became the co-host, with Ron Kuby, of the "Curtis and Kuby in the Morning" program aired weekdays during morning drive time on 77 WABC. The "Curtis and Kuby" radio show, produced by Frank Morano, has won many broadcasting awards.[citation needed]

On November 1, 2007, Citadel Broadcasting announced that Don Imus would be added to the WABC lineup and replace the morning team of Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby. The station retained Sliwa as host of the hour prior to the Imus show.[8] In March 2008, Sliwa replaced late morning host John R. Gambling, who returned to WOR (AM) to host the morning show.[9]

As of 2008, Sliwa is co-hosting an hour on KABC in Los Angeles, assisting Al Rantel, who has been diagnosed with lymphoma.[10] Sliwa also has appeared on TRU TV's Show "The Smoking Gun: World's Dumbest Criminals".[11]

In addition to his daily "Curtis Cast" webcasts, Sliwa occasionally fills in as guest host for Sean Hannity and Mark Levin on their radio shows. Sliwa has been active in forming new chapters of the Guardian Angels in New Orleans, as well as Boston, and Brockton, Massachusetts. Plans are also in the works to develop chapters in several other Boston area communities, beginning with Lynn, Massachusetts.[12]

In mid August 2008, Sliwa filled in on Boston talk radio station 96.9 WTKK for host Jay Severin, and now hosts a nightly show that airs 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM on the same radio station. (KABC is Los Angeles is now picking up the show as well and as of December 1, Citadel has rolled the show out nationwide; starting at WABC, where he swapped places with syndicated talker Laura Ingraham.)

Also in 2008, Sliwa made his appearance on truTV's The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...

Personal life

Sliwa was born into a Polish-Italian[13] Catholic family in Canarsie, Brooklyn, New York and raised a member of the Assyrian Church of the East. Sliwa attended and was expelled from Brooklyn Prep,[14] a Jesuit Catholic high school, and graduated from Canarsie High School, a New York City public high school in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Prior to founding the Guardian Angels, he was night manager of a McDonald's restaurant on Fordham Road in The Bronx.[15] His second wife was Lisa Evers,[citation needed] now a television commentator. In 2004 Sliwa married for a third time and became a father to his son, Anthony Chester.

Curtis Sliwa at a Toronto gathering in July 2006

Sliwa is known for his connection with the New York City 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.

References

  1. ^ 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)
  2. ^ JamesCunningham,68,Dies; Buffalo Police Commissioner
  3. ^ Garcia, Michelle (July 23), "'Junior' Gotti Charged With Murder", Washington Post, pp. A13 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  4. ^ 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)
  5. ^ Avenging Angel
  6. ^ Witchel, Alex (1992-11-12). "BACK ON THE STREET WITH: Curtis Sliwa; Not Invincible, but Standing Fast". New York Times. [Sliwa describing his injures] pulling up his shirt to reveal a ghoulish scar on his abdomen -- a thick, fleshy football seam set against dark maroon. "My first operation removed the bullets and unhooked the plumbing and the second reattached and normalized it," he says. Meaning what? "My stomach was rearranged. Intestines, colon, bowels and bladder. And both my legs were shot through."
  7. ^ " "Gunman's Tale of Fear, Hatred and Drugs". New York Times. 1996-04-13.
  8. ^ Nichols, Adam (2007) Ron Kuby and Curtis Sliwa blast WABC NY Daily News November 21st, 2007
  9. ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2008/02/29/2008-02-29_wabc_fires_john_gambling_brings_in_sliwa.html
  10. ^ http://www.ocregister.com/column/local-jan-news-1966720-kfwb-www
  11. ^ http://movies.nytimes.com/person/408507/Curtis-Sliwa
  12. ^ (Source: www.guardianangels.org)
  13. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CEFD61639F931A25752C1A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all The New York Times
  14. ^ Brooklyn’s Favorite Crime-fighter, Curtis Sliwa, Is Honored by Local Politicians, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 6, 2008
  15. ^ "Curtis Sliwa, CEO and Founder". Guardian Angels. Retrieved 2007-09-11.

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