10,000 Men group to begin patrols Saturday

About 200 members of 10,000 Men: A Call to Action are set to begin patrolling streets in South Philadelphia Saturday in the first phase of a massive anti-crime effort, organizers said today.

"These men are going to the leaders of the patrols," said Norm Bond, a spokesman for the project

The 200 men, who will be squad leaders, will be walking through the area of 2600 block of Morris Street in South Philadelphia where they will be knocking on doors and introducing themselves to community residents, Bond said.

"This is an opportunity for them to meet the people in the community," Bond said.

Those 200 men will be wearing black jackets or coats, officials said.

"We will be providing them with armbands and caps," said Bond.

He said the armbands and caps would be red, black and green.

Bond said this elite group would be known as "vanguard" of the organization.

Those men they will eventually lead will wear green jackets with the armbands and caps, he said.

Close to 10,000 men attended a rally on Oct. 21 at the Liacouras Center at Temple University. During the rally, which featured several inspirational speeches, organizers recruited volunteers to patrol streets in crime-ridden neighborhoods throughout the city.

Since the rally, thousands of men have attended orientation sessions. Bond said those men would mobilized in the coming weeks.

"The enthusiasm level is incredibly high," among the volunteers, Bond said. "They have been ready to go out on the streets since Oct. 21."