Private citizens, believing self-protection is the answer, are taking up weapons and barring doors more than ever before. Sources of this fear are found in our contemporary mechanized, isolated society and the portrayed violence on television. People are taking courses to learn how to use small arms for self-defense, while others are following the precepts of the survivalist movement, believing that only those who are fully armed and prepared for disaster (with food supplies, provision for shelter, etc.) will make it through the next few years. Among the more positive responses to fear of crime are the Guardian Angels, volunteer safety patrols of adolescents and young adults who patrol New York's crime-ridden subways to protect passengers, and block watch committees in local neighborhoods. These committees aid the police in preventing crime by watching for suspicious behavior and reporting anything unusual to the police.