Selfish media heroes and television violence are the causes of the country's crime problem, Curtis Sliwa, 22-year-old founder and leader of the Guardian Angels, said last night in a panel discussion at the Kennedy School of Government.

"Every bloody role model in the society talking about me and I, not we," Sliwa hold the receptive crowd of about 150. "But we average Americans can't become the Brooke Shields and the Reggie Jacksons, so the only way to instant success is to carry a gun or sell dope."

The Guardian Angels patrol the subways and neighborhoods of 31 cities trying to deter violent crime through their presence rather than through force, Sliwa said. He opened a Boston chapter in May, and 45 Angels have already begun watching the local subways, wearing the distinctive red beret and t-shirt that Sliwa described as a "moving lollipop outfit."

James Q. Wilson, Shattuck Professor of Government and a panelist in the discussion, asked Sliwa whether his organization might not dissolve after the initial enthusiasm has worn off, in light of the past experience of other community-watch groups.

Sliwa responded that other groups have folded because they focused on one issue, such as neighborhood racial tension. The Guardian Angels have no political or ethnic interest and thus will last as long as citizens fear violence, he said.

Government cannot respond to violence, Sliwa said, because the police do not stay on the streets. "The 'braniacs' in the police department decided to centralize the system by putting police in patrol cars with the air conditioners on and the radios playing," he said. "The Guardian Angels are putting back the deterrent of having someone present in a uniform," he added.