Ayala leads the D.C. chapter of the Guardian Angels — citizen volunteers who patrol neighborhoods and public transportation serving as positive role models and discouraging dangerous behavior. We caught him on the job at L’Enfant Plaza, and the New York City native shared with us his motivation for the work he has done for the past 27 years. How’d you get your start as an Angel?

I started at 15 years old. I got interested when I learned they taught martial arts, and that they were out in the community helping people. I had wanted to be a cop when I grew older, and I saw this as a way to protect people, and to make a difference. I’ve been doing it in D.C. for the past 22 years.