Archives January 2011

Originally posted: http://abcnews.go.com/US/real-life-seattle-superhero-phoenix-jones-suffers-broken/story?id=12589895
Phoenix Jones, Caped Crusader Patrolling Seattle, Attacked at Gunpoint
By JESSICA HOPPER and NEAL KARLINSKY
Jan. 11, 2010
Phoenix Jones, the real-life superhero who has gotten fame for patrolling the streets of Seattle, found his kryptonite in the guise of two attackers who left him with a broken nose over the weekend.
Armed with a skintight black-and-gold, belted costume, a cape and a fedora, Phoenix Jones suits up at night to fight crime on the streets of Seattle. He’s the leader of a real-life superhero movement called the Rain City Superheroes.
On Saturday, things turned violent when a man held Jones at gunpoint and another broke his nose.
“They were all swearing at each other and like about to fight,” Jones told ABC affiliate KOMO.
Jones stepped in to try and stop the men. The caped crusader claimed that he called 911 and had one of the men in a headlock when another man pulled out a gun.
“He starts swinging on me and starts an altercation with me,” Jones told KOMO.
The incident over the weekend is exactly what worries police about everyday citizens who take justice into their own hands.
“Our concern is if it goes badly, then we end up getting called anyway, and we may have additional victims,” Detective Mark Jamieson told ABC News last week.
Seattle police said that it is not illegal to dress up as a superhero, but they worry about excess calls to 911 when residents confuse Jones and the other real-life superheroes with the criminals they’re trying to capture.
Jones said that he calls police ahead of time to tell them where he’ll be patrolling. He said he developed his costume, along with his alter ego’s name, when his crime-fighting ways made him too recognizable.
“When I started breaking apart fights, I had no outfit or moniker or symbol, and people started recognizing me in my everyday life. It got kind of dangerous and very uncomfortable,” he said. “This suit is what people recognize, and when I take the suit off, I’m able to live as close to a normal life as possible until I put it back on and am ready to defend the people of Seattle.”
While Jones might not have Batman’s Alfred Pennyworth to help him build cool new gadgets, he has adapted his car and costume to protect him.
He wears a bulletproof vest and carries not just a Taser but a net gun and a grappling hook.
His car has a computer in it that prints any e-mails sent to his superhero e-mail address.
On the night ABC News went on patrol with Jones, the caped crusader zapped a warning shot with his Taser during a very tense run in with a man he said was about to drive drunk.
“Just back up! Stay back, stay away. I don’t want to have to Tase you,” Jones yelled.
Jones’ sidekicks, Red Dragon and Buster Joe, called the police.
Jones’ quest to help his fellow residents is a weirdly close imitation of the movie “Kick Ass,” whose characters dress up as superheroes and take on crime fighting.
Jones said he has a real nine-to-five job, a wife and two kids.
He told ABC affiliate KOMO that an incident with his son inspired him to put on his cape.
One night someone broke into Jones’ car, and the broken glass injured his son and resulted in a trip to the emergency room. When people told Jones that several people witnessed the break-in but did nothing, he was dumbfounded.
“Teenagers are running down the street, breaking into cars, and no one does anything? Where’s the personal accountability?” Jones told KOMO.
Jones emphasizes that his real mission is to help people — he also hands out food to the homeless. On the night ABC News followed the men, they distributed food from Taco Bell to homeless people sitting on the sidewalks.
While police might be skeptical, Jones and his gang of wannabe heroes don’t plan to give up.
“I have two kids,” he said. “I always tell them the same thing every time before I go on patrol: ‘This is the only thing daddy could think of to make the world better for you guys, and I’ll see you when I get home.'”
ABC Affiliate KOMO contributed to this story.

Originally posted: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/real_life_superhero_gets_his_nose_broken_in_street.php
Phoenix Jones, a.k.a Phoenix Jones the Guardian of Seattle, a.k.a. the “Real Life Superhero” who dresses up and tries to thwart crime in Washington State, had his nose broken and a gun pointed at him in an altercation in Seattle last weekend.
KOMO reports that the incident occurred Saturday night, when Jones saw two men “swearing at each other and like about to fight.” The mask-and-body-armor-wearing Jones stepped in to intervene, but one of the men started “swinging” at him. So Jones put him in a headlock, and called 911. That’s when the other man pulled out a gun. Jones let go, and was kicked in the face by the man he had just been holding. Both men got away.
Police told KOMO that they fear someone could end up getting killed if Jones and his Rain City Superhero Movement keep up their “patrols.”
“They insert themselves into a potentially volatile situation and then they end up being victimized as well,” Seattle Police Detective Mark Jamieson said. “If you see something, call 911.”
But Jones, who said that he turned down reality show offers from the Discovery Channel, MTV and A&E, sounded undaunted.
“I train for these situations,” he said. “I don’t just come out willy nilly and run out on the streets.”
(h/t New York Post)

Originally posted: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/113246859.html

During an interview on Monday, January 10, 2011, “Phoenix Jones” recounts the attack that left him with a broken nose. By Komo News

Usually when we go out on an Outreach to help the Homeless, we hand out such consumables as bottled water, sandwiches, and other cold foodstuffs. But with cold weather coming on, I’ve been thinking about how to get people hot food, hot beverages, and maybe a warm place to rest, even if for a short while. That’s when I came up with the idea of giving out McDonald’s Gift Certificates (or other certificates of your choice).
The certificates will allow the bearer to buy hot food and hot beverages. They may also rest awhile inside the warmth of the restaurant, as paying customers, so that they won’t need to worry as much about being chased off by the staff.
Some people worry that if they give money to the Homeless that it will be spent on drugs, or alcohol. But with Gift Certificates, this worry is pretty much eliminated. Also it allows the holders not to have to carry food on them like they would if you gave them a sandwich on the street. Sometimes having food on them attracts unwanted attention, or even rodents.
Now I already know McDonald’s fast food isn’t everyone’s meal of choice, but it is a darned sight better than nothing, or maybe even food gotten through dumpster diving.  Calories are needed to survive in cold weather and fat content isn’t a great concern.  The consumption of hot beverages reduces the need for the body to burn calories just to maintain body temperature.
The typical Outreach package I put together runs about $10, this is enough for two complete hot meals at most restaurants.
—–
The following remarks are from my colleague, Phantom Zero on this subject:
“FYI, just from personal experience, supplies can be cumbersome and heavy–so slips of paper as opposed to lugging a dozen plus bottles of water and sandwiches is more efficient. You can keep them handy for any-time homeless outreach.
However–no guarantee that any establish will let someone who is homeless in, as they may feel its disruptive to business and might drive customers away (regardless of laws or statutes stating otherwise).
BUT a lot of places do allow the homeless to “freecycle” foods which are past their due time (by virtue of standards and practices), but still perfectly good foodstuffs.”

Zombies. Superheroes. Psychic sex.
Need we say more?
Today, the second half of the Weird, Wicked Weird annual wrap-up.
Hanging up their capes?
The streets of L-A may soon be down two superheroes.
Significant, because there were only two to start.
Slapjack and Dreizehn are thinking of moving on.
The twenty-something boyfriend and girlfriend have been, separately, dressing up in costume for years, maintaining secret identities and patrolling the streets for scofflaws or people in need of a hand. They met through the online Real Life Superhero movement. Slapjack is local; Dreizehn settled here earlier this year.
Since spring, they’ve walked Twin Cities streets in the wee hours several nights a week.
They approached the Sun Journal in the wake of the popular “Kick-Ass” movie that made, in their opinion, doing what they do look just a little too easy. (Though both go out with protective gear like batons and electrified brass knuckles, Dreizehn has been threatened, beaten up and hit by a car in the line of uber-Good Samaritan duty.)
Before the story ran, both families weren’t aware of the pair’s extracurricular activities.
Since?
No dots have been connected, says Slapjack. “As far as I know, nobody really has an idea.”
They started cutting back on the nightly excursions this fall. Moving, packing, working and superheroing can take its toll, he said.
Slapjack said he isn’t sure how soon he and Dreizehn will resume patrols in their new, bigger city, a city that could include, for the first time, other costumes.
“It’s like going to a new school; you lose all your friends,” he said. “If you’re part of a club or something you have to go join a new group of people and kind of learn their ways.”
?

Originally posted: http://abcnews.go.com/US/real-life-superhero-phoenix-jones-tackles-streets-seattle/story?id=12562715

Armed with a skintight black-and-gold, belted costume, a cape and a fedora, Phoenix Jones suits up at night to fight crime on the streets of Seattle. He’s the leader of a real-life superhero movement.
“I’m definitely not going to let my fellow citizens be assaulted and not do anything,” Jones said.
Jones leads the Rain City Superheroes, a group of 10 fighters who perform their own form of vigilante justice on the streets of Seattle.
“It’s a pretty simple message. Citizens need to be more accountable. Calling 911 is a great start, but it’s not the end all to end all,” Jones said. “Criminals feel free to just run wild in my city, and I’m not going to stand for it.”
Superman can fly, Batman has his gadgets and Spiderman has his webs and supersharp senses. But Phoenix Jones, Red Dragon and Buster Doe have just their snazzy costumes and endless enthusiasm as they patrol Seattle’s Capitol Hill.
Red Dragon sports a red robe and a wooden sword. Buster Doe covers his face with a white scarf.
Jones said he developed his costume, along with his alter ego’s name, when his crime-fighting ways made him too recognizable.
“When I started breaking apart fights, I had no outfit or moniker or symbol, and people started recognizing me in my everyday life. It got kind of dangerous and very uncomfortable,” he said. “This suit is what people recognize, and when I take the suit off, I’m able to live as close to a normal life as possible until I put it back on and am ready to defend the people of Seattle.”
While Jones might not have Batman’s Alfred Pennyworth to help him build cool new gadgets, he has adapted his car and costume to protect him.
He wears a bulletproof vest and carries not just a Taser but a net gun and a grappling hook.
His car has a computer in it that prints any e-mails sent to his superhero e-mail address.
On the night ABC News went on patrol with Jones, the caped crusader zapped a warning shot with his Taser during a very tense run in with a man he said was about to drive drunk.
“Just back up! Stay back, stay away. I don’t want to have to Tase you,” Jones yelled.
Red Dragon and Buster Joe called the police.
“I know what you guys are doing … fine … but if somebody’s drunk, all of a sudden having somebody in their face with masks on …” a Seattle police officer warned Jones.
Police are perplexed, worried the group will turn into vigilantes and doubt that the superhero posse has ever stopped any crime.
“Our concern is if it goes badly, then we end up getting called anyway, and we may have additional victims,” Detective Mark Jamieson said.
Jones said that he calls police ahead of time to tell them where he’ll be patrolling. He said that his costume is crucial in helping police recognize him, and it makes an impact on would-be criminals.
“If you fight crime without the outfit, the police don’t know who to look for. They don’t know who’s bad and who’s good. …This is a very noticeable outfit. … It tells people and drug dealers and criminals … that when you see this outfit and this group of people, we stand for a message. … We’re against the crimes that you’re trying to do,” Jones said.
Seattle police said that it is not illegal to dress up as a superhero, but they worry about excess calls to 911 when residents confuse Jones and the other real-life superheroes with criminals. Police said that acting as a superhero can be dangerous, but Red Dragon said that the people they confront rarely turn against them.
“If you approach somebody with the right attitude, they’re not going to really escalate things. For the most part, they’ll just leave you alone,” he said.
Jones’ quest to help his fellow residents is a weirdly close imitation of the movie “Kick Ass,” whose characters dress up as superheroes and take on crime fighting.
Jones said he has a real nine-to-five job, a wife and two kids.
He told ABC affiliate KOMO that an incident with his son inspired him to put on his cape.
One night someone broke into Jones’ car, and the broken glass injured his son and resulted in a trip to the emergency room. When people told Jones that several people witnessed the break-in but did nothing, he was dumbfounded.
“Teenagers are running down the street, breaking into cars, and no one does anything? Where’s the personal accountability?” Jones told KOMO.
Jones emphasizes that his real mission is to help people — he also hands out food to the homeless. On the night ABC News followed the men, they distributed food from Taco Bell to homeless people sitting on the sidewalks.
While police might be skeptical, Jones and his gang of wannabe heroes don’t plan to give up.
“I have two kids,” he said. “I always tell them the same thing every time before I go on patrol: ‘This is the only thing daddy could think of to make the world better for you guys, and I’ll see you when I get home.'”
ABC Affiliate KOMO contributed to this story.

Originally posted: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/real-life-superhero-stops-car-robbery-seattle-20110107-111314-082.html
By Michael Bolen | Daily Brew – Fri, 7 Jan 2:13 PM EST
If you thought superheroes were only found on the silver screen or in comic books, think again. Superheroes are real — just ask Phoenix Jones, the Guardian of Seattle. Phoenix, a costumed hero operating in Washington state, grabbed headlines this week after he stopped a car robbery in progress.
Operating out of a comic book shop, Phoenix is a member of the Rain City Superheroes, itself part of the wider real-life superhero movement.
That’s right, there are many people who dress in costumes and patrol the streets of their cities and towns. You can find a number of Canadian crime-fighters in the World Superhero Registry, including Vancouver’s Thanatos, who was profiled by The Globe and Mail in 2009.
According to Seattle police, the Rain City group includes Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88, Penelope and Phoenix Jones himself. A hero name Red Dragon has also appeared with the group.
Phoenix and his team have been garnering attention for months now. Back in November, online paper seattlepi.com reported that police were well aware of the operations of the band of heroes.
And while police are tolerating their actions, they warn that the heroes may be putting themselves in grave danger. Phoenix claims he has been stabbed in the line of work and the bullet proof vest he wears under his suit stopped a bullet during an incident in Tacoma, Wash. last year. Police have not confirmed his claims.
They have, however, determined Phoenix’s secret identity, but have so far declined to disclose it to the public. Phoenix and his group appear to have nothing but good things to say about the authorities.
In an interview today with Good Morning America, Phoenix said, “We want to have a great relationship with police and we also want to help them as much as possible.”

Before I begin, I will leave you with this word of caution: IF YOU COME UPON AN EMERGENCY FIRST CALL 911, OR HAVE SOMEONE ELSE DO IT! Then render aid only as your level of medical knowledge permits.  If a person is conscious and alert, you must ask permission before treating them, even if it’s just putting a band aid on.. you may not render aid if they refuse for any reason.
When you’re out on a patrol, or an Outreach, you should always carry a first aid kit with you as part of your standard equipment load out.
The typical First Aid Kit contains things like (and I’m using a general purpose military first aid kit as an example):

• x2 2” x 6 yds. Bandage Gauze
• x1 6” Elastic Bandage
• x2 3” x 4” Sterile Sponges
• x16 3” Bandage Strips
• x1 Ice Pack
• x1 Tweezers
• x1 Scissor
• x1 Pill Bottle
• x1 Eye Pad
• x1 Hand Soap
• x4 Pain Relievers (I carry both Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen)
• x1 Magnifying Lens
• x1 First Aid Instructions
• x6 Safety Pins
• x1 Pair Examination Gloves
• x4 Aspirin
• x1 First Aid Cream
• x1 Triple Antibiotic
• x1½” Tape
• x3 Alcohol Wipes
• x3 Iodine Wipes
• x3 Antiseptic Wipes
• x3 Clean Wipes.

This is a pretty standard set-up that you will find in most $10 store bought kits.  I suggest buying additional items for refilling the kit, or adding extras for items you may need more of.  I also suggest a First Aid pamphlet, or handbook.  But make sure you are familiar with the information before hand, so you don’t have to desperately look things up while someone is bleeding.
As you can see, such a kit would quickly become depleted after a few uses. But many of the most commonly used items can be bought at a $ dollar store, so making a kit from scratch, and having more uses than a standard kit, is relatively cheaper and easier.
I strongly suggest a couple pair of blue nitrile gloves.  Never treat a wound without a barrier between you and bodily fluids. (At the time of this writing, KnightOwl is working on an article about applying medical attention in the field.)
Of course, keep the kit water proof.?

Originally posted: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Strange-News/US-Real-Life-Superhero-Called-Phoenix-Jones-Helps-To-Make-Streets-Of-Seattle-Safer/Article/201101115882064?f=rss
11:11pm UK, Thursday January 06, 2011
Adam Arnold, Sky News Online
A real-life Superhero dressed in tights, a mask and a black and gold lycra suit, says he is helping to make the streets of Seattle safer by scaring away criminals.
The man, called Phoenix Jones, wears a bullet proof vest, and also has stab protection as well as being armed with a taser and tear gas.
He says when he walks into an area, criminals leave because they see the suit and do not want to take him on.
It is almost a case of Superman meets Batman as on most nights Phoenix walks into a comic store, enters a back room hidden behind shelves and is transformed into his character.
He has already managed to stop a man breaking into a car and possibly stealing it.
The would-be victim, known as Dan, was walking back to his vehicle in a car park when he saw a man with a metal strip trying to open his car.
Dan said: “He started sticking it down between the window and the rubber strip.”
Dan began to call 911, but said help arrived before he even finished dialling.
He explained: “From the right, this guy comes dashing in, wearing this skin-tight rubber, black and gold suit, and starts chasing him away.”
Phoenix is not the only costume-clad crime-fighter in Seattle.
There are eight other members of his Rain City Superhero group who also walk the streets, looking out for crime and prepared to fight it.
Since Phoenix started his crusade nine months ago, he has been stabbed and was threatened with a gun several times, but received no serious injuries.
Unfortunately, he did not find the man who was breaking into Dan’s car.
He told CBS: “When I walk into a neighbourhood, criminals leave because they see the suit.
“I symbolise that the average person doesn’t have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing.”

Originally posted: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344136/Phoenix-Jones-Real-life-superhero-chases-car-thief-Seattle.html
. . . and the bullet-proof crimebuster isn’t alone – there are NINE of them patrolling streets!
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:29 PM on 6th January 2011
Residents of Lynnwood in Washington can sleep safely in their beds, knowing that their streets are being protected by… Phoenix Jones.
The city, just north of Seattle, is part of the patrolling zone of a self-styled superhero who roams the streets in search of injustice.
In a real-life version of the 2010 film Kick-Ass – where a mild-mannered school student transforms himself into a masked crusader – Phoenix Jones has taken the law into his own gloved hands and is spending his time cleaning up the suburban streets.
Rumours of the costumed crimefighter – and others like him – began to surface as residents spoke of unconfirmed sightings around the streets.
Then a Lynwood local, who only wanted to be identified as Dan, had a first-hand meeting.
Dan said he was returning to a parking lot on Sunday evening when he spotted a ‘bad guy’ trying to break in to his car with a piece of metal.
Dan said: ‘He started sticking it down between the window and the rubber strip.’
Dan said he started dialling 911 but – before he could even finish dialling the three-digit number – help arrived in the most unlikely form.
He said: ‘This guy comes dashing in, wearing this skin-tight rubber, black and gold suit, and starts chasing him away.’
Dan admitted that he had not heard of the strange avenger working Lynnwood’s streets, and also admitted that he didn’t want to report the sighting because his friends told him he must have been drunk.
But he is not the only one to have seen a real-life superhero – the comic-book vigilantes are known to police.
A Seattle Police Department spokesman confirmed that there is a band of do-gooders who are known as the Rain City Superhero Movement, and have identified at least nine members.
Phoenix Jones, who came to Dan’s aid, is just one member of the group. He is joined by – believe it or not – Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88 and Penelope.
In what could turn out to be the rise of the obligatory comic-book super villain, police have been told by the group to disregard Captain Ozone or Knight Owl – because they are not part of the movement.
And don’t get your hopes up about the gadget-bristling Jonesmobile either.
Police say Phoenix is driven around in a Kia – by a female sidekick who doesn’t get out of the vehicle.
Local KIRO 7 TV reporter Monique Ming Laven met Phoenix Jones, and there’s more to the anonymous crimefighter than just a snazzy pair of tights.
His suit incorporates a bulletproof vest, trauma plating on his arms and legs and other sensitive areas.
His utility belt, to borrow a phrase from fellow crimefighter Batman, includes a Taser, Mace and tear gas.
Phoenix said: ‘“When I walk into a neighbourhood, criminals leave because they see the suit.
‘I symbolize that the average person doesn’t have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing.’
Phoenix said since he started his crime-fighting crusade nine months ago, he’s been stabbed, and had a gun pulled on him a few times, but received no serious injuries.
Police department spokesman Jeff Kappel said: ‘There’s nothing wrong with citizens getting involved with the criminal justice process – as long as they follow it all the way through.
He said police would prefer that people call 911 and be good witnesses, rather than getting involved personally and risk injury or death.
Phoenix Jones agreed, saying that crimefighting wasn’t for the weak-hearted.
He said: ‘I don’t condone people walking around on the street with masks. Everyone on my team either has a military background or a mixed martial arts background, and we’re well aware of what its costs to do what we do.’