Category Captain Black

I’m a life long body weighter ( body weight exerciser ) who’s added weight work to my regimen. It seemed that there was potential inside crying out for even more development and lifting was the sure route. When you look at it that way what else could I do?
You can’t imagine the ” Is THAT me!?! ” reaction when looking at myself while in a bodybuilder pose after four months training with free weights!!! It’s an eye popper guaranteed to keep you lifting! Added motivation comes from the hope that real life superhero ( RLSH ) Movement members should look reasonably well in our outfits and body building makes even more sense! lol.
Physique inspirations include pulp fiction’s Doc Savage and Jim Brown; Carl Weathers; Michael Jai White and others.
My baseline physique was already good but extra bulk and definition are bonuses that lifters have known for generations.
As a mesomorph I have a naturally muscular build but the difference after adding some iron to your self-development diet is literally like night and day. Even on a Recession reduced calorie diet results still clearly show.
Weight lifting can be for strength ( obviously ) or body building for those seeking to change proportions. I wrestled with adding weights to my daily physical self-development because the whole narcissistic bodybuilder stereotype was a big turn off. I’m into wellness, i.e. the sum total of regular mind-body and spirit work.
I’d been around some bodybuilders in my 20s who were stuck on themselves enough to make me stick to bodyweight exercises, that and I was shy for a long time.
The same quiet inner voice that lead me to write; do public speaking; finally become a member of the real life superhero movement as Capt. Black and many other self expressions, told me to start body building. So here I write you, with amateur bodybuilder now on my resume.
Whether I’ll ever compete or be featured somewhere remains to be seen. I do know I’m exploring this avenue and am upgrading practices to get more out of myself.
There is so much within us to exploit to degrees that seem impossible. As times get tighter we need to become more creative in how we life and what we do.
One way I did so was transitioning from body weighter to body builder! RLSH like SuperHero and RazorHawk, among others, weight lift and know well the joy I describe.
*** Current pictures show body weight exercise results. New body building ones on the way!***
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info
 

By Captain Black
As a community policing advocate I occupy the No Mans Land ‘tween liberals yearning to pull every Black community combatant to their heaving bosoms while also standing athwart conservatives who reflexively assume EVERY traffic stop or officer-involved use of force involving Black subjects is justified.
I’m not a law enforcement groupie nor a cop hater. Being Black, male and a concerned citizen means falling outside time worn, narrow roles in pubic safety.
Prevention works in my view so long as you aren’t saying those who are Black and shoot/addict and otherwise negatively impact victims mostly resembling them get a pass because of assumed lower African-American social status. Building a viable Black infrastructure has to include deprogramming thug culture-abused youth alongside Black enablers of selective enforcement who act as if Rodney King’s tormenters deserve the NAACP’s Spingarn medal.
Our long discussed infrastructure has to offer a counter culture that makes popular anti-social trends like ” Stop Snitching ” and encouraging fratricide as unpopular as joining the Ku lux Klan. Our music; plays and neighborhood culture have to punish the destructive behavior that stacks causalities up like fire wood.
This reenergized internal hierarchy would also tackle what could be called the Stockholm Syndrome among Black conservatives strangely silent about big government excesses involving Black people and law enforcement. Conservative ire toward law enforcement excess shouldn’t be confined to Waco; Ruby Ridge and the New Black Panther case last presidential election.
It’s almost like a gag order exists where political excommunication is the penalty for falling on the “wrong” side of police brutality allegations for Black coservatives.
A looming Cotton Curtain exists between police and Black America, brothers particularly. These disparate elements usually converse under the worst set of circumstances: traffic stops; field interviews and arrest. Neither side wants to make the first move to initiate non-adversarial communication.
My proposed Brothers & Badges dialogue with Black men and police was greeted by my hometown’s former city manager as heresy. You’d think I was trying to host convicted child molesters at a local elementary school. Talking to Black male tax payers minus authoritarian overtones seems to terrify politicians and police executives. How’s that for a “post-racial” country? lol.
Here’s a hoot from Capt. Black’s Real Life Adventures. The scene was a police precinct. The occasion concerned a fugitive. An announcement of the suspect’s location was greeted by a skeptically asked ” Do you have a beef with him? ” from the White male officer taking the report. Just what a brother needs to stoke the flames of civic duty. What’s sadder still is buddy didn’t even realize how he’d butchered a real community policing moment with someone from the ‘hood actually trying to make his job easier.
I put that episode right up there with a Crime Stoppers program director I know who cheats Black tipsters out of rewards. Arrogance like this enforce every stereotype we have about law enforcement.
Conversely I work with brothers to replace scowls with waves as patrol cars cruise by. A simple enough act that alone won’t usher Detente but lessens mutual suspicion. Relationship building reduces confrontations-at least in theory.
My friends and I promote internal management of situations to reduce law enforcement intervention. Where a serious crime has occurred, our promotion turns toward encouraging those reluctant and/or hostile to nonetheless call 911 on behalf of an inner city that can’t afford to let serious crime go unaddressed.
Self-policing Black America means telling community liberals and conservatives that business as usual should end. Somewhere between enabling what blogger ally Constructive Feedback calls ” street pirates ” and enabling racial profiling stand an alternative where we hold serious Black criminals and law enforcement accountable.
Otherwise the crime spree on both sides of the law continues.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development http://www.capblack.info

Ever suffer ” superhero withdrawal ” symptoms- the intense desire to return to real life superhero ( RLSH ) activities after down time?
I have and it’s not fun. Other activist communities document similar phenomena. It’s hard to regularly exert tremendous energy and not need a break at some point.
That said, ordinary life holds little appeal for those who’ve escaped its confines. While some happily hang up codes names and costumes, most always return this lifestyle because it’s uniquely fulfilling.
We all need time off. Saving our part of the world one penny and deed at a time can be draining and even discouraging. Taking off the mantle only to resume it after rest and relaxation makes sense. Otherwise burn out happens and that accomplishes nothing good and creates more problems while solving none.
When the symptoms hit ask yourself if you’re really ready to get back into the game?
While fulfilling and fun it can also be draining and in some cases overwhelming. This lifestyle involves much more than just dressing up and being nice to strangers. Beneath its surface are tensions that have to be considered.
Being a RLSH isn’t a job. Often it’s a part time vocation done by very inspirational people who take idealism into new and different directions.
I’ve read of RLSH who said they almost collapsed in the beginning because going out patrolling occupied every waking moment. Once you finally let this personal genie out of the bottle, it’s sometimes hard to manage. Real life superheroes who are parents; have spouses/significant others and conventional careers juggle those daily demands with their magnificent obsession.
The balancing act can get messy, especially when secret identities and extra expenses are tossed into the mix. Whether this is a covert second life or an expansion of your present one, being a RLSH can be quite alot to handle. The more you put into it leads to the realization there is more to be done. Pacing yourself is key to meeting whatever goals you’ve established.
” Superhero ” withdrawal is another way of saying make sure you’re ready to return to this lifestyle. Normal life is hectic enough without being a crusader too!
Don’t worry, the causes you support will still be here waiting for you.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info.

By Captain Black
If you think crusading out in the open against corruption is all sweetness and light, have I got a rhetorical bucket of cold water for you!
It invites any number of attempts to discredit; dismiss and/or disconnect you ( from the economy where you live ). I caution all would-be crusaders to think hard about weathering the storm when home sweet home ceases being so.
We can be full of the strength of our convictions. Our eyes firmy fixed on the prize. Neither good intention stops the opposition from slandering and even starving those labeled rabble rousers. America recognizes freedom of speech but also punishes speakers running afoul of someone’s status quo.
There is a crying need for people o speak truth to power.
Actual real life super villains often don’t have gimmicks like costumes or code names to warn the public. Lurking behind respectable masks like chamber of commerce; community leader or the titles doctor; officer; mayor; father; mother, etc. is a rogues gallery to make fiction’s top worst green with envy. Once you cross the line and become a known dissident get ready for the hatin’ to begin.
I eat hatred like candy.
Negative feedback means my job is being done and done well. The trick is possessing an invulnarable identity, i.e a sense of self no amount of criticism nor dirty tricks can penetrate. Anything less and even the most idealistic will cave in. There’s an ugly side to activism that most folks see when viewing old black and white footage of civil rights marchers being beaten by police and mobs.
Lesser known abuse impacting activists are rumor campaigns and pressure to end employment; deny new jobs; clients and even due process when law enforcement is part of the insidious act.
America and Earth desperately need many, many more crusaders. It’s only fair to be up front about crusading’s downsides as well.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info

I believe in the real life superhero ( RLSH ) Movement. It’s the most progressive community I know.
I also believe our soaring ideals can’t magically outdistance long standing prejudices in society. That said, we’ve done a great job with inclusion, better than mainstream institutions.
Can costumes and a larger-than-life approach cure discrimination? Time will tell.
Unlike elsewhere, I’ve yet to encounter a fire breathing racist who openly hates Black people ( among others ) and wishes I’d take my non-existent cape back to my side of the tracks. Since I’m not psychic I can’t say whether this bias exists among other members. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were a handful, since crime fighting in Western countries often has racial connotations.
We’re a very idealistic group but at days end we still reside in the real world and racism is part of that reality. Add homophobia, anti-Semetism and other evils to the list.
I’ve met actual supervillains who richly deserved to wear the ” Captain Nazi ” uniform of the DC character by the same name. Growing up in Georgia afforded numerous opportunities to encounter ” respectable ” racists; low budget klan types and folks blissfully unaware their provincial worldview would be labeled Apartheid by modern standards.
Fortunately I don’t presume all White people sink this low but am aware how hard wired this mindset is throughout their community. To its credit, real life superheroes are a lifestyle anyone can adopt because it’s based on behaviors ( code names; costumes; conduct ) that transcend color; language; religion, etc.
There are a few Black RLSH who’ve made it to media attention: Direction Man; Liberator X; Lord Chain; Spark of the Capital City Super Squad; California’s Danger Man and myself. I know there are others and hope they soon make themselves known. Some may wonder if Black folks even do this type of activism given our relative scarcity in RLSH ranks?
Colorful names aren’t a problem for our community. Entertainers and regular folks have nick names, along with many possessing an e-mail address.
Colorful outfits aren’t a stretch for a group known as trendsetters in fashion.
Combining these two cultural items to adopt alter egoes who fight crime and/or do good deeds seems a bit much for most Black folks. Truthfully, it’s a stretch for people in any ethnic group to go the RLSH route.
As a Black RLSH I had far more than my fair share of hate ( literal and cyber ); media exclusion for championed causes and other slights that come with the territory.
Thankfully this hasn’t been the case with 99% of RLSH sites and individuals thus far encountered.
While promoting a life fantastic I’m firmly rooted in the realities of American life, some of which ( like racism ) aren’t much to wave a flag over.
RLSH and race may never be an issue if we’re as true to our ideals as most clearly appear.
However, if some are true to baser aspects of life this issue will raise its pointy head here as it has elsewhere.
Then we’ll see how” heroic ” real life superheroes are. I’m willing to bet on the Movement because of the open mindedness and decency I see so much of here.
I can’t say that about other groups I know.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a super rights activist promoting wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info
 

By Captain Black
I like stretching the real life superhero ( RLSH ) concept to include figures who don’t wear costumes or identify with comic books per se.
Malcolm X career had numerous real life superhero ( RLSH ) overtones:
* He changed his name, like many creative activists who present themselves to the public with new names.
* He fought injustice at great personal risk. Attacks and eventual assassination illustrate dangers crusaders face in the so-called real world. Anyone who thinks do gooding doesn’t have serious consequences should study his example long and hard.
* He advocated people embracing a larger vision of themselves through self-education and activism. RLSH often describe their persona as fuller expressions of personal potential. Constant skill development is another wide spread practice among Movement members.
Individuals can either live lives of quiet desperation or dare to become bigger than fear and doubt dictate.
Malcolm X exemplified transformation. Real life superheroes also promote transformation as central to improving society. Absent the power of change we become prisoners of a stifling status quo.
Like us his message challenged conventional wisdom. Like us he had more than a few detractors. Like us he believed in his calling and followed it to the end.
Crime fighters in our ranks should note the very real peril invited by actively opposing evil. Actual costumed adventurers will inevitably make enemies, some of whom may retaliate.
Just food for thought as RLSH determine their role in the Movement.
Malcolm X shows us the risks and rewards of uncompromised courage. In fictional terms he was Batman without the mask. Without a secret identity to hide behind he presented himself to deadly opponents every time he left his home.
How many activists, RLSH or otherwise, would do the same?
Malcolm X was a real life superhero who showed this Movement and humanity what is expected of those who stand up without flinching.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info
 

As a newly minted super rights activist ( among endless other things ) I think we have a God ( or Intelligent Design ) given right to become MORE than what resumes or low expectations dictate.
Constitutional scholars and mystics may argue whether there is an inherent right to be ” super ” but that’s what I’m strongly suggesting.
Super rights are promoted from sources as divergent as ecstatic religion and sober secularism.
From holy books; philosophy, psychology and every field there’s a clarion call to be super stated in various ways.
American comic book and pulp novel fiction recently joined these sources inspiring us to be more. They even popularized the term ” super ” and mainstreamed the concept in sensationalized fashion.
Anyone accomplishing something to an accompaniment of nay sayers performs a super rights act.
Super rights are the hidden subtext underwriting every great social movement against limitation and prejudice.
Overcoming all the negative ” isms ” ( Racism; sexism; homophobia; Islamo-phobia, xenophobia, etc. ) is classic super rights activism in action.
Names like Ghandi; King; Malcolm X; Paul Robeson; Howard Thurman; Theodore Roosevelt; Frederick Neitzsche; Abraham Maslow; Deepak Chopra, Adeeb Shabazz and numerous others are diverse proponents of what I call super rights.
Without some inner drive to exceed where else does great achievement spring?
Human beings may be beaten down or conned into performing beneath their potential but the drive toward super rights is an unbreakable part of us.
More importantly everyone defines what his/her expressed super right will be.
For some it’s joining what the media calls the real life superhero ( RLSH ) Movement. Others choose a desired profession. Some opt to attempt a long dreamed feat.
Super rights have as many applications as there are minds to envision them.
Celebrities clearly made this choice as have exceptional folks not in the public eye.
My question to you is simple: have you decided to exercise your super rights today?
The right to be super is one well worth life long study and effort. So much internal insecurity and suffering can be alleviated once people use this very unconventional human right.
Super rights activism is at the heart of any movement for freedom and justice.
What are we waiting for?!!!!!!!!
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK is a newly minted super rights activist who promotes wellness; crime prevention and self-development.
 

By Captain Black
I don’t wear a special ” Capt. Black ” costume  while in public but like other members of the real life superhero ( RLSH ) Movement I help out where I can.
Wearing one of my Kufi skull caps means I’m on duty. That and the optional Capt. Black t-shirt.
The following is based on the last two days activities:
Yesterday saw me give a young mother struggling with her baby carriage a dollar for the little one ( Recession-era spontaneous donation rate, lol. ) and tell her, ” Capt. Black is always here for you! ” while walking away. In good Lone Ranger style I often don’t stick around.
Shortly thereafter I held the door open for an apparent stroke survivor after he’d struggled to his feet from a wheel chair to enter a gas station.
Inside, I won $4.00 on a scratch off ticket.
Rationalists will call this coincidence while the more metaphysical say the Universe down loaded a little gift as reward for my efforts.
Today I assisted a senior citizen friend across a busy highway to a nearby store on a rough side of East New Orleans. I secured him and carried purchases back to his apartment. He insisted I take what he gave me ( hard to argue with him when he’s loaded, if you know what I mean ).
I resolved to pass this gift along to others while making rounds in the near future.
All this could be coincidence so I leave interpretation to the reader.
Years ago, I used most of an inheritance by donating to charity and investing in struggling businesses. The idea of using it for scarce joy never entered my mind. Resources are the grease allowing the wheels of philanthropy and industry to roll faster. The spiritual heights and connections made from this period of my life remain unsurpassed.
RLSH and other concerned citizens give from the heart and wallet… often until it hurts.
We specialize in what I call ” micro-good: ” acts that aren’t headline making like curing cancer or million dollar giveaways but nonetheless impact quality of life where were live. These small acts take on a synergistic life of their own as our creative approach makes people reflect.
From reflection comes increased incentive to help others at a time when it’s hard enough helping oneself.
As this examination of the past two days shows, the ebb and flow of micro-good touches those offering outreach and recipients alike.
Karma; coincidence; Divine Intervention on a very small scale, I leave the final judgement to each of you.
I close with this observation: micro-good works! Share your instances of unexpected rewards from doing micro-good.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes wellness; crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info
 

Real life superheroes ( RLSH ) are a growing Movement of cyber escapists who crusade only online alongside creative activists hitting the streets with new names and outfits.
It’s an exciting time to help stretch the ( usually, yawn! ) concept of concerned citizenship into broader, bolder forms.
As usual I caution against inevitable cultural blowback. I don’t do it as a kill joy nor being a hater. I just look at trends in related fields and consider us with this in mind.
Because we haven’t amassed a series of high profile civil rights violations like 1990s Bounty Hunter Scare ( a RLSH related field if EVER there were one ), there haven’t been Congressional hearings and states tripping over themselves to slap down varying degrees of regulation.
Currently unlicensed and potentially unlimited, we are largely self-policed and advise ourselves on legal and other vital concerns. While a host of RLSH books have been written with many more pending, we don’t have a hand book per se ( though Knight Owl’s RLSH Manual serves admirably ) or defined industry standards.
As private citizens being conscious of HUGE criminal and civil liabilities this caveat keeps the vast majority of us out of trouble. Related fields like private security and bounty hunting have copious case law chiefly documenting false arrest; impersonation of officers and excessive force cases.
Unlike government counterparts, when a security officer; bail enforcement agent and especially a real life superhero grabs the wrong person or unlawfully inflicts injury, he/she QUICKLY goes to jail and has roughly a year to plan his/her defense before a potentially skeptical court.
There’s very real legal risk in being a RLSH. Keep in mind most of us don’t have official status with the local PD like some versions of Batman or Doc Savage commissions from the NYPD and feds of his pulp novel America. Ideally we can work on establishing relationships with law enforcement to avoid future conflict.
We’re still fleshing this role out. Kinks remain to be smoothed out but a doctrine ahs been established. We’ve also grown to include conventional concerned citizens in what I term RLSH-inspired community coalitions ( RICCS ) to patrol the streets and dispense food supplies alongside our colorful peers.
The devil is in the details and regarding the real life superhero Movement, it remains to be seen what ultimate form our details will assume. We’re still a work very much in progress.
That said, there remains very real legal risk in being a RLSH.
Ask an attorney or visit RLSH sites where you can e-mail or chat with experienced folks about this one-of-a-kind lifestyle.
*Informative RLSH sites include:
Superhero Law
Real Life Superheroes
Superheroes Anonymous
Heroes In The Night
Real life Superhero Project
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-developemnt. http://www.captblack.info.
 

Geist is an interesting guy, even among fellow real life superheroes ( RLSH ).
We’ve never communicated except by e-mail and an ocassional IM chat. I stay current on his media appearances and consider him a modest standard bearer for this very unusal lifestyle.
What I like most is how he sold a comic book collection to finance his new role as a masked activist. His portfolio includes assisting flood victims; regularly helping the homeless and ongoing donations to various people in need. Geist is always somewhere, helping somebody.
He’s like a one man Red Cross and Justice League all rolled into one green outfit.
Among the better known RLSH, Geist still maintains a low key profile. His shades and scarf gimmick has ” pulp novel ” written all over it. As someone pulp-influenced I like the regular clothes look as much as costumes.
Geist is the kind of subtle humanitarian our Movement should celebrate. He doesn’t toot own horn nor could ever be accused of vigilantism. He’s become a presence who makes himself known and disappears. He’s definitely got the mystery man part of the RLSH role down pat.
Don’t be surprised if he pops up on the Comments section of an online story congratulating you. That’s the kind of guy he is.
His balanced approach invites study by anyone considering becoming a RLSH or even those already active.
So many lives can be touched with a little money and time invested. Do yourself a favor and google Geist.
Those already familiar know what I’m talking about. Newcomers are in for a real treat.
Geist was one of the first RLSH I researched after going public like this. All I can say is he’s a quiet force for good.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT. BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development. http://www.captblack.info