Phoenix Jones Sells Snake Oil, Calls It A Supersuit

I spent a long time thinking of the title for this. That’s about the best I could do.
http://www.facebook.com/guardianofseattle
Phoenix Jones has reached the point in his (in his head) celebrity status where he can solicit donations from his fans. Not for a charity, not for a worthy cause, or to help the homeless, or to feed starving children.
For a bulletproof suit, for himself.
You might think this is not such a bad idea, heck, you may even support it. Every superhero needs gear. I know I’ve put a fair amount of money into upgrading my gear over the two years I’ve been active. I’m sure Phoenix Jones has even spent some of his own money (some) into his gear.
But what does the average citizen superhero do to get the gear they need to do justice in their communities?
They work for it. They scrimp, they save, they work extra hours or second jobs.
Peter Parker, minus the powers, is probably the closest thing to an approachable RLSH you can get. He’s broke, he has responsibilities. He pays rent, he works a crappy job (I’ve worked some of the jobs he’s done). Yet he still manages to have the money to sew up his spandex suit and build web shooters.
But Phoenix Jones isn’t doing that this time. Because according to his Facebook page, he doesn’t want to be corrupted by corporate GREED. which is why he is asking for money from his fans. How much is he attempting to solicit, you ask?

$10,000

Yes, 10 grand. that’s more than a lot of people make in a year. That’s more than most people (like the homeless) will ever see in the rest of their lifetimes. But Phoenix Jones needs a custom built, bulletproof supersuit, with a live streaming HD camera built in (he already has a HD camera by the way).
Why? For what? So he can get arrested again and have it confiscated by the police again? So he can run into a volatile situation involving a handgun and tackle some armed nut job in the middle of a crowded Seattle street? It’s happened before.
But I ask you, is this really necessary?
Do you really want to help?
Do you want to make a difference?
Giving Phoenix Jones your money is not the solution to a problem. It’s a WASTE is what it is. Phoenix Jones could easily take this kind of money and transform his team, the Rain City Superhero Movement into a completely trained, certified Non Profit Organization complete with all bulletproof gear, change the face of Seattle as a crime fighting organization and charity and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy causes. He could help start a homeless shelter or a new soup kitchen. If the RCSM was a NPO they could easily solicit donations from major corporations (who get a tax write off anyway) and really, truly change their community.
But why NOT put this money into the RCSM Jones? Why not put this into your team mates? into something BIGGER than YOURSELF.
Because that’s not the point. The point is to make himself look good. that’s ALL that matters to him.
I’ve collected some links to gear that can achieve pretty much exactly what PJ wants, and for a lot less than 10 G’s. Kevlar Helmet, Bullet Resistant Vest, Bullet Proof Mask, Ballistic Athletic Cup, Ballistic Neck & Shoulder Protection, Live Streaming HD Camera.
See Phoenix Jones? All that hardware could be yours for the low low price of a lot less than 10 grand. But that’s not the point, is it?
See, Phoenix Jones surprisingly has a lot of pull. He should use it to pull his head out of his ass.
But Phoenix Jones doesn’t want to do that. That doesn’t help make Phoenix Jones a better superhero, let alone a better person. It makes him what he proves himself to be time, and time again. An egocentric glory hound, who really only wants to propel himself further into the limelight. In the comics, superheroes make headlines, good or bad. That’s exactly what he wants, and all he wants. This is his ticket to that level of fame.
This is nothing more than a self service to him. Who benefits from this other than Phoenix Jones? NO ONE! PJ is the ONLY person that will benefit from YOU giving Phoenix Jones TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. Not the city, not the homeless, not victims of domestic violence or starving children who sleep in the cold all night because they are homeless and HAVE NO MONEY THEMSELVES.
I could go on and on, I think I’ve made my point, and if anyone cannot ereally grasp what I am getting at here, then I don’t know what else to do.
I’m not opposed to Phoenix Jones soliciting funds for a worthy cause, a charity. Hell, if he did any of the things I mentioned above I’d honestly throw a few bones his way.
I am not opposed to Phoenix Jones creating a new supersuit. He used to wear a balaclava and MMA shorts and a cape. His rubber suit, was (somewhat :/) of an upgrade. I looked into those xtremedesignfx suits before Peej got his and thought they looked dumb, in my opinion, but I digress.
What I disagree with completely is his soliciting funds to buy himself a new bulletproof suit, and such an absurd amount at that!
Go make a POSITIVE CONSTRUCTIVE change in your environment. The COSTUME DOES NOT DEFINE THE SUPERHERO. It does NOT make you a better crime fighter, it does NOT make you more effective. This is not Iron Man, this is not a comic book, or a movie. This is REALITY, something you obviously fail to grasp. Get with it dude, seriously.
And for the record, Phoenix Jones, I want you to be a BETTER superhero, a GOOD superhero. Not the next Booster Gold, which by the way, in personality and style,. you two are half brothers.


The similarities are disturbing.
But if Phoenix Jones wants money for crazy new gear, there’s already programs in place of that. Phoenix Jones believes he’s too big to fail, which is why he needs a new supersuit, luckily the government offers bailout programs like the grants listed on this page.
UPDATE:
According to the Community Guidelines set forth by Kickstarter.com Jones’ new suit violates “Fund my life” under Prohibited Causes.
Kickstarter Community Guidelines

Zimmer Barnes' Apollo Solar Panel Generator Arm Band

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1323279651/apollo-armband-solar-generator
About This Project:
This project started with a tragedy: while crossing the street, I was clipped by a car’s sideview mirror and my arm was broken. While wearing a plastic, futuristic looking arm brace at a technology conference, many of the other attendees had ideas for tech I could rig up to it for added functionality. Among some blinking red LEDs, a class IIIA laser and an iPhone dock, was my original armband solar generator.
While out wearing the generator, which I named Apollo, out at New York Comic Con, I had many people asking me if I was selling it. The more friends I talked to, the more excitement I saw in having something like this available. I started to see how valuable it would be to have hours of extra energy for mobile devices with you as long as the sun shined. I worked to design a new Apollo, one that would be simple, aesthetically pleasing, light-weight and could be mass produced.
With the new third generation Apollo, that vision is complete. However, I can’t mass produce a large amount of them on my own steam. If you’ve ever wanted an easy way to DOUBLE THE BATTERY LIFE for your iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet, this is it. If there’s 25 or more people committed to that reality, I can get these Apollos shipping out by next month. Let’s make it happen!
Voltaic Systems, the company that manufactures the solar panel and battery for my project, have been very helpful in the pursuit of this goal. I use their 2 Watt, 6 Volt Panel, which retails for $25, as well as their USB Battery V11, which retails for $40.
While the solar panel is rugged, I further protect it with a quarter inch layer of clear acrylic sheet, which is laser cut to exactly fit the size and shape of the panel. Costs for the material and laser cutting is roughly $4.38 per acrylic shield.
Additional costs include black Velcro strips, black nylon strapping with plastic buckles, a black cotton armband and some type of super glue. I’ve found Loctite All Temperature Repair Extreme to be the strongest and clearest of glues sampled. Altogether these materials amount to roughly $5.50 per unit.
Tea Krulos has also featured Zimmer’s device on his blog: http://heroesinthenight.blogspot.com/2012/05/zimmer-takes-apollo-armband-to.html

Why Don't You Be A Cop?

I’m sure this topic gets brought up a lot. Perhaps every RLSH who actively patrols gets asked the same thing. Whether it be by the general populace or an interviewer. It’s a perfectly understandable question too. I’m sure everyone’s reasons are different. After all, the epitome of the crime fighter, really is, a police officer. They do everything a crime fighting RLSH does: they patrol the streets, they are equipped with gear and body armor, and they look out for crime and are generally there to protect other people, complete strangers.
The biggest difference between a cop and a RLSH is though, that they get PAID. and They have benefits like life and health insurance. So if anything happens, they are taken care of. The same is not so true for costumed crime fighters. So, why wouldn’t you be a cop?
Before I continue, this is not in any way to criticize the police or try and detract from what they do at all/ Whatever you may feel for the recent actions during Occupy protests, the police, as a whole, are there for you. They keep us safe and enforce laws that usually need enforcing.
So why don’t I want to be a cop? Well, I’ve never really been interested in “law enforcement” before, i.e. writing tickets and enforcing municipal codes. I’ve been more interested in just helping people and protecting people. I’m not about writing tickets and filing paperwork.
God, I hate paperwork.
I also prefer to set my own hours, do my own thing and live by my own code of conduct (so long as that code obeys the law). I’m not really restricted by guidelines or policies. I am my own boss and can really just patrol whatever area I want, when I want. How I want. As a RLSH I am not limited to where my boss assigns me: I don’t have to be stuck behind a desk, or bumped down in rank. Office politics do not affect me. I have practically absolute freedom.
Besides, I get to wear a cool costume.
There are many benefits to be a police officer, and they do a lot of good and they help put the bad guys away, there is no denying that.
I think my personal beliefs and lifestyle choices are best reflected as the RLSH I am.
 

6 on 1 Odds – Patrol Summary for Oct. 21-22

Last night Divine Force and I saw a big fight break out between approxiimately 12 individuals, at first we tried to break up and deescalate the situation, telling people to calm down and such. But no one listened, one guy tried to grab a metal street sight to use as a bludgeoning device, luckily it was chained to the ground and didn’t go very far. At one point there was a group of 4 or 5 guys fighting, as I tried to break that up, someone off to the side took a wild swing and got me in the side of the face, that knocked me back and I spun around, bewildered. After that things were a little blurry, not literally I just have a hard time remembering specific details. I remember someone punching me in the back of the head after that. Saw some guy kicking another guy on the street, so I hit him with my stun gun in the back and he backed off, then his buddy tried to kick me (poorly) and it deflected off my armor. His buddy was like, he has body armor dude, then I got punched in the back of the head again. I think when I got punched the second time divine force grabbed that guy and pulled him away from me (may have even been the guy who punched me the first time, I never actually saw anyone hit me). That guy then pushed him.
Cops showed up right after that, they asked why I was using my tazer, I explained to them many of the details mentioned above, they warned me if someone got it away from me it could be used against me. Yes, this is true of most weapons. Maybe I would have been better off using pepper spray instead, who knows.
So the cops arrested a coupla guys, and some more got away. We left and continued on our patrol, met up with mr. Xtreme, patrolled the same area as before and saw someone being chased across the street, so we ran over to see the guy being chased on the ground being hit by a guy about twice my size, I put my stun gun to his back for a coupla seconds and he backed off. I told him and his buddies to leave him alone and that he was really hurt. I instructed divine force to help him up. Mr. Xtreme helped him. They were claiming this man hit them, so they chased him down, knocked him to the ground and beat them. I told them I don’t know that, that I saw a guy being chased and beaten, he looked like the victim. Eventually they went away, and we called the ambulance, but they never showed. His friend showed up and they limped away, but he was showing signs of severe trauama. He was not coherent and couldn’t walk on his own.
so while I did the best I could, it could have been done better. I need new batteries for my stun gun, and I’m thinking of switching back to a helmet, since everyone seemed to want to avoid my armor. I guess they didn’t want to hurt their hands on it or something. I’m just glad I didn’t lose any teeth, someone else did.
 

My Opinion of Phoenix Jones

I’ve been aware of Phoenix Jones for about a year now, since he first began whoring himself out to the media. Claiming he was a crime fighter and protector of the city of Seattle.
His arrogance and dismissal of existing, established RLSH was a bit of a turn off, to say the least.
Since then it’s been one interview after another, one news story, one more incident, he got hurt again? Lets not forget about the bragging, boasting, tooting his own horn and abuse of the media to make himself look better and sound more heroic than he really is. Plus how many heroes has he insulted by putting them down and making himself look better?
These are not the qualities a true hero, a true bastion of hope for the masses. These are the qualities of a shallow, self absorbed, narcissistic and insecure individual. These are the things a bully does. Some of his heroic acts include taking crack pipes from people. He’s claimed well over 100 crack pipes taken away from crack addicts. While I don’t support crack, and think its a hideous, deadly habit that needs to be stopped, this is not the way to do it. How does this help them? Where’s the rehab program? Wheres the support and sympathy? As far as I can see, there is none. “No more crack for you!” Sure, it may sound like an accomplishment, but how many of these crack heads were HIGH when he did this? when you’re loaded up on drugs, it’s kinda hard to fight back. This is just my opinion, that’s how I see it. Again, bully mentality. I’m sure his heart is in the right place, but his mind? his sense of reality, is not.
On another topic, keep in mind a lot of what Phoenix Jones has said has been flat out lies. He once claimed to someone privately that he had super powers, similar to Wolverine’s healing factor. Being shot? stabbed? nothing to back any of that stuff up.
I was once assaulted during an altercation with an individual, recently so was my partner Radnor. I’m sure other RLSH have too, but it doesn’t make headline news. Why? Because it shouldn’t. But I digress.
That whole story about him stopping a vehicle break in was dismissed by Seattle PD like it never happened, most likely because it didn’t.
For the last year, Phoenix Jones has tried to hail himself as the greatest RLSH of all time, which he’s also claimed to be, when he once said that all he had to do was stand around and do nothing, he was doing a better job than any other superhero out there on the streets. Needless to say, that’s a little insulting. Especially to people like Dark Guardian, who has stood nose to nose with armed drug dealers and ran them off the street, or Mr. Xtreme who helped police save a woman from an attempted rape, that perp is in prison for life. Let alone the countless other superheroes who every day and night, risk their lives (for free) to help make their neighborhoods and communities a safer, better place.
So what happens to Phoenix Jones when he tries to take on three guys and puts ONE of them in a headlock? The result is a gun pulled on him, and his nose broken. This was earlier in the year. Now why would PJ make such a stupid mistake like that? Because Benjamin Fodor (renowned MMA fighter, not really) is a GRAPPLER. He does holds and submissions, things like headlocks.  Watch some of his fights on youtube sometime, you might see what I mean. He did the only thing he really knows how to do, and thats put someone in a position where its hard for them to fight back. But what about the other two guys? Well, I guess he didn’t think about that. Key word being “think”, and that’s something Ben doesn’t do a lot.
This also one of those types of incidences that completely justifies all of the criticism people give RLSH, in regards to letting the professionals handle this, or how someone is going to get hurt some day. Phoenix, you are not helping the RLSH cause whatsoever, you might just be hindering it.
Which is where I bring up my next point, where Fodor was recently arrested for assault, by pepper spraying several individuals.
And this is where I really feel the need to open my mouth. Sometime in the last two months, Phoenix Jones aka Ben Fodor posted MY video (see below) where my partner Grim and I break up a fight. On PJs facebook page, he accused ME of using excessive force because I brandished my stun gun, warning anyone who tried anything they will be shocked if something else happens. That fight ended peacefully, and no one was further injured as a result of our interjection. And just for thr record, I’ve never pepper sprayed anyone (and I do carry) or used my stun gun on anyone, let alone ever had to assault someone. I’ve grabbed some individuals to get them off of others, or helped the police handcuff people. Other than that? I’ve never had to manhandle anyone. Also that night, the police gave us thanks, respect and appreciation for our efforts that night. Shortly after the fight ended, a fire engine rolling down the street called me BY NAME over their loud speaker system. Can you say respect? Which, sadly is not what I can say for Seattle PDs thoughts of Phoenix Jones. They cant stand the guy. This was the opportunity they had been looking for to get  PJ. This is a whole other discussion entirely, some of which I want to touch on. My friend Tea Krulos, who I met at Comic Con this year for HOPE 2011 was eyewitness to the whole debacle (read it <a href=”http://heroesinthenight.blogspot.com/2011/10/statement-on-phoenix-jones-patrol.html“>here</a>. My only problem with this situation is the police are not talking to the people that need to be talked to, like Tea Krulos and it seems Ben Fodors civil rights may have been violated. Thats about the extent I will defend him. But, when you put yourself out there and do the things you do, you make yourself more so a target. Even from the police, especially when you’ve insulted them bef0re, and probably made their job harder than it’s had to be, like in the above circumstance.
Lets look back on how many times he’s claimed he’s gotten hurt. I know of two specific incidences where he’s been legitimately hurt: When he got his nose broken, and when he was in the hospital for internal bleeding. That happened when Jon Ronson interviewed everyone for the GQ article. Plus the other claimed stabbings and shootings. So, iuf PJ is an expert crime fighter, who’s trained in MMA, and believes he should be the only one doing this (because of his “training”) why does he keep getting hurt? Lets look at the police, who have extensive training and procedures for situations. Sure, shit happens and every once in a while a police officer is injured or even killed in the line of duty. Usually due to some chaotic circumstance that no one could have ever forseen. The difference is that is still very rare, while PJ’s seem to be quite frequent. One person getting hurt repeatedly trying to do what he does, while an entire police force with the occasional injury. I’ll admit I don’t have a lot of hard facts to back up what I am saying here , I’m simply stating my observations and opinions.
My point here (as with every incident he’s been involved in) PJ lacks several things: training, maturity, and a grip on reality. He lives and acts like he’s in a comic book. it’s sickening and does not reflect how true RLSH act. Never have I seen or heard of any of the pillars of the community, from Superhero, to Dark Guardian to Mr. Xtreme or even Zetaman act in such a way, ever in their careers, some of  which span over a decade, when Phoenix Jones was barely in middle school. But I forgot, he claims to be the first crime fighter too.
Yeah, Phoenix Jones apologized for saying a lot of those things. But why were they said to begin with? and it’s not so much what he said, but how he said it. Besides, his actions speak a lot louder than words. And I mean his irresponsible, unprofessional and dangerous behavior. What Phoenix Jones needs to do is grow up, take some pointers, and get over himself. He would do a lot better at this if he listened to some veterans instead of assuming he is better than everyone else. I’d even be willing to offer him some tips. But would he listen to anyone? no, he thinks this is a movie or something. He won’t listen, he won’t learn, and he will never get better or accomplish anything of magnificence.
Look at the NYI who has helped apprehend several serious offenders in their city. Rapists, serial assaulters. They’ve accomplished a lot. They are also dealing with the Occupy Wall Street protests and helping keep the peace there a lot. More stuff like that needs to happen.
Now as for what Phoenix did in the pepper spray incident? What he should have done was WAIT FOR HIS TEAM, break the people apart and try to deescalate the situation. NOT run in “guns blazing”. He did not attempt to deescalate the situation and only made it worse. I really hope you change your ways PJ, you are obviously not going to quit, not yet. But you went about this completely the wrong way. The charges against PJ were justified and I kinda wish they would charge him and convict him. I think this only serves to inflate his ego further, believing he is above the law and get away with more next time. Hopefully, I am wrong about that.
Here’s the video where he accused me of using excessive force:

Also lets take a look at PJ’s media. Which he’s had  A LOT of. But he uses it inappropriately, as I stated earlier. He uses the media to push himself and his own image, instead of the causes he is working on. The Initiative used the media to bring attention to the Long Island serial killer, and the Xtreme Justice League used the media to bring attention to the Chula Vista serial groper, who was eventually caught.
The difference is these groups were not for self promotion, but bringing attention to a cause, to a problem. Which is what the entire concept of a RLSH is all about.  Phoenix Jones would rather bring attention to himself, than any cause.
 

Superheroes Are The Next Level of Social Evolution

By the most basic definition, evolution is a change in response to the surrounding environment.
Superheroes are no different.
As society further degrades, as we witness people developing further disdain for their fellow man, we respond, in an attempt to make society survive. We are a response to the conditions surrounding us. This sort of change always starts out small. Like any successful mutation, it spreads.
This change is in response to mainly apathy. Apathy is a social disorder. It is rampant all across the world.
The concept of RLSH/X-Alt is spreading. We as a community are growing every day, new people are popping up every day and acting in their communities, in their neighborhoods. They are instigating change in their local environments. They are inciting a societal evolution.
If we see someone in need, we help. If we see someone suffering on the street, we bring them hope. If we see someone in danger, we save them. These are not social norms. Society has told us “it’s not our problem”. That it’s “their fault” whatever happened to that person, whether it being homeless, or just being mugged walking down the street.
This type of attitude, this social indoctrination has brought us to where we are now. It seems social degradation is at an all time high, whether it be homeless statistics or crime statistics. Everything seems to be at its worse possible.
But there is a response to that, a change to protect society, to save it, and humanity as a whole. It’s those few people, men, women and yes, children, who are instigating this change in response to what is going on around them.
This is how evolution works.
The creative activism of the “RLSH/X-Alt subculture” has exploded in recent years. A few years ago, there was maybe fifty heroes, all across the world. Now, there’s well over 300 in America alone. Groups and organizations are growing. Existing teams are expanding, new ones are being formed. More people are responding to this much needed change and acting. In turn they are encouraging others to act. In turn, those people are encouraging OTHERS to act. So on and so forth.
We are inspiring others to go out there and do something. This “superhero phenotype” is spreading. Society is slowly evolving, slowly changing for the better. It will take time, but it will happen.
Evolution is coming. We are the forefront of it.
 

Grim and I Break Up A Fight (with video)

Grim is the newest recruit to the XJL, he only started patrolling with us last saturday, he says that he has been doing this off and on for a while now, in his words: “he’s done it a coupla times” on the east coast. but he has decided to join our ranks. He wears blue, which is great variety in the XJL color scheme, which is red, green, and a lot of brown and black. Anyway, he joined me for the gaslamp patrol (as I always get there before anyone else) so I explained to him a few of the things we do on gas lamp patrols, and what to expect. Sure enough, we come across a situation. Down the street we see a guy down on the ground and a bunch of people surrounding him. I’m not sure what is going on, so I switch on my shoulder cam to record anything that may or may not go on. I’ve been mentally training myself to do this as I always forget to do when entering a situation, defeating the whole purpose of the camera! below is the video I recorded of the situation we encountered:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgxWbNOM_tc
We continued about our way after I shut the camera off. I approached an officer around the block and told him about what had happened. he said he’d heard about it, and we went on our way.
continuing to walk down fifth ave. where all the clubs are, we saw a fire engine going down the street, they announced from their PA system: ‘URBAN AVENGER!” I gave them a big wave and kept on walking.
I think that has to be the single coolest thing I’ve ever encountered on patrol. Being given a personal shout out on PA system. Later on after everyone else showed up and the patrol was starting coming to an end, we came across a bicycle cop who thanked us for breaking up the fight earlier, and that they appreciated what we did, and to keep up the good work. props from a cop, that was awesome.
the entire patrol went really well, aside from those two instances it was a pretty standard patrol. Grim has quickly proven himself a valuable asset to the team and the XJL is very fortunate to have him with us. He proved himself quickly as calm and collected in a hairy situation, and came out on top.