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My name is Tea Krulos and I’m a freelance writer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was introduced to the Real Life Super Hero(RLSH) story in late February, 2009. As a lifelong fan of comic books and unusual and unique people and subcultures, I was immediately hooked.
I was determined to find a local RLSH if there was one and found The Watchman, a man who dons a red rubber mask, suit, and trenchcoat and patrols the streets of Milwaukee. I had a long, fascinating interview with him in person one night and determined that the short magazine piece I had successfully pitched did not scratch the surface of the story and decided to write a book. After a few months I also established this blog- both the book and the blog are titled Heroes in the Night.
My book is based on extensive research, interviewing, and field work. I have traveled to meet RLSH in Minneapolis, Rochester (Minnesota), Brooklyn, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, New Bedford (Massachusetts) , and Washington DC, as well as meeting regularly with the Milwaukee crew.
I have been quoted as an expert on the subject in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, People magazine, Seattle Weekly, Scientific American, io9.com, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and dozens of other newspapers, magazines, websites around the world. I’ve also made appearances on a dozen radio shows and have been filmed for three different RLSH documentaries.
I have written articles on the subject for Milwaukee magazine, the Boston Phoenix, New York Press, Forces of Geek, Riverwest Currents, and Delayed Gratification.
Heroes in the Night will be available JUNE 2012!

How is it going, this is the ded beat, my story is an angry and strange tale so here we go,  I am in a Real Life Super Hero Metal band called Jack Havoc, we have been together for over ten years and grew up in Pahrump, Nevada right next to Las Vegas. After the Death of our Guitarist Joseph Merritt we all move up here to Sequim Washington. For years we wanted to be like Rock stars and did alot of drugs, we are now seven years clean and will never look back. well even two years after quitting drugs we still got drunk a lot and partied. One Night about 5 years ago we wer having a party and one of my band mates brought this guy from his work over, this guy has been known to get drunk and start fights. So when he is good and lit, he starts calling one of our old roommates a nark, he was asked to leave and refused he started calling us names, and One thing led to another my lead singer tried escorting him out and him and another of our friends made physical conatct with each other a hit to the face each i believe. The he started calling us faggots and ran out of the house and said he would be back with his friends. 20 minutes later they all showed up, it was a brutal street fight with weapons and such, i dont want to get into detail, but both paries were equally violent and niether of us should have fought. The cops showed up and they all split, in the altercation one of our girlfriends had given one of there friends phones , that was broken to the cops. That night we all went to the hospital, my bass player had 17 fractures in his face, and then we went home. Once we get in a fight were done and we always have dropped it later, not that we should have fought. The next day they called and said they wanted the phone back we said we did not have it, thay said well thats to bad, then hung up. Hours later we got a call from the cops and all there friends saying that the same guy whos phone got given to the cops, had his car severly vandalized with fire. Now im going to say this right here and i hope everyone knows this, We DID NOT nor would we ever endanger someones life by lighting fire to a car. Needless to say thes guys are pissed and think we did it, which i swear on everything i hold dear we did not. To this day we never have figured out, there has been speculation here and there, we still think they might have done it themselves to keep it on going. Anyway for 6 months after our fight they would flip us off call us names and yell at our friends and fans. Until finally about a half a year later we ran into one of them at a bar. He hit me then got arrested, Months later he told us if we dropped it it would be over, so we did. Wrong move on our part, anyway he even thanked me after the court day and said he was cool, but his friend still thinks we blew up his car. Flash forwad a year and a half later i run into that same dude at a casino and he wants to fight me again, now i felt so bad about how bad that street fight cause we fucked alot of ther guys up, that every time after i was always nice when they wanted to fight and a little scared. So i start working out, 6 months later the other guy comes into my work and flips out on me in front of customers, i tell him to get out before i call the cops, i run into these guys from time to time, mind you if i have one of my friends around… they wont say shit, after years and years it is only two asshole who are still pissed and they have singled out me and my band time and time again, trying to start shit. I thought about it and here i am 5 years later i am now in great shape, I have trained in si-lat from time to time, Not a lot at all, but enough to feel better about being prepared, and have done nothing wrong besides getting into that fight, which we are all guilty of, and am a new Man. So three days ago im driving with my guitarist and i see the Phone/Car guy flip me off two blocks awy, i pull over my car and said Fuck That, i walk two blocks toward him, as im walking he gets int his car to make it look like he was getting a weapon, i almost turned around but said to myself now or never. I marched right up to him. He says” whats up lets do this” and i said,” Im here to tell you if you take a swing at me or anyone i know, not only will i defend myself, but ill call the cops right after and have you arrested, and i will press charges, and your legal fees will never end”. He got right up into my face and said” ill punch you right now”. I said” then do it”. I was calm and and everything he said was just a scared, bitter, Revenge thirsty punks rants and raves, plus im sure if i would have called a cop he might get busted with what ever drugs were in his car. Also im kind of a big boy now, i dont think he realized that, So he says,” i already kicked your bands ass any way” got in his car and left, there was a lot more arguing between me and him that day but i think you get the point. The moral of the story is i stood up, like i told myself i would do and stared in to the crazy bastards eyes and said” You don’t scare me”. He will never touch me because now that im a super hero im not afraid to say i have the law on my side and you cant terrorize me, Phoenix Jones Taught me that, and for that i am forever greatful, Never let you, your friends, or your family feel like they are helpless make a stand, he will always flip me off and say what ever he wants, but he will never lay a hand on me or anyone i know, cause if he does, i will make sure he goes to jail, and everyone knows that being in jail Sucks ha ha ha. Well thanks for reading and i hope i inspire anyone to stand up and be there own super hero. WE DONT MAKE DEALS WITH TERRORISTS.                                                                                                  The Ded Beat
 

Yep, there are no such thing as Real-Life Super Villains! The people we label as a “RLSV” are either trolls, politicians, or other Real Life SuperHeroes who’s goals and methods are at odds with our own.
I hear you ask “How can they be against my noble cause?”, so please stay with me as I explain; but first, a quote!

Quote from Isaiah Berlin, 1958
“It follows that a frontier must be drawn between the area of private life and that of public authority. Where it is to be drawn is a matter of argument, indeed of haggling. Men are largely interdependent, and no man’s activity is so completely private as never to obstruct the lives of others in any way. ‘Freedom for the pike is death for the minnows’; the liberty of some must depend on the restraint of others.”

Berlin has summed up a fundamental issue about heroes and their role in shaping our society with ‘The liberty of some must depend on the restraint of others.’ .
Sociological and Economical Theory as well as the Principles of Thermodynamics describes ‘Civilization’ as a Dynamic whole that seeks equilibrium from a CONSTANT resource pool. Anytime we act in society as either a private citizen or RLSH, there are always far-reaching consequences (often called the “Butterfly Effect”/”Ripple Effect”). Or more simply, to give something to one person, we must take it from another.
“How does it relate back to the RLSV/RLSH idea?” For this example: your goal is feeding the homeless in (insert place here), and manage to get food donated through a Good Samaritan Law in (insert place here).
That should be a win-win situation right? But what about the people under similar financial constraints, who work hard, abstain from the little pleasures in life so they can pay the rent or mortgage in (insert place here), and have little food because of it? What about when other Homeless people in other nearby towns hear of ‘Free Food for the Hobo’s in (insert place here)’? Why wouldn’t they flock to the free food?.
With so many homeless in one area living there for nothing, the real estate prices would plummet, and hobo’s / non-paying people loitering in front of store fronts, shoplifting from stores and reducing customer access would impact their bottom line to the point when they can no longer provide excess/surplus food through the Good Samaritan Laws in (insert place here).
The crime rates go up, and another hero comes out Phoenix-Jones Style to ‘Clean Up the Streets’ and break up the crowds, only to be called a RLSV…
The pot has been stirred enough, so I’ll leave you to stew on the implications… What are your thoughts?
 

Capt Black
I don’t do limits.
Artificial barriers like fear ( on my part ) or prejudice ( on someone else ) aren’t acceptable.
Telling me expressing myself against injustice will get me in ” trouble ” means accepting an artificial limitation.
After years of getting myself into ” trouble ” I’ve discovered that whatever others threaten only has power if you buy into it. All their huffing and puffing has yet to do anything but indicate they don’t like being challenged.
Whole populations are controlled by limitation acceptance. One underlying tenet of patriotism is resisting covert or overt invasion because the enemy will impose limits upon you after victory.
Civil rights activism and anti-crime advocacy are replete with struggles against limitation. Offenders in government; private industry or even street gangs, despite obvious differences, stand united in their resolve to make others fit involuntary limitations.
Consider the absence of credible scientific evidence to justify limitation schemes like India’s caste system; American Jim Crow; South African Apartheid; Old style Soviet Communism; sexism; homophobia, etc. The list easily stretches toward infinity as one group plots to curtail another’s freedom.
I don’t accept limits because doing so means someone else becomes your absolute ruler. In this context every activist who defies limitation is a reminder that we are limited by others in direct proportion to our acceptance of their terms.
That’s why there are so few activists relative to the rest of their peers. Add unique activist subgroups like real life superheroes ( RLSH ) and extreme altruists ( X ALTS ) and percentages shrink even more! Limitations are one of mankind’s most unkind inventions and as such are not to be accepted in any form or fashion.
If we do, then we have no right to complain about mistreatment.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes finding your ” super ” through creative crime prevention; homeless outreach and political advocacy. (504) 214-3082
 

“This is our neighborhood not yours”, That is what my neighbor told me in a confrontation we had today. I am in a Superhero Metal band called Jack Havoc we have no place to practice, we have been run out of every place in town. We need to practice to play the Charity shows we agreed to rock, to fulfill our being a superhero needs. We only play wed. and sat. afternoons for two hours and we have worked on soundproofing my garage as we go, we are not rich, and i have one neighbor who just cannot tolerate it, he comes over almost every other wed. to tell us he wants it turned down, which we do, but no matter what we try he still always threatens to call the cops, we have spoken with the city and formed an alliance with Lisa Hopper of the city council and she is doing everything in her power to help us even going as far as to now divert his complaints to the police directly to her office. When he came over today he threatened that he already or may call the cops (he did not) but when i told him that we  used to be bad guys but now we are clean and rockin our music to stay out of trouble, he said He’ll be watching me and that this was there neighborhood not ours! I said,” Sir this is all of our neighborhood not just yours and we need to work together so we can all enjoy our freedom”. I even pulled the” This is America” bit, i know very cliche but i think he got the point. My point is I did not lose my cool once, i remind myself that i was a Superhero and never lost it once. I killed him with kindness, than made my point clear. We are not stopping. We do this at a reasonable time and stop before two hours go by, we all have to work together, and sometimes put up with things that we usually wouldn’t to ensure the happiness of others, I never complain about someone working on there house with a nail gun, The city parades, or running the lawnmower, hes like 70 but if he had a bit of a noisy career to practice for, like an old man band, i would be happy to put up with it cause he’s my neighbor.
The Ded Beat of Jack Havoc
www.facebook.com/jackhavocsuperheroes   [email protected]

Originally posted: http://atalanta77.blogspot.com/2011/04/superheroes-de-barrio.html
Me gusta leer periódicos antiguos. Cuando hojeas un artículo de hace tres, cuatro, cinco años, eres consciente de que estás leyendo mejor libro de historia. Es sumamente sorprendente en qué derivaron ciertos personajes o acontecimientos. Por no hablar de las noticias de índole económica anteriores a la crisis. La perspectiva del tiempo hace que ciertos artículos hoy asusten.
Dedicándome a este menester, encontré un reportaje que daba cuenta de un fenómeno para mí por completo sorprendente, el de los “superhéroes de la vida real”. Ya os imagináis el percal. Siguiendo la tradición más ortodoxa de los cánones de tebeo, repartidos por el mundo viven unos tipos “normales” que, a tiempo parcial, se han creado otra identidad a la que acompaña el pertinente disfraz y tras la cual, se dedican a combatir el mal en las calles de su ciudad.