Tag Crime

Originally posted: http://www.goldengatexpress.org/2011/05/11/superheroes-swoop-in-to-fight-crime/
By [X]press Staff
The sights and sounds of a riot filled the streets on a chilly night in Oakland when suddenly, strange figures emerged from an alley. Covered in glass and grime and with only their eyes visible, they glowed in the mad light of the city.
In the middle stood a man clad in a Kevlar vest, combat boots, and a mask covering the lower half of his face, with Taser knuckles glowing on his right fist.
“Who are you?” someone shouted.
The voice behind the mask looked at them and calmly replied, “We are real-life superheroes.”
This is not a story from the pages of a comic book, but one of real people all over the country who dress up and fight for their community. These self-described superheroes have found a variety of different ways to help their neighborhoods, from organizing blood drives to feeding the homeless. They use their costumes as a way to draw attention to the cause.
Peter Tangen, a Hollywood photographer and the de facto spokesman as well as expert on Real Life Superheroes, calls the people who participate in the movement “a perfect cross section of America.”
Like many denizens of the comic book pages, Motor Mouth, 30, of Oakland, who declined to give his “civilian” name, started out as just an average citizen. Then “fan boy” read a comic that changed his life.
That comic was “Kick-Ass” by Mark Millar, which tells the story of a boy who chooses to dress up and fight crime in his neighborhood. Motor Mouth was instantly attracted to the “poor man’s Batman” aspect of the comic and intrigued by the notion of people in the real world using superhero identities to better their community.
Motor Mouth then did what any comic book lover would do and turned to the Internet. There he found the world of RLSH and knew that he wanted to be a part of it.
The idea of concealed identities and community crusaders is not a new idea, but activity often spikes when the country in times of upheaval, and according to the RLSH website, there are currently several thousand such activists in the country.
The presence of superheroes, real or fictional, is something that Tangen sees as a reflection of the national mood.
“It can be seen even as far back as World War II,” Tangen said. “People need a hero. There is a need to see someone who stands for something right and good. The world around them is losing some of their priorities.”
Motor Mouth attributes his desire to help his community to childhood experiences.
Born to medical worker parents, the need to help others was ingrained in him from a very early age. In his youth, he would often stop school bullies from intimidating other students.
“I think too many people in this world nowadays allow for too much gray area,” Motor Mouth said. “When the reality is, bad is bad and good is good.”
Tangen agreed with that statement.
“Apathy exists, but these people are people who reject that idea,” Tangen said.
Motor Mouth, along with members of a larger group called “The Pacific Protectorate” often take it upon themselves to go on missions in some of the city’s worst neighborhoods at night to facilitate activities ranging from calling police to report drug deals, to breaking up bar fights, or as was the case in January 2009, participate in inhibiting the madness that was the Oakland riots.
Over the course of that night, Motor Mouth and his team stopped teenagers from using a battering ram on a building (with the help of Motor Mouth’s non-lethal Taser knuckles) and saved a woman from an exploding building.
When asked if he was afraid at any point during this night, Motor Mouth laughed.
“In order to be a real life superhero you have to take the fear that may be inside of you and manifest it into something that’s useful,” Motor Mouth said.
Officer Holly Joshi of the Oakland Police Department said these groups have been useful to the community and said that she appreciates their efforts.
“They’re on the right track,” Joshi said. “Citizens have a responsibility to protect their community, it’s not just a police issue.”

Originally posted: http://www.harrowtimes.co.uk/news/9019699._Superhero__patrols_Harrow_streets_at_night/
By Jack Royston

HARROW criminals may sleep a little less soundly at night knowing a self-proclaimed “real-life superhero” is patrolling the streets.
The Man in Black, aka 19-year-old Joseph Falica, dons a black trilby or flat cap and sometimes hides his face with a scarf, before jumping out of the darkness at unsuspecting troublemakers.
The Harrow Weald resident has learned Parkour, an urban French discipline, which involves climbing and jumping onto the top of buildings, so he can survey the streets around him.
He says he has a spot in Harrow town centre where no one can see him, but he has a perfect view of anything happening below.
He said: “The main weapon I use is to inflict fear on the criminal by coming out of the darkness. It does generally work.
“I just get people to stop and if it escalates, it escalates.”
However, a Met Police spokesman said: “We strongly advise people not to take the law into their own hands. If people see a crime being committed, they should always call 999.”
Joseph claims a recent incident involved a man who was being physically aggressive to his girlfriend in the Harrow-on-the-Hill area.
He recalled: “He was pinning the girl to the wall. I just came up and scared him because I came out of the black.
“He asked who I was and I said, ‘That doesn’t matter, just get off her and don’t touch her again or else we are going to have a problem’.”
After chasing the man away, Jospeh walked the girl home and said she was happy he had intervened, but did not really understand what had happened.
Joseph claims he also found some kids smoking drugs near St Mary’s Church in Harrow-on-the-Hill and moved them on.
The self-appointed superhero, who was born in Britain, moved to America with his family in 1998 and says he comes from a criminal background.
He claims ancestors on his father’s side were involved with the Sicilian mafia in Chicago, although his grandfather was the last in the chain.
While in America, Joseph became involved in gangs, fighting and general antisocial behaviour, but decided to turn his back on his troubled past and do something good for society.
However, Joseph’s bid to fight crime has landed him in trouble and on one occasion, he was attacked by up to four people with baseball bats.

Originally posted:
By Rich Johnston
Zimmer Barnes is a Real Life Super Hero, working in New York. But now he’s gone to Texas, this time to defend someone accused of gun crime. His own mother.
Attorney Carolyn Barnes, specialising in medical malpractice, was arrested a year ago for allegedly shooting at a census worker on her doorstep. She had previously been arrested for assaulting a court officer after she tried to pass a multi-tool knife blade through X-ray machine at the Heman Sweatt Courthouse a few months earlier, as well as charges of bail jumping.
Zimmer however isn’t having any of it. “This accuser, Kathleen Gittel, has changed her story twice. When the police searched my mother’s home, ammunition, bullet holes, casings and gun powder residue couldn’t be found. They didn’t even find a gun. Bullet holes and gun powder residue can’t magically disappear, they weren’t found because they don’t exist.”
“Kathleen Gittel alleges that she walked over a mile to get to Carolyn Barnes’ very rural residence, even going over a low water crossing and ignoring “No Trespassing” signs. However, she originally stated that the incident had occurred at 33 Indian Trail, an address in another town over, and her description of Barnes’ residence does not match its actual appearance.”
Refused coverage by Texas’ so-called “Castle Doctrine” which means that people can defend themselves in heir home by, basically, shooting anyone they think is a threat, she was released on bail with a tag until that was revoked in February.
Zimmer says “While the conditions that lead up to Carolyn Barnes being detained in jail are troubling, the conditions inside the jail are even worse. Carolyn Barnes is in solitary confinement, shackled at the ankles and wrists. She is under 24 hour surveillance, including when she uses a toilet or shower. She is forbidden from making phone calls or having any visitors”. This included Zimmer, currently authorised as her attorney-in-fact.
He concludes “There are convicted serial killers, pedophiles and terrorists that get better treatment than what she’s getting. From a civil liberties standpoint, it’s totally inappropriate for someone that should be assumed innocent until proven guilty. I’ve patrolled high crime areas, removed gang tags and defended people from violent attacks. I’m currently helping to coordinate the NYI to stop the recent muggings in the West Village and track down the Long Island serial killer. But this is the toughest challenge I’ve ever faced. I’m not leaving until she’s free.”

Originally posted: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/983219–move-over-batman-real-life-superheroes-are-here

By Raju Mudhar
While the big-budget superhero films have to try to balance the fantastic with the real, director Michael Barnett had no such problem with Superheroes.
Screening at Hot Docs on May 2, 4 and 8, the documentary looks at real-life superheroes, who don masks, capes, duct tape and other equipment to patrol the streets and make this world a better place. The film is equal parts hilarious and hopeful — and sometimes sad — and despite the costumes, it takes its subjects very seriously.
“Every single one of them is doing more to make the world a better place than certainly I, and most everyone I know, are,” he says. “I have a deep respect for what they’re doing. Are some of them ineffective? Sure. Are some effective? Absolutely. Are some misguided? Yes. Are some of their lives seemingly tragic? Yes. So it’s hard to generalize for all of them, but I love what they’re doing.”
Whether it’s helping the homeless, raising awareness about crime or even dressing up as “bait” to lure criminals, the likes of Mister Extreme, Master Legend, or the four roommates in Brooklyn who form The New York Initiative are part of the more than 700 documented masked vigilantes around the world who describe themselves as part of the real life superhero movement.
“We shot in pretty much every major city. At the very least, it’s a subculture,” he says. “But I would say it’s a movement because it has this unorganized manifesto behind it.”
Barnett knows that what many of these people are doing is dangerous, and they know it too.
“It is only a matter of time before one of their activities leads to someone getting hurt or possibly worse,” he says. “Some have told me that they’ve received death threats. But the thing is they know that going in. They know the villains are out there, and that’s why they’re doing what they’re doing.”

Originally posted: http://seattlecrime.com/2011/04/22/when-we-last-left-our-intrepid-heroes
By Jonah Spangenthal-Lee
It’s been awhile since we’ve written about the masked members of the Rain City Superhero Movement, but they’re still around, fightin’ crime and whatnot.
Last night, Seattle police arrested one man in the University District for drug possession after RCSM’s Phoenix Jones and his partner in crime-fighting, Pitch Black, apparently set up their own drug sting.
Around 9:30 p.m. last night, Pitch Black and Phoenix Jones were staking out the University District, when a man walked up to Pitch Black—who was not in costume—at 50th and Brooklyn and offered to sell him heroin, according to a police report.
Pitch Black declined to buy any heroin from the man, who then pulled out a small plastic baggie of a “brown, clay-like substance,” and asked again, the report says.
Pitch Black and Phoenix Jones then detained the man and called police.
Officers spoke with the suspect, who told police he was in the area to pick up a prescription for his sister, and that Pitch Black had approached him and asked him if he had any cocaine.
Police then asked the man if he’d be willing to empty his pockets, and he agreed.
Officers found a knife in the man’s jacket, “a clear straw containing a brownish residue” and a “red, heart-shaped box,” which contained five oxycodone pills.
It appears the man wasn’t able to explain why the pills were in a box instead of a prescription bottle. He did, however, explain to officers that he used the straw for smoking opium.
Police booked the man into the King County Jail on a drug charge.
Officers attempted to contact the alleged dealer’s sister to find out if the Oxycodone belonged to her. The report doesn’t say whether they were able to reach her.

Originally posted: http://www.comicbooked.com/the-real-life-super-heroes-stand-up-for-what-you-believe-in/
By Trey Buffington

This isn’t a movie I’m describing: drugs run rampant in city parks, theft of money and property, & violence continues to escalate. Men and woman are terrified to take the subway at night. We live in fear. We give in to it. We welcome it. Well… not all of us.
There are those out among us who have taken a stand against such things that drag our society down. They are known as R.L.S.H.. The Real Life Super Heroes. They took it upon themselves to clean up the streets not by might and force alone but by acts of compassion and charity. They dedicate time to mentor children and giving food to the homeless as well as patrol streets to stop criminal acts. In other words, this is the new age neighborhood watch. Taking the persona of superheroes inspired by the comic books we all know and love, R.L.S.H. commit themselves to a hope of creating a better world for our children to grow up in.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNjhuxYyqyM
Dark Guardian (R.L.S.H. member) is a man who patrols around Manhattan’s Washington Square Park after noticing the drug dealers in the area having no fear of distributing out in the open. Growing up with no father figure, he turned to comic books to be his role model. Using martial arts as his weapon of choice, he confronts drug dealers out in the open dressed in his costume to prevent further moral decay of his park. He has been harassed, threatened verbally and at gun point but still persisted in continuing he endeavor to “clean up the streets.”
Dark Guardian doesn’t just fight drug dealers for a living, he also volunteers his time at hospitals and does homeless outreach. He may not be taking down a Lex Luthor or a Norman Osborn but in our real world society he is doing a tremendous job cleaning up the streets and helping the needy in all forms.
Dark Guardian is just one of the many superheroes who have joined this project to help humanity in this day and age. Other superheroes include: Samaritan, Nyx, Mr. Xtreme, Knight Owl, Crimson Fist, Phoenix Jones and many more.
What does it take to be a superhero? What powers must you possess to do what is right and help others? If you ask any of these “superfolks” helping out their community around the world, I bet they would say “Just be a neighbor”. Reach out to those in need. Stand up for what you know is right. If you have the power and the ability to change you surrounding environment, do so. Everyone wants the world to change, but who out there will try

I’d like to thank Zero ( the original Z ) for creating a phrase for those of us within what the media labeled the real life superhero ( RLSH ) community who may or may not quite fit that colorful brand.
“X Alts” or extreme altruists is his commendable contribution to the lexicon.
Yes I have a code name but I’m a bit costume lite compared to most. Yes I’m a member of this community of creative activists; glory seekers; actual crime fighters and ” visionaries ” but Zero’s new term resonates with me on many levels.
I’m a very creative concerned citizen- that’s it. I’m not a vigilante nor a naive do gooder. I’m simply a highly socially concerned member of the public. Being part of a mobilized, passionate public has been my goal from Day One, along with using my lifelong interest in things super heroic to inspire others.
Zero is a serious thinker about our emerging field of activism. I’m not surprised he coined this phrase and will undoubtedly produce a body of work that will go a long way toward explaining the various tribes under the RLSH umbrella.
Some of us see ourselves as superheroes come to life. Others are creative actvists paying homage to a genre that allows folks to soar above the commonplace. Still more have allowed fantasy to overwhelm their grasp on reality.
Wherever you fit on the RLSH spectrum, we should all thank Zero for his invaluable input!
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes crime prevention and self-development through creative activism. Whether his outreach is RLSH or X ALT is up to the beholder. (504) 214-3082.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/little-altruism/201001/altruism-heroics-and-extreme-altrusim
 

Originally posted: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3445844/Britains-first-real-life-female-superhero-on-mission-to-rescue-abused-pets.html
By Ryan Sabey and Dan Sales
BRITAIN’S first real-life female superhero emerged last night – and she saves abused PETS.
The mysterious BLACK ARROW claims to have used her secret identity for six years.
She wears a cape and mask and is a carer for disabled adults by day.
The Londoner said: “I make sure people aren’t abusing their animals. I serve justice to those who deserve it. We stand for those who cannot, because we can.”
The Sun has revealed at least 16 superheroes in Britain.
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Another to emerge yesterday was Londoner CAPTAIN CHAMPION who patrols with a Union Flag shield.
His pal VAGUE, 24, is also a crime-buster.
ZEITGEIST, who dons a black mask, claims to have helped “clean up” a bar serving underage drinkers.
Blue-costumed hero ANGLE GRINDER spends days as a Kent odd-job man and nights removing wheel clamps from cars.
KNOW a real superhero? Call us on 0207 782 4104 or email [email protected]
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Originally posted: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3443305/Britain-has-16-superheroes-patrolling-the-streets.html

By Chris Pollard
A WHOLE army of masked crusaders is fighting crime on Britain’s streets at night, The Sun can reveal.
At least 16 amateur super-heroes have been identified.
They have names such as Vague, Swift, Black Arrow, Lionheart and Terrorvision. But researcher Tea Krulos said many more operated in the shadows. He said: “Britain has more amateur superheroes than you’d guess.”
We told last month how chubby bank worker Scott Cooke, 26 – known as The Statesman but dubbed The Phan-tum by The Sun – secretly dons a Union Jack outfit to fight crime in Birmingham.
US author Krulos has investigated such comic-style heroes for years in the States. And he said: “In America we have many, but they tend to seek publicity.
“In Britain it is a very secretive underground society. They do all they can to avoid publicity and communicate online. Whole forums are set up and often they operate in groups. I have spoken extensively to The Statesman, and he takes what he does very seriously.”
Krulos – writing a book on superheroes – said he had spoken to six UK crusaders, and was trailing ten more. He said: “These are normal people wanting adventure and to improve communities. They achieve more than you’d think.”
[email protected]

The Wall Street Journal has recently come out with an article about a few real life superheroes disagreeing.  It was actually on the front page.  I believe it  is a pathetic article coming from the Wall Street Journal. The Journal is know for being an elite source of media and they stooped to the level of printing essentially a gossip column about real life superheroes.
The writer spoke to several real life superheroes and heard about some of the amazing work they do and even after continued to write a trash story.  The story focused on some minor disagreements between a few people in a much larger culture.  In any community or culture there are always people who disagree about things and the real life superhero community is no different.  It is really not a big deal and most certainly doesn’t warrant a news article, especially in the Wall Street Journal of all places.
The real story about real life superheroes is the work they do.  There is an amazing and inspirational story to be told which unfortunately was not.  People are going out on their own free time, spending money out of pocket, putting tons of effort in to going out to help others, put their lives on the line fighting crime, finding wrong to right, and making their communities & the world around them a better place.
There were many mis-characterizations about rlsh.  Phoenix Jones fed into it.  He is very unhappy about the way his words were used.  The reporter spent lots of time with him and cherry picked quotes and lead him into saying certain things.
Real Life Superheroes do all types of activities which the writer knew about, but decided to follow the slant of rlsh’s feed the homeless and do charity work while Phoenix Jones does hardcore crime-fighting.  He was trying to further create division and drama.
Fact is the real life superhero movement has been around since the 1970’s.  Many have stopped violent crime and many specifically work to combat violent crime. Real life superheroes have been risking their lives to help protect others, they have been in serious danger, injured, threatened, and so on, all to protect and help others.  Not all real life superheroes fight crime, some focus on homeless outreach, community service, and environmental issues. One must remember being a real life superhero is about making positive change in your community and not necessarily about being a tough guy and fighting crime.
This is a movement working to bring good deeds, community action, public and social awareness to problems, and create a better and brighter society.
The media can slant things the way they want, over-dramatize things, and try to create division, but they will not divide this culture because we are all united in working towards a better brighter tomorrow.
-Dark Guardian-