Tag justice society of justice

Originally posted: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/64194
Real World Superheroes of the Midwest
by Miss Cellania – August 19, 2010 – 10:33 AM
There are everyday folks who spend their free time anonymously helping their communities -anonymous because they are costumed superheroes! We already met some of these superheroes in the southern US; here are some who protect the cities of the Midwest.

Shadow Hare

Cincinnati. Ohio

Shadow Hare patrols the streets of Cincinnati and attends large public events to watch for crime in progress, sometimes even making citizen’s arrests. He is trained in martial arts and has occasionally been injured in the line of duty. The local police force doesn’t officially encourage Shadow Hare’s activities, as they don’t want a civilian to be hurt, but they don’t condemn his behavior, either. The masked man has inspired other Cincinnati costumed heroes who form the group Allegiance of Heroes. Shadow Hare says he was an abused child and grew up in foster homes and therefore wants to make his community a better place for others. He is often seen lending aid to the homeless in addition to fighting crime and injustice. See Shadow Hare in a news report at YouTube.

Geist

Rochester, Minnesota

Geist patrols the streets of Rochester and Minneapolis to deter crime and works with many charities. In 2007, he stepped in to help flood victims in St. Charles, Lewiston, Rushford and Stockton, Minnesota. Hisfavorite causes are Paws and Claws animal shelter and the Ronald McDonald House. Geist is a leader in the Great Lakes Heroes Guild.

Foxfire

Royal Oak, Michigan

Foxfire is a female superhero who promotes the use of the supernatural to fight crime and injustice. From her MySpace page:

I am dedicated to helping those in need, preserving our natural resources, and, most importantly, teaching anyone who will listen about the hidden world, the more interesting stuff that goes on beneath the surface of their humdrum little lives. My goal is to itegrate magic, mystery, wonder and awe back into the modern American’s psyche–which is, at most, a slim chance. Still, it must be done!

Doctor DiscorD

Indianapolis, Indiana

Doctor DiscorD is a member of the Justice Society of Justice, which began as a joke, “a sort of street theater”. The Doctor and his compatriots found there were real problems in the city that they could help alleviate, and the mission became serious. He works to protect the city of Indianapolis from crime, but wonders if the publicity that comes with being a superhero might inhibit a hero’s effectiveness.

Mr. Silent

Indianapolis, Indiana

Mr. Silent is Doctor DiscorD’s crimefighting partner and works to protect Indianapolis. He is an Asian superhero who wears a bowler hat and carries a cane. His name was born of his inherent shyness, but the mask enables him to take action when needed. When not fighting crime, Mr. Silent does what he can to help the homeless. See an interview with Mr. Silent at YouTube.

Razorhawk

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Razorhawk refers to himself as a masked adventurer rather than a superhero because he has no supernatural powers. He does safety patrols in Minneapolis and his hometown of St. Anthony Village, Minnesota. Razorhawk is one of the leaders of the Great Lakes Heroes Guild. He spends a lot of his time working with various local charities.

Captain Jackson

Jackson, Michigan

Captain Jackson has been in the superhero business since 1999 as the leader of the Crimefighter Corps in Jackson, Michigan. He works with local authorities to instill civic pride and good citizenship. Keep up with Captain Jackson’s activities on his blog.

Queen of Hearts

Jackson, Michigan

The Queen of Hearts is a superhero compatriot of Captain Jackson. She works to fight domestic violence by teaching young people how to recognize and prevent it. Her favorite side projects are the Pleasant Lake Playground project and the Michigan Theatre.

The Watchman

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Watchman does safety patrols and charity work in Milwaukee, and is a member of the Great Lakes Heroes Guild. His sidekicks are the Watchdog and Wonder Boy, who sometimes appear at charity events. See a video of the Watchman in this post.
Coming soon: more real world superheroes of the US and around the world.

ARJUN RAMACHANDRAN
It’s certainly not a bird, or a speeding bullet, or a plane. It looks more like a guy in a silly lycra outfit.
Wearing masks and the full superhero get-up, a band of “real life superheroes” are patrolling the world’s cities trying to clean up the streets.
So claim the comic book-like crime-fighters, a loose association of costumed do-gooders who say they are taking up the fight for justice for ordinary people.
Boasting names like Dark Guardian, Citizen Prime, and Green Scorpion, the mainly US-based characters say they need to wear outfits to protect their identities from the evil-doers they attack.
Most have MySpace pages where they reveal the philosophy of their superheroism.
Florida superhero Amazonia wrote why she was prompted to strap on the black Zorro-like mask and defend her city, Ocala:
“I finally had enough of seeing the gangs terrorizing the downtown section of my city. They would mug, beat and otherwise harass senior citizens and women.
“So I took up the mantle of Firebird and set out to do what I could to help others.”
Many of the superheroes say they are armed with weapons such as stun guns, which can be legally carried in the US.
“Shadow Hare”, a 1.7 metre, slight-of-stature 21-year-old Cincinnati resident who carries handcuffs, a stun-gun and pepper spray, boasts: “I’ve stopped many evil doers … such as drug dealers, muggers, rapists, and crazy hobos with pipes.”
Many of the superheroes’ good deeds are of a civic nature – such as volunteering with charities or feeding the homeless.
But some make more bolder claims of actual crime-fighting.
Shadow Hare said he dislocated his shoulder two years ago while helping a woman who was being attacked.
He also said he was working with a San Diego-based superhero called Mr Extreme to “track down a rapist”.
On his MySpace page, Dark Guardian writes of the moment he saw two men with baseball bats waiting to beat someone up outside their house late at night.
“I park across the street from them. I wait and watch them. I make sure they see me so they know someone is watching, soon after they leave.
“I didn’t have to go and fight two guys with bats to stop a crime. I just made my presence known and they decided to stop what they were trying to do.”
On another occasion he writes of confronting a deranged man trashing a store.
“I stood in front of him and made sure everyone got out of the store. I tried talking him down. The store had already called the cops.
“Once the police came he cooperated and was hauled away. If he came at me or anyone else this story would end differently and I would have been in court myself because I had my knife at the ready.
“Glad it ended the way it did.”
Some superheroes also formed together under different banners to tackle crimes in unison, such as the Allegiance of Heroes.
One such group, titled the Justice Society Of Justice, claims to offer “twice the JUSTICE as the leading competitors!”.
An online “Superhero Registry” lists members of the “the Real-Life Superhero community”, outlining their speciality (for example public service or crime-fighting), where they patrol, whether their identity is secret and if their status as a superhero has been confirmed.
The website states the superheroes are not just role-playing, but that this is “a movement among ordinary people to make the world a better place in an extraordinary way”.
“There are always those who will take something less seriously, but the Real-Life Superhero community is generally composed of sincere, well meaning people who have finally decided to go out and make a difference.”
The heroes wear costumes to inspire others, protect their privacy, and “conceal vulnerabilities in one’s protective gear”, the site says.
People can also make their own submissions to be added to the registry but acceptance usually requires evidence of heroic activities through “media documentation of such activities, or testimonials from established Real-Life Superheroes”.
On his MySpace page, superhero Dark Guardian also writes of the weight of expectation on real superheroes.
“What I got most out of being a Real Life Superhero is living up to the name. I have to be the living embodiment of a superhero. With that comes great responsibility.
“I have walked away from being a Real Life Superhero before , but I couldn’t give it up. It is who I am. It is what I believe in.
“And it will help change the world.”
But police appear not to have warmed to the idea.
“We expect people to report crime to the police and not put themselves in jeopardy,” New York Police Department spokesman Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said in an article about the “superheroes” last year.

so tonight is the first night in a new era here in indianapolis.
the dawn of the age of superheroes.
after realizing the total lack of justice in the world,my friends and i have decided to become superheroes in order to balance this fracturing planet of ours.
tonight,with my partner in crime fighting “Mr. Silent”,we went around the city helping people and stopping fights,drunk drivers,and a group of young dumb kids hitting an old woman’s car.
we met the mayor of the bums here named ronald whom i will refer to now as Mayor McCheese..he said we have the bums support and that they have some weapons to protect themselves.we’re going to make shirts with pics of our superhero group and hand them out to the city’s homeless..they will state something along the lines of “our heroes”
for the most part,people accepted us right away,and many saluted us as we would walk by.we got a lot of support from the fair people of this city,and that is the kind of positive reinforcement i needed to help me fight crime all night.
the sad thing is this,while trying to stop a fight between two drunken latinos,the police pulled up..they watched them fighting,and us trying to break it up,and after about 2 minutes,they just left.
no help or anything.we were in front of the greyhound station at the time and people said things like “the police here don’t do anything,do they?”..to which we replied “of course not!which is why this city is in such dire need of us!”..there the cops were,getting paid to fight crime,and they just drove by,but us poor superheroes get nothing,yet we’re the ones making a difference..you know,i really dont care though,i dont need money to do this…fighting crime is the cherry on top of my sundae of justice,and i’ll eat those cherries until i get sick.
and then i’ll eat some more.
…that’s just the type of crime fighter i am.
i think the idea of superheroes are so ingrained in the collective unconscious of america,that people just accept the idea that people are doing it..and once they see that we’re doing something they’ve always wanted to do,they will follow suit.
we’ve already amassed a rather formable team under the name
The Justice Society of Justice (now offering twice as much justice as the competitors!).
Our roster so far is: team leader Captain Glory,Mr. Silent,myself (as both The Human Robot,Mr. Geisha and very rarely i break out the german kung fu stylings of Doktor Deutschland),The Apostolic Avenger,Absurdo,The Plunisher,The Hamburger Helper,our jewish rapper friend Dr.Dreidel and his sidekick the Kosher Kid,plus help from our newest comrade,the gynecological justice of The Green Discharge!
..we have affiliate super heroes around the midwest like Cap’n Whiskey in chicago, and Liquid Courage (m.i.a. last seen picking on huge jocks in a bar,downtown louisville)
..separate from the JSJ,but still equally worthy of praise are the michigan based crime fighting family of Captain Jackson,The Queen of Hearts and Crime Fighter Girl.(yeah,i know her name sucks,but come on..she’s only 15)
slowly but surely we as superheroes will help bring this fallen nation of corruption to it’s full glorious potential!
you know what im saying is true!..stand up,fight for justice,put on a mask and cape,and get mad at bad!we have nothing to lose but our identities.we have a world to win!
while doing our rounds,various security guards all over town gave us thumbs up and many citizens waved and wished us well in our non stop fight against tyranny…well,maybe not “nonstop”,because i need to recoup for tomorrow night’s patrol.
so it’s time for bed.
everything i’ve told you is true.this is not satire.
god speed.
and remember
if you’re not sure if you’re super yet,
and you see a crime…….please report it.
leave crime fighting to the professionals.

Orignially posted: http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=1712
Doktor DiscorD and Mr Silent are self-invented superheroes.

so tonight is the first night in a new era here in indianapolis. the dawn of the age of superheroes. after realizing the total lack of justice in the world, my friends and i have decided to become superheroes in order to balance this fracturing planet of ours. tonight, with my partner in crime fighting “Mr. Silent”, we went around the city helping people and stopping fights,drunk drivers,and a group of young dumb kids hitting an old woman’s car.

Here’s the note the good Doktor sent me the other day:

mr. ellis
hi,i’m a superhero…..seriously.
some friends and i have become tired of the muggers, rapists, and general riff raff causing problems in our city.
this is not a joke.
we’ve started a group called the Justice Society of Justice (offering twice the Justice as the leading competitors) and we go out and fight crime on a semi nightly basis.
we’ve only got about 8 hardcore members that go out with us right now,but we’re hoping to raise that number tenfold.
recently,some japanese street fashion kids have found our myspace pages and added us..so within 3 days we’ve had roughly 3-4 japanese weirdo kids adding us per hour…japan seems much more accepting of this concept than the states.
originally,we just thought it’d be funny to go out as superheroes and “fight crime” as a sort of street theater…but after the first hour and the sheer exhilaration of it all,we completely changed our mind. there are real problems,and no one wants to deal with them. some one has to do something.
many people have read about the adventures of your heroes, but soon (hopefully), they’ll be writing about their own adventures. i made a few blog entries about some of our patrols with pictures and stuff…so if you ever want to see how well superheroes work out in the regular world as opposed to paper one,check it out.
say a small prayer to jack kirby for us.
dokdiscord

Mr Silent @ MySpace | Doktor DiscorD @ MySpace