Tag Minnesota

Meet Geist, bond fide costumed crime-fighter
Originally published in March 2010 edition of Empire Magazine

By Own Williams
“Being a Superhero is a crazy, unorthodox idea, but it’s a fun way to something good,” says Geist, one of several hundred costumed vigilantes currently active in the USA. On his nightly patrols he’s defused domestic violence, broken up bar brawlers and reclaimed gang territory, not to mention uncovering a fake cop given to pulling over teenage girls an asking them to do “creepy things” and helping out during the 2007 Minnesota floods.
Reactions to his arrival are mixed. The first state trooper he encountered at the floods “put his hand on his Taser and locked me up and down” before sending him in the right direction. But he says his local cops are content that he’s fighting for good- “Although they’d prefer I stick to charity work.”
He describes his look as that of an “urban detective cowboy”, while the name translates simply as “ghost” or “spirit”. Geist is “someone who appears out of nowhere, does what’s necessary” than vanishes.
“I try not to hang around,” he says. “I become a lot less interesting when I do.”

Before you read the body of the text below, I am unable to post a link to our website that will allow you to click on the link and go there from this bulletin. You will need to copy and paste it into your browser if you would like to help us out. The link is: http://www.glhg.webs.com/psptoydrive.htm
I also want to let everyone know that again we will be adding to our efforts with our team members in Wisconsin and Florida to also make an impact there. In Wisconsin, the Watchman will be helping out the Gingerbread House
And in Florida we will hopefully be helping at the Pregnancy Care Center in Zephyr Hills.
Now we have had some wonderful donations from a couple of our good friends, but we need more. We want these kids at these locations to have a wonderful holiday! And sometimes the only way we can do this is by helping out with even $1. I tell you if every one of our respective friends donated just $1 we would have an awesome haul of toys to affect kids in all three states!
People Serving People in Minnesota.
The Gingerbread House in Wisconsin
The Pregnancy Care Center in Florida
These are all places where people who have been hit hard by the world go for help. The people that donate their time at these places do what they can and do a wonderful job, but they don’t have the resources to have collection boxes in every Wal*Mart or Target. They all rely on word of mouth, and right now that word of mouth is ours. I am still trying desperately to get at least one local store to allow us to put up a collection box expressly for the People Serving People part of the drive, but have had no response from the owner of the place. But I will keep trying. Its early, but I would like to work at this now, knowing that the closer we get to Christmas, the harder it is for anyone to help.
Thank you for your time in reading this, and remember, if you can donate $1 or if you can donate in the package toys, please contact Jack about donating the actual toys, he can accept them being sent to Hero Gear. You can contact him at [email protected] or at myspace.com/herogeardotnet
Lets rock the world this year and show everyone that we can make one heck of an impact!
RazorHawk
Great Lakes Heroes Guild

 Stefanie Marsh
It is with regret that “Geist”, a self-appointed “real-life superhero” is unable to accept your request for friendship. “If you don’t have a secret identity,” he writes, “for your own safety and protection, I’m afraid I’ll need to turn down your kind request to become MySpace Friends.”
Geist, a resident of Minnesota – real name and age unknown – spends his spare time dressed up as a masked Lone Ranger, attempting to “make my city of Rochester a better, kinder and safer place”. This he does by, in one instance, helping out incognito during a recent flooding episode: “My equipment and methods are completely legal,” he states on his blog, but: “I’m prepared to make citizen’s arrests.” Fondly, he recalls the time a man in need “called me his Personal Masked Avenger”.
Geist meets other Real-Life Superheroes online: “Street Hero”, a former prostitute, wears a black eye mask, matching bustier and knee-high boots to protect women working the streets of New York (she is also a martial arts expert); “Red Justice” patrols the New York subway in red briefs and red cape fashioned from an old T-shirt and a sock with eyeholes, encouraging young people to give up their seats to the elderly. “The Cleanser” picks up litter in a white cape and yellow rubber gloves. “The Super” fixes minor electrical faults in a red cape, a yellow shirt, green braces and green tights. Their cause is noble – “an unorthodox approach to doing good” – but is it surprising when “The Super” admits that in real life he has few friends? “A lot of real-life superheroes stumble along the way. And part of it can definitely make you feel isolated, like nobody understands you.”
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article2772355.ece