Tag United States

First, I’d like to say that the vast majority of the following is not my work.  Delta, a fellow RLSH compiled this list and posted it on the message board in an effort to help newcomers answer the question “how do I get started?”  Indeed, more experienced RLSHs have benefited from it as well! I found myself referring back to it while talking with others so often that I begged his permission to put this list on my blog for easier reference.   The list began to grow as more and more people added their ideas (credits noted) and at this point, we have 31 ways to be a Hero Without Using Your Fists!
1. First things first. Take a first aid course. Be ready to help someone in an emergency situation. Don’t assume someone else will be able to do it.
2. Be a hero, donate blood. Better yet bring a friend. Can you imagine the publicity the Red Cross could get out of a photo of a half dozen RLSH at a drive?
3. Look for paint, not pain. Go on a graffiti patrol. You don’t necessarily have to get rid of it yourself. Document it and report it to the town/city officials. Some places, like the City of Boston has a special graffiti phone hotline.
4. Serve up kindness. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or free community lunch. What could bring a smile to a downtrodden face more than a hot meal … having that meal served by a caped do-gooder of course.
5. Brown-bag it. Put together a meal in a paper bag, write “for the homeless” on it and leave it where a homeless person can find it. (credit to Knight Hood)
6. Get around. Walk around your neighborhood in order to get to know your neighbors. You can find out who needs what kinds of help and meet people who might be able to help in the future.
7. Be a “Super Scout”. Aim to do one good dead every day. It could be as small as holding a door open for someone or returning an empty grocery cart to the store entrance.
8. Curb appeal. Offer a free lawn mow or snow removal for a neighbor who might have trouble doing it. You could also offer to sweep the walk or wash windows. If they want to reward you have them pay it forward.
9. This is a job for … Trash-man? 1. Get a garbage bag. 2. Go outside. 3. Pick up trash until you fill the bag. Picking-up trash is about the least glamorous thing I can think of, but it can still inspire others to be less apathetic.
10. Clean house. Go through your stuff and set aside anything you don’t really need or want anymore. Take it to a Salvation Army or other charity store and donate it. This one gives you a clean room and the feeling that you’ve done something good. Talk about win/win.
11. Cut back on the caffeine. Skip your coffee/soda habit for a week and give the money to a charity you believe in. You could also buy it and give it to someone who can’t afford it.
12. Go back for a second course. Take a CPR class. Go back to number 1 for the reasons.
13. Speak up! The next time you hear someone say something you know is just plain wrong, call them on it. Write a letter to the editor at your local paper to bring attention to a problem you see. You don’t need to wear a cape for this and, somehow, that seems more heroic to me.
14. Be prepared. Put together emergency preparedness packs for home and travel. Put aside a little extra for others. If you are ready for a disaster you can better help those that are not.
15. People watch. Visit these sites to see if you recognize a missing person. www.amw.com; www.namus.gov; www.missingkids.com. There are more sites if you look for them. (Rook’s note:  I like posting these to my Facebook account and asking others to share. The heightened exposure will hopefully increase the chances of someone being found)
16. Get out the vote. If you are old enough to vote, VOTE. Encourage others to vote. Pass out literature showing how to register. Democracy works better if everyone participates.
17. Do the write thing. Everyone loves to get real mail. Write to someone who doesn’t get out much, an old friend or a member of the armed services. Every letter you send will brighten up someone’s day. Don’t forget about postcards.
18. Food, glorious food. Organize a food drive. It could be as small as your classroom or office. If you can go bigger try to get the whole school, company or place of worship involved.
19. Walk the walk. Many charities have walk-a-thons to raise money and awareness for their cause. Put on your best cape and most comfortable shoes and join in. Once again a crowd of RLSH will really get some notice for the cause.
20. Now you’re cooking. Make a meal for someone who can’t get out or has recently suffered a traumatic loss. If you don’t do the cooking at home it might be a nice gesture there too.
21. Will someone think of the children? You may still be young yourself but there is always someone younger. Visit a children’s ward, tutor someone, read stories at the library and/or be a mentor. Spending time with kids is a top way to prevent crime in the future.
22. Make a dog happy – Dig a fire hydrant out of the snow or cut the weeds back around one. The time it take someone to attach a hose in an emergency can make the difference in the loss of life and property. Heck, unclog a storm drain while you’re at it.
23. Go undercover – Join the local neighborhood watch in your secret identity. It’s a great way to get to know the area and its trouble spots. You may also get some training and possibly a recruit or two.
24. Sign up for amber alerts –Every set of eyes count. It doesn’t matter if they are behind a mask or not (Rook’s note:  See #15 regarding Facebook).
25. Go ahead and jump – If you have a car make sure you have a set of jumper cables and know how to use them. (I keep a cheat sheet). Stow a few other emergency supplies in the trunk like a spare blanket, bottled water and some rope. You’d be amazed how many ways they can be useful.
26. Give of yourself – Sign up to be an organ donor. I know it’s a bit morbid to think about, but if the worst should happen you can still save a life or lives.
27. Be a good listener – Sometimes the biggest help we can be to someone is to be someone they can talk to when they are experiencing hardships. You don’t have to be a therapist to let someone open up about the things that are bothering them the most. It’s not necessary to try to “fix” their problems, just be that “hearing ear” that they need. (credit to The Muse at VisualAdjectives)
28. Go in feet first – Take water lifesaving training. You never know when you may have to dive in and save someone from drowning.
29. Say it with Flowers – Take flowers to a critical care or cancer ward. (credits to Kindrid and Rook)
30. Walk for Pennies – “You wouldn’t believe how much change gets dropped on the ground. While on a boring foot patrol I started picking up trash that turned into finding loose change all over. When I started looking I started finding more than I expected. This sparked the idea, once a week at the least, we should all go out and do a Penny Patrol, you can donate this money to The McDonald houses at any McD’s location or donate to any local cause you may have. You’ll be surprised how many quarters and dimes you will find while doing this.” (Credit to SupermanX of the Super Samaritan Society)
31. Oh, Shoot! – Get certified with firearms. It doesn’t matter if you do or don’t want to own or use one. Becoming certified gives you a grasp of what guns can do. It is an excellent idea to know what you are doing if the unthinkable ever happens. Think of it as knowing (and having a healthy respect for) your enemy.
 
I’ll update this as they become available.  Many thanks to Delta for putting this together!
-Rook
 

Mother of Darius Simmons

Trayvon Martin
Darius Simmons is a Milwaukee 13 year shot and killed by his 75 year old White next door neighbor. John H Spooner is the neighbor’s name and whether it will become as infamous as George Zimmerman remains to be seen.
Black observers should be prepared for conservative push back in the form of local Black-on-Black murder stats should they try to cast this internationally as a hate crime. We can debate conservative motives as either benign or malicious but one point remains: our self-hate crime rate eclipses that of hate crimes from elsewhere.
In my opinion every murder could be deemed a hate crime. This new case happened last week and rises to prominence amid the fog of Wisconsin’s heated recall election won by its governor. A racially incendiary case like this shouldn’t be recklessly tossed atop the state’s hot embers.
Past theft allegations from the suspect and a ” castle doctrine ” law on the books are sure to play into this latest episode of my life’s work: the ( sometimes explosive ) interplay between civil rights and public safety.

NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes creative crime prevention.
 

http://bit.ly/KKcAv6


http://www.fox8live.com/story/18659005/citizens-take-action-to-stop-the-violence-in-new-orleans Tim Washington, Spokes person 4 Brothers Against Crime and I were interviewed by local  FOX affiliate about Black folks responsibility in stopping our homicide rate!
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK
ANTI-CRIME ACTIVIST
(504) 214-3082

Just so you know, I had put over an hour into this post before my computer decided that it had enough of my drivel and spontaneously shut down. It was disheartening.  I will now save often.
The cops went into the diner and I had half an instinct to follow them in. I wanted to ask them if they knew they scared us. I wanted to ask them if they knew of us. I wanted to buy them lunch. I wanted to ask them what they thought of us. But we decided to “Let the cops go.” That’s a switch, huh?
We continued to travel along previously uncharted areas. Actually, it was a different end of Washington Blvd. that we just hadn’t been before. Sometimes we took breaks.
Everyone was doing their part. I tend to take the lead and keep up the pace, since I walk fast. Often, Misery White is side-to-side. We’re also there for public relations and diplomacy. She’s also so quick to spot nuances on the street. People in a situation or someone to immediately help. At the rear, we keep our brute force and tactics. Razorhawk and Blue. Typically, we’ll have Arctic Knight somewhere in the middle, ready to go with his Mad Martial Arts Skillz as he sees fit, but he couldn’t make it for this mission. I don’t think we gave him enough heads-up about it. Communication isn’t one of our strong-points and Minnesota is a bigger state than you might realize. Both metro and urban distance.
So we’re walking down Washington Blvd,, and being waved at, honked at, stared at and also being asked the cool standard questions by people. Everyone is responding so positively to just us being there. But it’s the frequency of it that has me realizing that walking down a street in daylight is so much different than walking down the same street at night. We also ended up waving at at least two sets of police officer who were making arrests. They waved back.
We met a lot of people. Some curious and others in need. If they were in need, Blue was at the ready with food and water for them. He carried the supplies and was always at the ready with them for anyone in need.
Razorhawk was always kind to the street-folk with a listening ear. I don’t think they could believe that this “Big-tough-wrestler-guy” would take the time to listen to their troubles. He has that kind of heart. That’s part of what makes him so invaluable on the streets.
We met a lot of people, had some photos taken, with our permission. It became night.
And just when Blue was asking if we needed to buy more supplies, we found a middle-age couple in the plaza and in real need. They were sleeping on a bench that night. Misery and Blue passed out the last of their supplies to them and gave them her pamphlets and cards.
They were so grateful for what I think was maybe so little. And they hoped it wouldn’t rain. They had nowhere to go.
As we walked out of the area, out of supplies to hand out, it began to sprinkle rain. We decided to head back to my car. By the time we pulled out of the parking garage, it was pouring rain. I know that each and every one of us was thinking of that loving couple we met on the park benches.
God Bless Them.
 
AFTERMATH: The books…
So the next day, I’m telling a family member, who knows all about me being Geist, about the patrol. After awhile I ask her about the detective series that she thought I would enjoy reading. So I’m like, “Hey, maybe tonight I’ll start reading that first Jack Reacher book. Where is it?” She says, “Oh, it’s in a bag in the trunk of my car. I’ll go get it.” And I hesitantly say. “Wait. Uh… no it isn’t. I gave those away. I thought you put those in the trunk as part of my donations to the shelter.” She was livid for a minute and says, “No, I didn’t. Those were supposed to go to a family friend.  They were promised. I never said you could take the books in the trunk. I didn’t say anything about books.”  She calmed down, understood my over-chartibleness and we’re hoping that the family friend will forget all about the promised books. Or I’ll be doing some apologizing.  ;|

My creative activism has certain political overtones. As a ” Noir ” ( i.e real life superhero ( RLSH ) noir activist ) the super villains I oppose don’t wear flashy outfits and sometimes are ideologies as opposed to flesh and blood people.
The ” Far Wrong ” , my name for the Far Right, is a super villain ideology good people underestimate at our peril. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of conservatives, moderates and libertarians in the real life superhero ( RLSH ) community, alongside liberals who defy Far Wrong stereotypes about progressive apathy and paternalism.
Far Wrong plotting led to a costly Iraqi occupation whose only benefit seems to be for shareholders of various private military companies over there under contract. They routinely demonize Muslims ( I am one so I know this alllll too well ) despite the fact that the vast majority of Islamist victims and opponents are themselves Muslim.
Far Wrong media routinely brainwashes traditionalists to stigmatize Democrats; Gay Americans; civil rights leaders; unions; environmentalists and a host of other progressive constituencies. I’m not a liberal by today’s standards but I don’t denounce people who are????!!!!
Far Wrong doctrine is felt daily at airports where its brainchild, the Transportation ” Security ” Administration ( TSA ), treats fliers like inmates on lock down, where even late US Senator Edward Kennedy; former Nixon Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; anyone dark and/or ” Muslim ” looking; blue eyed babies and little old White grandmas are shaken down without probable cause being explained.
The Far Wrong saved its most insane output for President Obama. No low is deep enough when it comes to defaming him; the First Lady and even the First Family in the form of their two daughters. America needs a two-party system with decent, thoughtful debates on the important issues of the day- not attack propaganda that is racist and uncivilized.
This super villain is best combated not by targeted progressives alone but especially by open minded moderates, conservatives and libertarians who declare, ” Enough is enough! ” and wrest the Center Right from its tightening stranglehold.
RLSH embody what Far Wrong talking points pay lip service to: patriotism; civic duty; crime prevention; civil defense; homeland security; mutual aid; volunteerism and last but not least- individualism!
Creative activists attention-getting roles can be used to give voice to the outrage open minded moderates; conservatives and libertarians in sensitive positions in the GOP or professionally would love to say.
Can anyone imagine RLSH Prototype President Theodore Roosevelt keeping quiet today? Not hardly ( LOL ).  RLSH; X ALTS ( Extreme Altruists ) and other creative activists need to use their platform to challenge the Far Wrong while doing its worst to reclaim the White House in November.
Anyone who says our community is non-political has a valid point.
This isn’t a call for more petty partisan bickering.
It’s a call to action against the Far Wrong; a super villain ideology that has gutted our economy; exhausted our military; and strained relations at home and abroad to satisfy their egotism.
NADRA ENZI AKA CAPT BLACK promotes creative crime prevention (504) 214-3082.

…And it was a “Vigilante Superhero” short. I heard them talking about the Heroes rig & gimmick while he was suiting up & heard some of the things they were thinking about & recomending like “He needs a cape” etc. You just bite your lip & be humble…They didn’t hire me as a technical advisor 🙂
It was made for the “48 hour Gorilla Film fest” where they apparently have 48 hours to shoot a genre film. they got action hero. That night there were plenty of squibs & blanks going off. It’s also funny to watch for me, Nobody would hit S&^% shooting this way 🙂 http://youtu.be/u-8RP8owjas

So I swing thru the Mickey D’s parking lot & there’s these two young guys, one tall & really thin the other really short but put together. Tall thin guy is trying to get away from the short one & short one is staying right on him telling him “Yeah you keep walking ” and other BS. So I put it in park & pop my seat belt & just wait for shorty to grab tall & skinny & start weighing my options:
1. grab shorty: I’ve got just as much Muscle & I’m well outside the 30 Lbs rule on him, I’m no miraculous Fighter but once I’ve got a hold of you you’re in trouble. Put a choke on him & toss him around like raggedy Andy while I’m doing it & tell tall guy to call 911.
2. Climb out with my 9mm.
Fortunately neither happened & tall skinny reached his car. I was surprised he didn’t pull out a gun & then I’d have to jump out to cover shorty in a complete flip of events. Shorty gets to his car & it has a out of state plate on it. You’d think these people would realize, especially in light of recent events that Florida isn’t a good state to threaten people in…Dumb-asses.