When Seattle-based masked crusader Phoenix Jones <\/a>was arrested last week for pepper spraying a group of people he claims were fighting, he piqued the curiosity of thousands across the nation. A real-life superhero? Stopping crime in the dark of night? Suit, boots, mask and all? Mark Wayne Williams, a.k.a. Michigan\u2019s \u201cBatman.\u201d (Image via YouTube)<\/p><\/div> I will continue to patrol with my team, probably tonight. … In addition to being Phoenix Jones, I am also Ben Fodor, father and brother. I am just like everybody else. The only difference is that I try to stop crime in my neighborhood and everywhere else.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As the movement has grown, it has also sought to become more organized, with some members proposing a uniform set of standards, others publishing tutorials on how people can join, and a few even considering a sanctioning body to oversee it. These superheroes have attracted thousands of adoring fans, city cops don\u2019t count themselves among them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[286,824,949,1374,1416,1592,1597,1687,1765,1841,2041,2181,2182,2338,2564,2637],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16207"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIt turns out Jones isn\u2019t the only ordinary guy whose nighttime is filled with crime-fighting, caped adventures. The Web site RealLifeSuperheroes.org<\/a>boasts 720 members. Posts on the site suggest there are dozens, if not hundreds, of real-life superheroes currently in action in St. Petersburg, Fla., New York City and Milwaukee, among other cities.
\nBut though these superheroes have attracted thousands of adoring fans, city cops don\u2019t count themselves among them.
\n\u201cJust because he\u2019s dressed up in costume, it doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s in special consideration or above the law,\u201d Seattle police spokesman Detective Mark Jamieson said of Jones.
\nOther police say vigilantes like Jones risk hurting themselves and others.<\/a>
\n![\"Batman\"](\"http:\/\/www.reallifesuperheroes.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/batman-282x300.jpg\")
<\/a>
\nWhen Michigan resident Mark Wayne Williams was caught in May hanging from a building wearing a Batman outfit, police promptly arrested him for trespassing and possession of dangerous weapons, according to Michigan\u2019s Petoskey News-Review.<\/a>
\nAs part of his probation, Williams, a member of the so-called \u201cMichigan Protectors,\u201d is not allowed to wear any more costumes. That includes his baton, chemical spray, and weighted gloves.
\nAnd yet the movement keeps growing. Last year\u2019s hit movie \u201cKick-Ass<\/a>,\u201d which follows a kid without special powers who decides to be a superhero, and the recent HBO documentary called \u201cSuperheroes,\u201d may have given the movement a push.
\nThe drama that accompanies real-life superheroes has likely also helped the cause. When summoned to court last week, Jones whipped off his normal clothing to reveal a flashy gold and black costume beneath. He also gave an impassioned speech outside the court, designed to appeal to any citizen with a sense of justice:<\/p>\n
\nThere are now many sub-movements within the movement, such as the Rain City Superhero Movement in Seattle, of which Phoenix Jones is the leader.
\n\u201cThe movement has grown majorly,\u201d Edward Stinson, a Florida-based writer who advises real-life superheroes, told MSNBC. \u201cWhat I tell these guys is, \u2018You\u2019re no longer in the shadows. You\u2019re in a new era. … Build trust. Set standards. Make the real-life superheroes work to earn that title and take some kind of oath.\u2019\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"