{"id":5907,"date":"2010-11-11T20:45:50","date_gmt":"2010-11-11T20:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.reallifesuperheroes.org\/?p=5907"},"modified":"2010-11-11T20:45:50","modified_gmt":"2010-11-11T20:45:50","slug":"winter-park-rests-easy-under-superheros-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/2010\/11\/11\/winter-park-rests-easy-under-superheros-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Park rests easy under superhero\u2019s watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ml01\"<\/a>Originally published from http:\/\/www.valenciavoice.com<\/a>
\nCopy of Valencia Voice<\/a>Copy of Valencia Voice<\/a>
\nBy Victor Ocasio
\nvocasio@valenciavoice.com
\nA masked man ducks and dodges between dingy streets and alleyways, seeking to vanquish evil wherever it appears. His gadgets\u00a0 are ready, his fighting skills honed, and his costume complete. He is the superhero of Winter Park, Master Legend. But\u00a0 unlike his inked counterparts of Marvel and DC, Master Legend is very real.
\nHe is part of the growing international community of real life superheroes who have, in recent years, gained popularity due to the slew of comic movies that have been flooding the mainstream market. But the overall message of these masked heroes is much bigger than mere imitation and role-playing.
\n\u201cThe real life superhero thing is about getting out there, being ready to fight evil, jumping into action and putting your life on the line if you have to,\u201d said Master Legend. \u201cYou have to accept that fact as a superhero.\u201d
\nOriginally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Master Legend has been a masked hero for well over 28 years, and in such time has managed to find the world\u2019s first non-profit superhero organization, Team Justice, Inc.
\nHis first act of super-heroics was in second-grade. In an attempt to stop a classroom bully while remaining anonymous, the prepubescent Master Legend fashioned together a mask and an emblem clad shirt and physically confronted the boy. After successfully vanquishing his first villain, Master Legend had found his calling as a masked crime fighter.
\n\u201cI feel that this is the best way I can serve a good purpose in this life,\u201d said Master Legend. A majority of the work he has done involves acts of community service and aid for the homeless, such as food, clothes and blanket donations and gift drives for children during the holiday season. But the work isn’t always easy for the 44-year-old hero.
\n\u201cI’m the guy walking the streets in the dangerous parts of town with some food and a jacket for somebody,\u201d he said. \u201cI go to places scarier than you’ll see in the movies.\u201d Claiming to have been in more than 1,000 fist fights, shot twice and involved in numerous gang battles, Master Legend is not your average volunteer and is certainly used to danger.
\n\u201cSome people would be traumatized to have a knife pulled on them,\u201d he said. \u201cFor me though, that’s just another day.\u201d
\nSome may see his caped crusading as mere child’s play, but to him it\u2019s all part of his daily life. His dedication to the superhero lifestyle makes it difficult to have a weekly scheduled job, so he makes his living doing property management and tree removal services.
\n\"ml02\"<\/a>He believes that a regular job would hinder him from being able to help the community when disaster strikes and villains appear. Master Legend doesn\u2019t hesitate to jump into action when and where he is needed.
\nIn the end, that’s what it really is all about for this unconventional humanitarian.
\n\u201cThe world can see that there are people out there that really do care, and who are willing to fight evil,\u201d said Master Legend. \u201cSome people may laugh, but hey.\u201d
\nBeing a superhero has also affected his social life and personal relationships. Although many of his close friends believe in his cause, he has lost friends and family who could not understand or accept his calling, including his former wife, who
\ndivorced the crime fighter more than 12 years ago.
\n\u201cI have a 16 year-old daughter,\u201d said Master Legend. \u201cShe really doesn’t have much to do with me. She doesn’t really know much about what I do. Her mama has made it so I hardly get to see her anymore.\u201d
\nUnlike other superheroes, Master Legend believes he has a very clear message about the direction society has taken and that society\u2019s biggest problem is \u201cthe greed of the rich.\u201d
\nAlthough not against the idea of physical confrontation, as evident by the many tools and gadgets he has madeincluding the Iron Fist, the Master Blaster and the Legend Bomb, Master Legend believes that there are better alternatives to dealing with his community’s problems.
\n\u201cOne of the best ways to prevent crime is to prevent desperation,\u201d said Master Legend. \u201cThat\u2019s one of the reasons why I help the homeless so much.\u201d
\n\"ml03\"<\/a>Life isn’t all about disposing of drug dealers and corralling crack-heads for this superhero. When not on patrol, Master Legend enjoys playing guitar, dancing with pretty women, eating crawfish and having a few beers.
\n\u201cI may be a superhero, but I’m not perfect!\u201d
\nDespite what some may think, Master Legend has truly made an impact on his community and has even been commemorated for his actions by the Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Office. And although he does not know where his heroics will take him, he is confident he will always do his part. \u201cI’m the hero of the people. The voice of the silenced!\u201d
\nWinter Park rests easy under superhero\u2019s watch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

His gadgets are ready, his fighting skills honed, and his costume complete. He is the superhero of Winter Park, Master Legend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[638,1295,1619,1620,1833,2181,2548,2795],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5907"}],"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=5907"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5907\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}