{"id":5922,"date":"2010-11-19T18:09:03","date_gmt":"2010-11-19T18:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.reallifesuperheroes.org\/?p=5922"},"modified":"2010-11-19T18:09:03","modified_gmt":"2010-11-19T18:09:03","slug":"phoenix-jones-real-life-superhero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/2010\/11\/19\/phoenix-jones-real-life-superhero\/","title":{"rendered":"Phoenix Jones: Real Life Superhero"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally posted: http:\/\/capitolhill.komonews.com\/content\/phoenix-jones-real-life-superhero<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
By Jenny Kuglin<\/a>, Director of Social Media<\/div>\n
Friday, November 19th, 12:31pm<\/div>\n

\"phoenix_jones_3\"<\/a>
\nPhoenix Jones<\/a> is a superhero.
\nHe has a day job but wears a costume underneath his street clothes in case he encounters crime. He carries a \u201cnet gun\u201d<\/a> and has a sidekick named Buster Doe<\/a>.
\nBut this isn\u2019t the plot from a Hollywood movie. There are no special effects. This is real-life and Phoenix patrols Seattle\u2019s Capitol Hill neighborhood every week- stopping fights, feeding the homeless and helping folks who have run out of gas.
\nUnlike most movie superheroes, Phoenix doesn\u2019t have any super powers and he doesn\u2019t need them. He is made of flesh and blood and has gotten hurt. He deals with real criminals and puts his life in danger nightly.
\n\u201cPhoenix, some people might ask if you\u2019re crazy. Are you crazy?\u201d I asked during a recent phone interview.
\n\u201cHave you ever seen something that you thought was wrong or not fair? That you wanted to change? And then you just thought about it for days or weeks?\u201d He said.
\n\u201cOf course.\u201d I answered.
\n\u201cWell I haven\u2019t. I don\u2019t stand by and watch things happen that are wrong. When I see it I fix it. Does that make me crazy?\u201d
\nRAIN CITY SUPERHERO MOVEMENT<\/strong>
\nPhoenix is a part of the Rain City Superhero movement, a group of superheroes that patrols the streets of Seattle.
\nThe group includes Phoenix Jones, Buster Doe, Thorn, Green Reaper, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88 and Penelope.
\nThey are part of national organization, Real Life Superheroes<\/a>. The website states,<\/p>\n

\u201cSuperheroes have historically been an instrument in relaying pro social values. Not surprisingly, the same values that make a hero today are the same in the late 1930s when the first comic book superheroes were being invented: trustworthiness, bravery, selflessness, and passion. These hallmarks of fictional iconic characters are the same that the Real Life Superheroes strive to embody.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So is vigilante justice acceptable? Are the superheroes actually helping police fight crime?
\nPhoenix says police were extremely wary at first, but now accept his help. He calls them ahead of time to tell them which neighborhood he\u2019ll be patrolling. He fills out police reports and gives witness testimony.
\n\u201cPolice have been super helpful. I\u2019ll walk down the streets and they\u2019ll get their loudspeaker out and say, \u2018Hey, Phoenix! How are you doing?\u2019 They\u2019ll come over and shake my hand. They know that I\u2019m for real.\u201d
\nA police bulletin was sent to Seattle officers on Wednesday about the group.
\nSeattle police say there is nothing illegal about dressing up as a superhero, but it is dangerous.
\nThey would rather the self-proclaimed superheroes acted as witnesses instead of inserting themselves into fights.
\nBECOMING A SUPERHERO<\/strong>
\nPhoenix Jones says he wanted to become a superhero after a few incidents changed his mind about Seattle.
\nThe first involved a friend getting assaulted outside a bar. The friend was left with permanent facial damage.
\n\u201cAnd I thought, why didn\u2019t someone help him? There were seventy people outside that bar and no one did anything,\u201d he said.
\nThe second incident was when someone broke into his car and his son was injured by the broken glass. His son had to spend the night in the ER and get stitches. He was later told that several people saw the break-in happen, but didn\u2019t do anything.
\nPhoenix said, \u201cTeenagers are running down the street, breaking into cars, and no one does anything? Where\u2019s the personal accountability?\u201d
\nPhoenix decided he would be different than all of those people who just stood by, not helping.
\nHe began stepping into fights and helping people in need. But soon, he was getting recognized across town as \u2018the guy who stops fights.\u2019 He realized he was putting himself in danger.
\n\u201cThey\u2019d recognize me and pick me out. I couldn\u2019t do regular, every-day things anymore. So I started wearing the mask,\u201d he said.
\nPhoenix says his costume helps him fight crime.
\nHe said, \u201cMost of the time when people see me, they kind-of laugh. The reaction I get is exactly what I wanted when I made the suit. I made it kind-of comical. Because if I can stop a fight by simply showing up in a cape and saying \u2018Hey, Stop!\u2019 like a comic-book character, and they actually stop, then the problem is solved. And no one got hurt.\u201d
\nBut not everyone laughs. Phoenix has been injured, but wouldn\u2019t give details.
\n\u201cI can\u2019t really give specifics of my injuries because there are hospital records and it might be obvious who I am. I can say I\u2019ve been cut several different times. And there was an incident in Tacoma with a gun. I\u2019m not going to say how far it went, but it was bad. Remember, I deal with real criminals.\u201d
\nTOOLS OF THE TRADE<\/strong>
\nIt takes a lot of tools to be a good superhero, and Phoenix has a lot of them.
\nHe carries a taser nightstick, a net gun and a grappling hook. (Though he says the net gun and grappling hook are not very effective. The grappling hook was unable to support his body.) But he does not carry a gun or knife.
\nHe drives a regular car, but has a sophisticated communication system. A computer inside his car prints any emails sent to his superhero email address: phoenix.guardianofseattle@gmail.com<\/a>.
\n\u201cLast night a guy emailed me saying he felt unsafe walking to his car. I was able to help him immediately. You know, if he called the police they wouldn\u2019t be able to help him. But I am.\u201d
\nPhoenix agreed to let KOMO News go out with him for a night of crime-fighting, but not before he got a bulletproof suit.
\n\u201cAfter media attention, I might get shot at. I want to feel safe.\u201d
\nWe agreed to wait until he got the bulletproof suit and the story will air on KOMO-TV soon.
\nTHE FUTURE<\/strong>
\nPhoenix Jones wants more superheroes to join the Rain City Superhero movement. But they must be qualified. And realistic.
\nPhoenix said, \u201cI think people would find it\u2019s far less romantic than it sounds. The hours aren\u2019t so great. There\u2019s no pay. That\u2019s the reality.\u201d
\n(GETTING AN INTERVIEW WITH A SUPERHERO)<\/strong>
\nThere were no phone booths involved in my first communication with Phoenix Jones. Phoenix is a modern day superhero, so instead he uses Facebook.
\nHis post on the KOMO News<\/a> wall read:
\n\u201cHELLO MY NAME IS PHOENIX. I\u2019M A SUPERHERO. I FIGHT CRIME IN THE SEATTLE AREA. I HAVE HAD TROUBLE STOPPING ALL THE CRIME IN THE CITY CONSIDERING THERE ARE ONLY 5 MEMBERS OF MY CRIME FIGHTING TEAM.\u201d
\nWe get a lot of tips that don\u2019t pan out, and I thought this was probably one of them. But his profile picture showed a man with a mask, cape and tights standing next to a Seattle police officer.
\nI was intrigued.
\nI looked at his Facebook page where all of his posts where about fighting crime. There were a lot of dark and fuzzy pictures of him in various poses around the city donning that same mask, cape and tights.
\nSo I sent him an email saying I\u2019d be interested to find out more about his superhero abilities. We traded emails back and forth and I learned that he was very serious about his job, that he\u2019d been injured and gotten involved in stopping knife fights.
\nI wanted to talk to him by phone, but he wouldn\u2019t give me his phone number.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re a journalist. You\u2019d find a way to trace me,\u201d he said.
\nSo we agreed to talk on a secret phone line where I had to punch in a secret code. After talking to him I realized this was a real story about a real guy doing really strange and amazing things.\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HELLO MY NAME IS PHOENIX. I\u2019M A SUPERHERO. I FIGHT CRIME IN THE SEATTLE AREA. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[415,470,1019,1097,1878,2000,2041,2147,2716,2774],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5922"}],"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=5922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}