{"id":834,"date":"2009-05-29T23:15:16","date_gmt":"2009-05-30T06:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reallifesuperheroes.org\/?p=834"},"modified":"2009-05-29T23:15:16","modified_gmt":"2009-05-30T06:15:16","slug":"san-diego-superhero-fights-crime-his-own-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/2009\/05\/29\/san-diego-superhero-fights-crime-his-own-way\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego superhero fights crime his own way"},"content":{"rendered":"

SDNN<\/a>
\nIt is a typical Sunday; launching a public awareness campaign to bring a home-invasion rapist to justice.
\nWell, maybe not a typical Sunday – at least, not for the average citizen. San Diego\u2019s resident superhero Mr. Xtreme – as the missing vowel suggests – is far from average.
\nThink Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, or Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – just less \u2026 super. No high-flying, no web-slinging, no expensive gadgetry, no dino-morphing; essentially, none of the frills that make a superhero super.
\nThat isn\u2019t to say Mr. Xtreme isn\u2019t super – or a hero. Quite the opposite, in fact. It takes an out-of-the-ordinary person to sacrifice his Sunday to hand out flyers warning women about a sexual assault suspect who has been on the loose since June 2008. And it takes an extraordinary person to offer an out-of-pocket $1,500 reward for information leading to the \u201cevildoer\u2019s\u201d capture.
\nHe must be brought to justice, Mr. Xtreme says, and he\u2019s just doing his part to help.
\nThe 30-something superhero has read news releases about a drop in crime in the county. He has no reason to believe crime is on the rise, but, he says, \u201cTry to tell a victim\u2019s family there\u2019s been a drop in crime – they\u2019ll tell you to get lost.\u201d
\n\u201cVictims of violent crimes shouldn\u2019t be treated as a statistic,\u201d says Mr. Xtreme, who asked we keep his identity a secret.
\nSure, he talks a big game, but Mr. Xtreme has no illusions of grandeur; he isn\u2019t secretly developing an Xtreme-mobile, or jumping from building to building in the East Village after dark.
\nIt\u2019s a pretty simple operation, to tell you the truth. He patrols neighborhoods in his costume – black cargo pants, a green \u201cXtreme Justice League\u201d shirt, black boots and a camouflage lucha libre mask – and he wears a utility belt, equipped with a stun gun, 2.5 ounces of pepper spray, and a flashlight.
\nThe Xtreme Justice League, the organization his shirt refers to, is a small, loose network of superheroes Mr. Xtreme works with to coordinate patrols and fight crime. Locally, he doesn\u2019t have much help. He\u2019s the most active, visible member of the local Real Life Superhero (RLS) community, which stays connected through sites like WorldSuperheroRegistry.com.
\nMr. Xtreme\u2019s primary goal is to be a visual deterrent to crime; a would-be evildoer, for example, might see the masked man patrolling, and rethink his malevolent misdeeds.
\nBut, Mr. Xtreme said, if push comes to shove, he isn\u2019t afraid to intervene in gang violence, a carjacking or a sexual assault.
\n\u201cIf someone\u2019s safety is at stake, if a victim\u2019s life is at stake, I\u2019ll step in no matter how dangerous the situation and risk getting injured, or even risk losing my life to save the day,\u201d he deadpans.
\nOK. Hmmm. That may be a little beyond the call of duty. But, it\u2019s all in a day\u2019s work, the superhero says.
\nEvery now and then, Mr. Xtreme delivers a line or uses a phrase that borders on melodramatics. And, in part, that\u2019s the purpose. He enjoys the theatrics.
\nHe\u2019s a building security manager by day. So, I ask him: Why not work with a community patrol group that collaborates with the police department? Instead, he operates independently, a pariah at public forums (he\u2019s often asked to leave) and a nuisance to the cops. Sure, with an organized community patrol, he\u2019d have more status in neighborhoods. But, he\u2019d be missing the theatrics – missing the fun.
\n\u201cI grew up in a household of abuse, I was bullied in school, and I see all the apathy and indifference in society,\u201d he says. \u201cIt really strikes a nerve with me. I looked up to superheroes when I was a child; they were role models. And they\u2019re still role models today.\u201d
\n\u201cI have so much respect for what community patrols do, but I want to be out and interact with the community,\u201d he says. \u201cI couldn\u2019t do that from a car. And being a real-life superhero is really a symbol to illustrate my commitment to an ideal, and it can inspire people \u2026 I want to send a message to youth. You can live an \u2018extreme\u2019 lifestyle and you don\u2019t have to be a killer or a gang member or a thug or a waste of human life or a parasite.\u201d
\nSo, for the time being, Mr. Xtreme doesn\u2019t mind being an outsider – just don\u2019t call him a vigilante.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t condone vigilante behavior; I condemn it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s an insult when someone calls me a vigilante. A vigilante wouldn\u2019t try to go to community meetings to interact with the public. A vigilante wouldn\u2019t try to work with police.\u201d
\nThe superhero hopes to build a working rapport with the police. It doesn\u2019t seem likely, but he\u2019s hopeful. He seems eternally optimistic; that he can build bridges in communities; that he can prevent crime; that he can make a difference in the world. He may not have a super-utility belt, or a super-power, but this superhero\u2019s heart is in the right place.
\nThe Sunday I tag along with Mr. Xtreme, we canvass shopping centers in Kearny Mesa, handing out \u201cWANTED\u201d flyers, with information about the sexual assault suspect. This case really irks him.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The home-made flyers are more eye-catching than your run of the mill posters. They say \u201cWANTED\u201d in bold, Sharpie\u2019d letters. A sketch of the sexual assault suspect has the word evildoer written on it. The Xtreme Justice League logo is pasted at the top and a \u201cno evil\u201d logo is pasted near the bottom.
\nHe approaches people in shopping centers to give them flyers. Surprisingly, very few dodge him. It may help he\u2019s being followed by a reporter and a film crew, who is interested in making a documentary film about real-life superheroes.
\nBy and large, the response to Mr. Xtreme\u2019s effort is enthusiastic.
\nHe greets one woman sweeping a sidewalk outside a big-box business.
\n\u201cHi ma\u2019am, I\u2019m with the Xtreme Justice League, and we\u2019re looking for a rapist,\u201d he says, handing her a flyer.
\n\u201cFor real? Him? Still?\u201d the woman says. The suspect has been at large for a year.
\n\u201cYes ma\u2019am,\u201d he says.
\n\u201cThat son of a bitch. Well, I hope to God you find him. I warn my kids every day. If you have any other flyers, I\u2019ll help put them up.\u201d
\nLater, he meets another grateful citizen.
\n\u201cYou guys are doing good work,\u201d the man says, taking a flyer from Mr. Xtreme. Mr. Xtreme thanks him and walks away. The man\u2019s young daughter runs out of a nearby store to see what her dad is up to.
\n\u201cDaddy, who are you talking \u2026 OH MY GOSH WHY IS THAT MAN \u2026?\u201d The little girl isn\u2019t quite sure what to make of her father cavorting with Mr. Xtreme.
\nAt a market down the road, our superhero greets a woman he\u2019s met before in the restaurant she owns. She has his flyers posted there – but she has a question.
\n\u201cWhy do you have to have a mask on?\u201d she asks.
\n\u201cWell, it\u2019s a part of my uniform,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m a superhero.\u201d
\n\u201cOh \u2026\u201d
\n\u201cOh\u201d seems to be the standard response, when Mr. Xtreme explains himself; it\u2019s as if no one quite knows what to make of him, but aren\u2019t comfortable prying, so they say, \u201cOh.\u201d
\nFor every passerby who seems a bit confused by the getup, there\u2019s the driver who honks his horn, or waves. They might recognize him from television news spots, or the Union-Tribune story about him, or the cover of The San Diego Reader. He welcomes the media attention. After all, it makes his job crime fighting a little easier.
\n\u201cSome superheroes think I do this for popularity,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s not the case. We\u2019re trying to build community support to make our jobs easier.\u201d
\nDespite the name recognition, it\u2019s a lonely life, he says. \u201cMy social life is basically non-existent. That\u2019s the sacrifice I choose to make so I can be able to do this. It can be difficult to get people to understand. I usually only speak in depth to folks who want to listen. If they\u2019re going to come at me with a barrage of nonsense, I usually just walk away or ignore them. I just take things as they come and do my thing, and not care what people think if it\u2019s negative. No time for negativity.\u201d
\nNope. No time for negativity for Mr. Xtreme. Saving the world, after all, is daunting task. Even for a superhero.
\nJoseph Pe\u00f1a is a contributing editor for San Diego News Network.<\/em>
\nTags: SDNN<\/a>
\nRead more: http:\/\/www.sdnn.com\/sandiego\/2009-05-29\/lifestyle\/local-superhero-fights-crime-his-own-way#ixzz0Vm4t6HOd<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SDNN It is a typical Sunday; launching a public awareness campaign to bring a home-invasion rapist to justice. Well, maybe not a typical Sunday – at least, not for the average citizen. San Diego\u2019s resident superhero Mr. Xtreme – as the missing vowel suggests – is far from average. Think Superman, Spider-Man, Batman, or Mighty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[259,1694,1761,2181,2296,2302,2371,2376,2477,3003],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834"}],"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=834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rlsh.net\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}