Tag real life superheroes

Originally posted: http://www.federalwaymirror.com/news/132966828.html
By GREG ALLMAIN
Federal Way Mirror reporter
Oct 31 2011
Skyler Nichols, also known as SkyMan, is Federal Way’s very own Real Life Superhero.
Nichols, who recently made an appearance during Federal Way’s Recycle Palooza, hopes to help his hometown in whatever way he can through his alter ego of SkyMan, the Tri-Colored Crusader.
Nichols decided to try and help in Federal Way, after being an active member of the Seattle group of Real Life Superheroes (RLSH), whose most famous member is Phoenix Jones.
“I’ve been operating in the greater Seattle/King County area for 18 months now, and I live here in Federal Way, and I’m really trying to become more local,” he said. “I see Federal Way hurting, and I’d like to help out.”
Nichols, 28, says he sees the effects of the economic downturn on Federal Way, and the effect on some of Federal Way’s residents, such as the transient population. He used The Commons Mall as a glaring example of the slow decay that has overtaken Federal Way and many cities in the Puget Sound area.
“I grew up in this mall. It used to be filled. Now it’s just got anchor stores that keep it going, like Target and Sears,” Nichols said. “It’s sad, this place. You walk through it, there’s so many empty storefronts. Suburbia in general. Auburn, Kent, Burien. We’re all hurting.”
With Phoenix Jones more well known as being a “crime fighter,” Nichols is more interested in helping those who are vulnerable, like the homeless. His own experiences of not having a roof over his head have led him to try and help the most disadvantaged in the area.
“I want to help people…I consider myself a humanitarian first as a real life superhero. One of the reasons I decided to start with charity work and homeless outreach is it was simple, and it was what I could do,” he said. “I was homeless for a time in 2003. I was so drug addled and not wanting to hurt my father anymore, I went and slept under the viaduct for four months. And it’s just…I see these people hurting.”
Nichols is more focused on helping those who can’t help themselves. He said he has patrolled the streets and has even broken up a few muggings in his patrols.
“I have done my fair share of patrolling, so I know what street crime is about. In fact, I’ve stopped a few muggings, just by my presence, and my colorful, exuberant costume,” he said of his encounter with would-be muggers. “They’re like ‘Whoa, who’s this guy in armor and colors?’”
The more traditional idea of a superhero asserted itself in Nichols when he discussed the recent police blotter item in The Mirror regarding a man who was caught masturbating at the public library.
“I read that story, I go to the library at least once a week. If I had seen that dude doing that, he would have gotten a tri-colored talking to,” he said.
One of the largest ways that Nichols had contributed to the greater Seattle and Puget Sound communities was by doing homeless outreach. He would prepare care packages for homeless people. With the economic downturn, and he and his father’s increasing reliance on social programs just to survive, Nichols said his work in helping the homeless has petered out recently. He hopes the community can help with donations or other information, so he can become a larger part of the social fabric of Federal Way.
“I would like donations…I’m a charity-based superhero, but I live on welfare. My cash grant, from DSHS, the funding is just not there. So I haven’t been able to participate or give back in a homeless outreach in several months,” he said. “I don’t have a PayPal account, I don’t really have something to take donations with, but if somebody would come along and give me some guidance on how to take proper donations, that’d be great.”
Barring donations, Nichols is also looking to connect with the community through social media, and to find out about groups and charities in Federal Way where he could help.
“I hope you friend me people, I hope you have suggestions for me for what I can do to help the community of Federal Way, exciting options and organizations and everything. I really want to become a more of a local guy, a local hero,” he said.
Nichols understands that many people are probably dubious of “costumed activists,” as he likes to term it. He said there is an excellent documentary playing in Seattle that explains the ideas and motivations behind real life superheroes. The movie is called “Superheroes,” and will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 at Seattle’s Grand Illusion Theater (1403 NE 50th St., Seattle, WA 98105). The film will show at 7 and 9 p.m. Visit www.grandillusioncinema.org for more information.
Regardless of any of the external attachments of being a real life superhero, Nichols said he’s just motivated to be the best person he can, in whatever way he can.
“All SkyMan really is, is a philosophy of trying to do good, trying to live up to heroic ideals and principles,” he said. “I don’t really like to claim I’m a hero, I like to say I’m aspiring to that…Living my daily activities as a real life superhero has just cemented my firm belief that that’s what I want to do in life. Which is ultimately help people and inspire others to get away from apathy and more into altruism.”
Learn more
Nichols can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/skyler.nichols. To learn more about the Real Life Superhero community, visit www.reallifesuperheroes.org.

I’ve been aware of Phoenix Jones for about a year now, since he first began whoring himself out to the media. Claiming he was a crime fighter and protector of the city of Seattle.
His arrogance and dismissal of existing, established RLSH was a bit of a turn off, to say the least.
Since then it’s been one interview after another, one news story, one more incident, he got hurt again? Lets not forget about the bragging, boasting, tooting his own horn and abuse of the media to make himself look better and sound more heroic than he really is. Plus how many heroes has he insulted by putting them down and making himself look better?
These are not the qualities a true hero, a true bastion of hope for the masses. These are the qualities of a shallow, self absorbed, narcissistic and insecure individual. These are the things a bully does. Some of his heroic acts include taking crack pipes from people. He’s claimed well over 100 crack pipes taken away from crack addicts. While I don’t support crack, and think its a hideous, deadly habit that needs to be stopped, this is not the way to do it. How does this help them? Where’s the rehab program? Wheres the support and sympathy? As far as I can see, there is none. “No more crack for you!” Sure, it may sound like an accomplishment, but how many of these crack heads were HIGH when he did this? when you’re loaded up on drugs, it’s kinda hard to fight back. This is just my opinion, that’s how I see it. Again, bully mentality. I’m sure his heart is in the right place, but his mind? his sense of reality, is not.
On another topic, keep in mind a lot of what Phoenix Jones has said has been flat out lies. He once claimed to someone privately that he had super powers, similar to Wolverine’s healing factor. Being shot? stabbed? nothing to back any of that stuff up.
I was once assaulted during an altercation with an individual, recently so was my partner Radnor. I’m sure other RLSH have too, but it doesn’t make headline news. Why? Because it shouldn’t. But I digress.
That whole story about him stopping a vehicle break in was dismissed by Seattle PD like it never happened, most likely because it didn’t.
For the last year, Phoenix Jones has tried to hail himself as the greatest RLSH of all time, which he’s also claimed to be, when he once said that all he had to do was stand around and do nothing, he was doing a better job than any other superhero out there on the streets. Needless to say, that’s a little insulting. Especially to people like Dark Guardian, who has stood nose to nose with armed drug dealers and ran them off the street, or Mr. Xtreme who helped police save a woman from an attempted rape, that perp is in prison for life. Let alone the countless other superheroes who every day and night, risk their lives (for free) to help make their neighborhoods and communities a safer, better place.
So what happens to Phoenix Jones when he tries to take on three guys and puts ONE of them in a headlock? The result is a gun pulled on him, and his nose broken. This was earlier in the year. Now why would PJ make such a stupid mistake like that? Because Benjamin Fodor (renowned MMA fighter, not really) is a GRAPPLER. He does holds and submissions, things like headlocks.  Watch some of his fights on youtube sometime, you might see what I mean. He did the only thing he really knows how to do, and thats put someone in a position where its hard for them to fight back. But what about the other two guys? Well, I guess he didn’t think about that. Key word being “think”, and that’s something Ben doesn’t do a lot.
This also one of those types of incidences that completely justifies all of the criticism people give RLSH, in regards to letting the professionals handle this, or how someone is going to get hurt some day. Phoenix, you are not helping the RLSH cause whatsoever, you might just be hindering it.
Which is where I bring up my next point, where Fodor was recently arrested for assault, by pepper spraying several individuals.
And this is where I really feel the need to open my mouth. Sometime in the last two months, Phoenix Jones aka Ben Fodor posted MY video (see below) where my partner Grim and I break up a fight. On PJs facebook page, he accused ME of using excessive force because I brandished my stun gun, warning anyone who tried anything they will be shocked if something else happens. That fight ended peacefully, and no one was further injured as a result of our interjection. And just for thr record, I’ve never pepper sprayed anyone (and I do carry) or used my stun gun on anyone, let alone ever had to assault someone. I’ve grabbed some individuals to get them off of others, or helped the police handcuff people. Other than that? I’ve never had to manhandle anyone. Also that night, the police gave us thanks, respect and appreciation for our efforts that night. Shortly after the fight ended, a fire engine rolling down the street called me BY NAME over their loud speaker system. Can you say respect? Which, sadly is not what I can say for Seattle PDs thoughts of Phoenix Jones. They cant stand the guy. This was the opportunity they had been looking for to get  PJ. This is a whole other discussion entirely, some of which I want to touch on. My friend Tea Krulos, who I met at Comic Con this year for HOPE 2011 was eyewitness to the whole debacle (read it <a href=”http://heroesinthenight.blogspot.com/2011/10/statement-on-phoenix-jones-patrol.html“>here</a>. My only problem with this situation is the police are not talking to the people that need to be talked to, like Tea Krulos and it seems Ben Fodors civil rights may have been violated. Thats about the extent I will defend him. But, when you put yourself out there and do the things you do, you make yourself more so a target. Even from the police, especially when you’ve insulted them bef0re, and probably made their job harder than it’s had to be, like in the above circumstance.
Lets look back on how many times he’s claimed he’s gotten hurt. I know of two specific incidences where he’s been legitimately hurt: When he got his nose broken, and when he was in the hospital for internal bleeding. That happened when Jon Ronson interviewed everyone for the GQ article. Plus the other claimed stabbings and shootings. So, iuf PJ is an expert crime fighter, who’s trained in MMA, and believes he should be the only one doing this (because of his “training”) why does he keep getting hurt? Lets look at the police, who have extensive training and procedures for situations. Sure, shit happens and every once in a while a police officer is injured or even killed in the line of duty. Usually due to some chaotic circumstance that no one could have ever forseen. The difference is that is still very rare, while PJ’s seem to be quite frequent. One person getting hurt repeatedly trying to do what he does, while an entire police force with the occasional injury. I’ll admit I don’t have a lot of hard facts to back up what I am saying here , I’m simply stating my observations and opinions.
My point here (as with every incident he’s been involved in) PJ lacks several things: training, maturity, and a grip on reality. He lives and acts like he’s in a comic book. it’s sickening and does not reflect how true RLSH act. Never have I seen or heard of any of the pillars of the community, from Superhero, to Dark Guardian to Mr. Xtreme or even Zetaman act in such a way, ever in their careers, some of  which span over a decade, when Phoenix Jones was barely in middle school. But I forgot, he claims to be the first crime fighter too.
Yeah, Phoenix Jones apologized for saying a lot of those things. But why were they said to begin with? and it’s not so much what he said, but how he said it. Besides, his actions speak a lot louder than words. And I mean his irresponsible, unprofessional and dangerous behavior. What Phoenix Jones needs to do is grow up, take some pointers, and get over himself. He would do a lot better at this if he listened to some veterans instead of assuming he is better than everyone else. I’d even be willing to offer him some tips. But would he listen to anyone? no, he thinks this is a movie or something. He won’t listen, he won’t learn, and he will never get better or accomplish anything of magnificence.
Look at the NYI who has helped apprehend several serious offenders in their city. Rapists, serial assaulters. They’ve accomplished a lot. They are also dealing with the Occupy Wall Street protests and helping keep the peace there a lot. More stuff like that needs to happen.
Now as for what Phoenix did in the pepper spray incident? What he should have done was WAIT FOR HIS TEAM, break the people apart and try to deescalate the situation. NOT run in “guns blazing”. He did not attempt to deescalate the situation and only made it worse. I really hope you change your ways PJ, you are obviously not going to quit, not yet. But you went about this completely the wrong way. The charges against PJ were justified and I kinda wish they would charge him and convict him. I think this only serves to inflate his ego further, believing he is above the law and get away with more next time. Hopefully, I am wrong about that.
Here’s the video where he accused me of using excessive force:

Also lets take a look at PJ’s media. Which he’s had  A LOT of. But he uses it inappropriately, as I stated earlier. He uses the media to push himself and his own image, instead of the causes he is working on. The Initiative used the media to bring attention to the Long Island serial killer, and the Xtreme Justice League used the media to bring attention to the Chula Vista serial groper, who was eventually caught.
The difference is these groups were not for self promotion, but bringing attention to a cause, to a problem. Which is what the entire concept of a RLSH is all about.  Phoenix Jones would rather bring attention to himself, than any cause.
 

Originally posted: http://sundial.csun.edu/2011/10/vigilantes-should-be-able-to-fight-crime-without-being-interfered-with/
By Ron Rokhy
Since its inception, America has had its fair share of criminals — and people who fight them.
But before there even was a Supreme Court to combat crime, one group did: we, the people. In 1760, citizens in North Carolina took up arms against corrupt officials, marking the first known instance ofvigilantism in America’s history.
Branded as vigilantes, citizens who skip due process and punish criminals in the name of justice are seen as heroes by their peers, but many times, their actions are deemed unlawful by the government — and could land them in hot water.
But should their actions be illegal? Is it wrong for private individuals to take matters into their own hands and fight for what’s right when it can’t be done through legal means?
Absolutely not. Vigilantes, in a way, are like a bandage. When the legal system’s armor cracks and people like OJ Simpson use loopholes to get away with murder, or when victims get hit with frivolous lawsuits from burglars who injure themselves during break-ins, they step in and try to  glue everything back together.
America has a certain law that makes little sense: If someone witnesses a non-violent crime, such as a break-in or a theft, they’re not allowed to physically interfere. Putting their hands on a criminal could result in assault charges, such as the case of the Phoenix Jones, the real-life Seattle superhero, who pepper-sprayed two people he said were fighting.
Crime-fighters like Jones and his rag-tag group of criminal fighters, who patrol streets donning capes and costumes, shouldn’t be arrested for stopping criminals, they should instead be given medals for supplying the public with the swift kind of justice that our government can’t always provide.
People shouldn’t be forced to sit idly by and wait for police to show up. If they feel they can stop a criminal in the process of an illegal act, they should do so without the fear of getting hit with excessive force charges.
In 2010, a man in Washington was brought up on assault charges because he kicked a burglar in the face as police arrived and witnessed the event. Indicting people for forcefully punishing those that wronged them is counterproductive because it shows tolerance towards crime.
Criminals caught in the act shouldn’t enjoy protection just because a citizen busted them instead of a police officer — they should have little to no rights at all.
Don’t want to get beat? Don’t do something stupid. Simple, really.
However, some people argue that vigilantes risk getting the wrong person, violating the “innocent until prove guilty” presumption. For example, Michael Zenquis was wrongly beaten in the summer of 2009 because a group of people thought he was a child rapist.
That being said, it’s important to note that the legal system faces the same kind of downfall.
Alton Logan spent 26 years in a prison after being falsely convicted of a murder he did not commit. If mistakes are grounds for deeming something illegal or immoral, then our justice system fits the bill as well.
As a society, we should embrace self-policing and actively be involved in it, even if it means cracking down harshly on criminals.

Originally posted: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/bluebyline/2011/10/24/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-never-mind/
By Brian O’Neill
I love superheroes.
As a boy my closet was piled high with comic books. The Defenders and the Avengers were my favorite groups, and my brother and I would spend hours reading and re-reading each one. When we were finished we would pretend to rake some leaves and then run down to the drug store with our unearned quarters to get the latest edition.
Even as an adult I have watched, though not without a guilty sense of pleasure, the newest round of cartoons, movies and features involving classic superheroes, such as Superman, Batman, the Flash and Phoenix Jones.
Okay, I slipped that last one in – Phoenix Jones is the nom de guerre of one Benjamin Fodor, aka a real person. Fodor, who recently blew his own secret identity following an assault arrest, is a member of the Seattle (sorry, Rain City) Superheroes.
When I first heard about this group I experienced a boyish thrill that has lain dormant in my imagination for the better part of thirty years. But then came the realization that this new phenomenon of flesh and blood superheroes do not necessarily possess the chiseled physiques, unwavering morality and mind-blowing abilities of my comic book heroes.
Instead, Phoenix Jones and his fellow superheroes (insert air quotes as needed) are a living testament to our times. We now exist in an era where reality blends with virtual reality, where our sense of fantasy can overlap with the fantastic identities we are able to assume in the alternate universe of online gaming.
Either way, it is time to redefine the notion of superhero.
As it turns out, nothing could be simpler. According to the website entitled reallifesuperheroes.org (of course they have a website!), the group’s creed is as follows:  We are Real Life Superheroes. We follow and uphold the law. We fight for what is right. We help those in need. We are role models. We will be positive and inspirational. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. Through our actions we will create a better brighter tomorrow.
I doubt the Justice League could say it much better.
There is, however, the troubling question of the vigilante in our society. As Phoenix Jones found out, following his extensive use of pepper spray on a group of people, there are a lot of issues surrounding the use of force. Adding my thick policy manual to his website would probably crash the system.
In all seriousness, public safety is a demanding profession requiring substantially more than a decent creed. The propensity for abuse of power is as likely for members of the Rain City Superheroes (and cops) as it would be for members of the Green Lantern Corps (and look what happened with Yellow Lantern!).
And yet. The combination of imagination and good intentions makes news stories of these real life superheroes a singular positive note on an otherwise negative page. Let’s face it, if we were all to stand as tall in our neighborhoods we would be much safer. Unless we got carried away with pepper spray.
The whole idea makes me wish I still had a few of my old comic books around. Since my mother tossed those about 5 seconds after I left for college my only alternative is to stay tuned to the same bat channel for the next edition of the Rain City Superheroes.
I can see it now, “Revenge of the Meter Maid.”

Originally posted: http://publicola.com/2011/10/25/opa-investigated-leak-of-phoenix-jones-info/
By Jonah Spangenthal-Lee

Originally posted: http://news.yahoo.com/support-phoenix-jones-americas-first-costumed-crime-fighter-191900549.html
By Donald Pennington
It just goes to show what police consider a priority. A real-world costumed crime fighter breaks up a crowd of people reportedly ganging up on two others, one in the crowd reacts violently by hitting him over the head with a shoe and the police arrest the odd-looking guy? Are the police there to enforce the law or aren’t they? Is hitting someone over the head with a shoe not assault if you’re hot?
America’s first costumed crime fighter goes by the title of “Phoenix Jones,” but his real name is Benjamin Francis Fodor, a 23-year-old husband and father. Apparently, he’s taken up this cause after his own son was a crime victim. Face it. The police are only human too. They can’t be everywhere at all times.
In spite of allegations of spraying folks with pepper spray, not everyone is down on the man. In an interview on Fox News, Jones explains his side of the incident, stating he opted to let the un-named woman assault him with a shoe, rather than exert his physical strength against a woman smaller than himself. He also explains that when he enters the situation, he instructs his cohorts to call 911, then takes action. The more I hear from this man, the more I like him.
Hold it! Did I just say “cohorts?” Why, yes I did. It seems Jones is not only gutsy enough to don a crime fighter’s costume and show troublemakers a bit of vigilante action, he’s not alone. One quick trip to Facebook reveals That Jones is the leader of what’s called the “Rain City Superhero Movement.” On their info page we find the quote “I symbolize that the average person doesn’t have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing.” Odd-looking? Yes. He may even be crazy. Aren’t the greatest people in history always called crazy? His point is valid. As long as nobody’s rights are violated, I’m on his side. Besides, what’s so crazy about encouraging people to report crime?
While I won’t call him a “Superhero” (Superheroes have super-powers and only exist in comic books, after all.) I will agree that it most certainly is time for people to take action when they see bad things happening. We don’t need to dress up, but we all would do well to emulate his courage. Thank you, Phoenix Jones, for reminding us.

Originally posted: http://thegazette.com/2011/10/13/masked-superheroes-patrol-utah-streets-for-crime/

“Asylum”: Those movies have done more damage to the real-life superhero community than anything else

by Associated Press  ::  UPDATED: 13 October 2011 | 11:54 am  ::  in News Hawk by John McGlothlen  ::  No Comments
SHEENA MCFARLAND, The Salt Lake Tribune
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dusk is descending upon Salt Lake City.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

Originally posted: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ix-PXiZOo4Z-N_Jx8NWWWs0zkwvQ?docId=a51a823c485c4474a79aa1c01b22ae96
By Gene Johnson, Associated Press
SEATTLE (AP) — Fabio Heuring was standing outside a Seattle nightclub on a Saturday night and smoking cigarettes with a friend when a man bolting from a bouncer ran into them. The enraged man ripped off his shirt in the middle of the street and prepared to give Heuring’s buddy a beating.
Just then, in swooped a bizarre sight: a self-proclaimed superhero in a black mask and matching muscle-suit. He doused the aggressor with pepper spray, much to Heuring’s shocked relief.
A couple hours later, though, the superhero ended up in jail for investigation of assault after using those tactics on another group of clubgoers, sending pangs of anxiety through the small, eccentric and mostly anonymous community of masked crime-fighters across the U.S.
The comic book-inspired patrolling of city streets by “real life super-heroes” has been getting more popular in recent years, thanks largely to mainstream attention in movies like last year’s “Kick-Ass” and the recent HBO documentary “Superheroes.” And as the ranks of the masked, caped and sometimes bullet-proof-vested avengers swell, many fret that even well-intentioned vigilantes risk hurting themselves, the public and the movement if they’re as aggressive as the crime-fighter in Seattle.
Some have gone so far as to propose a sanctioning body to ensure that high super-hero standards are maintained.
“The movement has grown majorly,” said Edward Stinson, a writer from Boca Raton, Fla., who advises real-life superheroes on a website devoted to the cause. “What I tell these guys is, ‘You’re no longer in the shadows. You’re in a new era. … Build trust. Set standards. Make the real-life superheroes work to earn that title and take some kind of oath.'”
It’s not clear how many costumed vigilantes there are in the U.S. The website www.reallifesuperheroes.org lists 660 members around the world. They range from members of the New York Initiative in New York City and the Shadow Corp in Saginaw, Mich., to a character named Nightbow who says he has patrolled the streets of Carlisle, England, for three years.
Some take on their fictional identities while doing charity work.
Benjamin Fodor, better known as Phoenix Jones, is the most prominent face of the Rain City Superhero Movement, a collection of vigilantes who appeared in Seattle over the past year. Early on Oct. 9, about two hours after he saved Heuring and his buddy, the 23-year-old man charged a group of people leaving a downtown nightclub as a videographer trailed him.
From the shaky camera work, it appeared there may have been some kind of disturbance in the group. Fodor insists he was breaking up a fight when he hit the crowd with pepper spray; the people who got sprayed told police there had been no fight. He was briefly booked into jail for investigation of assault, but prosecutors haven’t charged him yet. He appeared in court last week while wearing his superhero costume under a button-down shirt.
“Recently there have been increased reports of citizens being pepper sprayed by (Fodor) and his group,” the police report noted. “Although (Fodor) has been advised to observe and report incidents to 911, he continues to try to resolve things on his own.”
Fodor remained unapologetic after the court appearance, saying he’s just like anyone else except that “I decided to make a difference and stop crime in my neighborhood.” He invited members of the public to join him on patrol Saturday night.
Heuring, a 27-year-old shuttle driver from Auburn, is a fan.
“Without a question, there was a fight going to happen,” he said. “It could have ended ugly had he not come in. He used good judgment in our case. He saw who was instigating it and who he needed to defend.”
But many in the vigilante community point to Fodor’s arrest as a watershed moment: As more people — often, young people — fashion themselves into superheroes, they risk finding themselves in similar situations where they wind up hurting innocent members of the public or being shot, stabbed or beaten themselves. Such negative attention could doom the movement, they say.
Stinson, who is 40 and says he has a military background, said that if the movement is to continue to grow, it needs to do a better job policing itself. He envisions a nonprofit organization that would have departments devoted to fundraising and building community trust and alliances. He also thinks there should be tactical superhero training — including how to take control of a volatile situation and defuse it.
Filmmaker Michael Barnett followed 50 real-life crime fighters for 15 months for his documentary “Superheroes.” Many have great intentions, he said, but that doesn’t mean their methods are proper.
“The police by in large appreciate an extra set of eyes, but they really, really want these guys to do it according to the law,” Barnett said.
Masked crusaders began appearing in the 1970s with San Diego’s Captain Sticky, who used his Superman-like costume to fight against rental car rip-offs and for tenant rights, Barnett said. They spread throughout the country in the 1980s and 1990s, and became more popular thanks to the faster communications and online support communities of the Internet.
Barnett said he met plumbers, teachers, cashiers and firefighters who leave their day jobs behind every night in the name of security. Their weapons include pepper spray, stun guns and batons. Relatively few have any combat training or any formal knowledge of how to use their arsenal, he said.
That concerns the professional crime-fighters.
“If people want to dress up and walk around, knock yourself out,” said Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson. “Our concern is when you insert yourself into these situations without knowing the facts, it’s just not a smart thing to do. If you think a situation warrants calling 911, call 911.”
Not all of the vigilantes take a confrontational approach. A 53-year-old man in Mountain View, Calif., who calls himself “The Eye,” keeps a low-enough profile that officers there have never booked anyone arrested with his help.
“The only reason I know him is because he’s my neighbor,” said police spokeswoman Liz Wylie. “He’s a neighborhood watch block captain, a very good one at that.”

So I’m on my way to ST.Pete to meet Knight Hood with Artisteroi…
…and we pass a couple of Largo cop cars with their overheads on at the side of the road behind a van that has a rim but no tire what-so-ever on the rear passenger side. We decide to offer the cops the use of my Floor Jack, maybe we can pick it up enough to get the rim off. We do a U-turn & swing around behind them & I get out & walk up, it turns out it’s a Sergeant & a road Officer & the Sergeant looks at me & says “Out doing your good deed for the day?” and smiles. I offer him the use of the jack but they have a wrecker on the way. Odd thing is everybody on the scene is bald, even the van owner so I say OK I can’t help but I’ll tell you the bald guy joke” …
“What did the bald guy say when his daughter gave him a comb for his Birthday?”
“I’ll never part with it.”
We all had a good laugh & Artisteroi & I took off, some time you just bring Humor…but it helps.
 

You guys won’t BELIEVE this one….
So I got done at the gym today & I’m headed up East bay in a hurry to make it to work on time and at the intersection at Keene there’s a BLIND lady with one of those red canes (How I knew she was blind) trying to cross the intersection with cars flying everywhere! I pull into the Firehouse sub parking lot & bail out with the engine running & try to cross the inter…section to get to her. I’ve got the crosswalk & the light (And I’m not blind so I know I do) and this big girl in a beat up Buick turning right decides to go anyway. Fortunately I’m still pretty spry and slam my hand down on the hood & use it to launch myself backwards out of her way while she slams on her brakes & sits there with her hands over her mouth…I got other things to do. I run around behind her (I’m not giving her a second chance) & finally make it to the blind lady. She hears me coming even thru the traffic & I say “I’ll help you across the street.” She calmly tells me “Oh it’s ok, I just wait until I hear the oncoming traffic and then walk in its direction across.” I’m like “Wow…well the timer just changed & you got about 30 seconds I’ll walk with you anyway.” About halfway across I stopped & just watched & couldn’t believe it. There were cars flying everywhere & this blind lady was just unstoppable. She stayed calm, like she did it everyday (Which she probably did) & I nearly got creamed trying to reach her. Really lets you know who the Superheroes are.
SH