Are Seattle citizen crimefighters superheroes or vigilantes?

Having seen both Kick Ass <http://www.kickass-themovie.com/> and
Defendor<http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/defendor/>(not a typo), I can
imagine how this might not turn out well. And yet one
empathizes with the impulse to want to do something to help.

Also, fwiw, the guy on the left is ripped, but the guy on the right has a
hand cannon and a license to use it.

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/430430_super19.html

Police alerted to 'superheroes' patrolling Seattle

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY <[email protected]>
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF
[image: photo]
A man who identifies himself as Phoenix Jones the Guardian of Seattle, part
of the Rain City Superhero Movement, poses with an unidentified Seattle
police officer. Department officials alerted officers to the self-described
superhero, who said his new costume will be more elaborate.

Vigilante justice has come to Seattle, and the caped crusaders drive a Kia.

Seattle police say a group of self-described superheroes have been
patrolling the streets at night trying to save people from crime. They call
themselves the Rain City Superhero Movement and say they're part of a
nationwide movement of real-life crime fighters.

The national website <https://rlsh-manual.com/-So__what_is_RLSH__.html> --
cited in a police bulletin sent to Seattle officers Wednesday -- states "a
Real Life Superhero is whoever chooses to embody the values presented in
super heroic comic books, not only by donning a mask/costume, but also
performing good deeds for the communitarian place whom he inhabits."

Police say the "costume-wearing complainants" are lucky they haven't been
hurt.

In one instance, police say a caped crusader dressed in black was nearly
shot when he came running out of a dark park. In another case, a witness on
Capitol Hill saw the crusaders wearing ski masks in a car parked at a Shell
station and thought they were going to rob the place.

Police got the license plate and found those masked characters drove a Kia
Fate registered to one of the character's godmothers, department staff said.
She told police her godson goes around doing good deeds.
Costume includes ballistic cup

Investigators identified nine people dressed in costume going around Seattle
after dark. A police source said the characters go by Thorn, Buster Doe,
Green Reaper, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88, Penelope and Phoenix
Jones the Guardian of Seattle.

But don't listen to Captain Ozone or Knight Owl, police were told. They're
apparently not part of the group.

Officers have learned the true identity of Phoenix -- a 22-year-old man
whose costume includes a black cape, black fedora, blue tights, white belt
and mask. Police say he's often driven by a young woman not in costume.

Officers say she usually doesn't get out of the car, instead letting the
"superhero" do his thing.

Phoenix was interviewed by detectives this month and came to police
headquarters dressed in most of his costume, police said.

"(Phoenix) apologized for not being in full costume, as it was being
repaired after (he) was stabbed while trying to intervene with a drug dealer
and a citizen," the police bulletin stated, according to a police source.

The man was not seriously wounded during the incident under Interstate 5,
and police say he may not have actually been wounded.

Now, police were told Phoenix wears body armor, a ballistic vest, arm and
leg trauma plates -- and a ballistic cup. Police were apparently told that
bulletproof vest helped stop a bullet during an incident in Tacoma a year
ago.

Others are expected to be at police headquarters this week for
identification.

"I don't condone people walking around on the street with masks," said the
man who called himself Phoenix Jones. "Everyone on my team either has a
military background or a mixed martial arts background, and we're well aware
of what its costs to do what we do."

Jones said he would talk in greater detail after a television news story is
broadcast this weekend by our news partner, KOMO/4.

Keeping in superhero fashion, he didn't leave a return number.

Police say another incident with the self-proclaimed superheroes came about
3 a.m. Nov. 4 at Sixth Avenue and South King Street in the International
District.

Police responded to a harassment complaint and found Phoenix the Guardian of
Seattle dressed in a "black colored Batman costume and a black ski mask,"
department spokesman Jeff Kappel said.

He was standing with four other men and one woman, all in costume with their
faces covered by ski masks and bandanas. They were dealing a man making
threatening statements and swinging a golf club.

Police took the golf club as evidence. The "costume-wearing complainants"
refused to press charges because they didn't want to identify themselves to
officers, Kappel said. So the suspect walked.
Dangers of vigilante justice

"There's nothing wrong with citizens getting involved with the criminal
justice process -- as long as they follow it all the way through," Kappel
said, adding they want people to call 911 and be good witnesses, even if a
case goes to court.

Police say they don't want people who aren't sworn officers putting
themselves in danger.

They point to an unrelated case earlier this year in Maple Leaf. A man in
his late 40s was working on his rental property near Northeast 77th Street
and 16th Avenue Northeast when he saw men prowling his vehicle.

The man fought the
prowlers<http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/archives/195699.asp>and
was winning, but one was able to inflict two knife wounds 3-inches
deep.
Large amounts of blood covered his clothes when medics arrived, and police
say the man nearly died.

In another Northgate case from 2008, a man shot a car
prowler<http://www.seattlepi.com/local/411698_northgate30.html>who was
trying to steal his stereo. The prowler died, and the suspect was
charged with manslaughter. He's out now, but was sentenced to nine months in
prison.

A member of the Rain City Superhero Movement told police the "superheroes"
carry Tasers, nightsticks, pepper spray, but no firearms.

Police say they hope the self-proclaimed superheroes act as good witnesses
instead of putting themselves in danger. The bulletin said a
KOMO/4<http://www.komonews.com/>news crew plans to follow the caped
crusaders Friday night.

According to the national superhero website, the characters don't have to
engage in violent fights to be a crime fighter, but should embody the values
presented in super heroic comic books.

"Inspiration plays a major role in this, of course," character Entomo
wrote<https://rlsh-manual.com/-So__what_is_RLSH__.html>on the page.
"You can inspire people to believe in a symbol.

"You can inspire people to believe they can CREATE themselves a symbol and
embody it --- and it's not a lie."


Johne Cook
| http://raygunrevival.com | http://authorculture.blogspot.com |

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