This just in! Real super hero charged with assault!
Phoenix Jones In Action
He stalks the nights, hunting down criminals tirelessly, thanklessly. But does he chase the villains, or run from his dark past?! He is Phoenix Jones, masked muscle man of justice! With his trusty powers of blinding toxins, he subdues the most vile of villainy. He’s also, presumably, able to fly and see through walls… Though I might just be making up that last part.
Anyways… uh. So this is mostly true. Benjamin John Francis Fodor, aka Phoenix Jones, was brought in for trying to break up a fight with pepper spray (which, apparently, can be called assault). He spent 7hrs in jail and was released on bail.
Apparently, he’s part of a Seattle vigilante justice group called the Rain City Superhero Movement. Wonder if they have a supervillain movement I could apply to… hmm… lol! (also, double points for his wife, aka, Purple Reign!)
I guess the thing here is that vigilante justice is frowned upon… and for good reason. You’re not trained in police work, you don’t represent “the people” as a law enforcement officer does, and there’s the whole “liability” thing. Also… Pepper spray? Really? Maybe if it was mounted in some dispenser on the wrist and can be shot like spidey web, but just a $5 can of pepper spray from Walmart? That’s just lazy. The man’s got some decent fighting/boxing records so do that. Or use your wits and subdue your dastardly evildoers with your cunning and agility! But not pepper spray… or a taser for that matter…
That said, I kinda like this movement! It’s like the Robin Hood of the modern era! Hmm, come to think of it, he did wear tights too… But yeah, I think it would be awesome in the sense that if there was some sort of certification to do it, or registration, or work similar to a bounty hunter or private detective… I think just grabbing a can of Human Off and an old Halloween costume isn’t the way to do it. Other than that… Man, I’m all for this!
“I am just like everybody else. The only difference is that I try to stop crime in my neighborhood and everywhere else.”, said Jones, and you know what, even though he was a bit out of line with his tactics, if there were just a few more people out there like him, trying to keep even just one street corner crime-free, then maybe our world might be just a little bit safer. (within reason and moderation… bam! nice save!)
I have to say I respect someone willing to put themselves in harms way to protect others, but I think there should be some kind of training for such a thing, maybe something like a simplified police training for the average citizen. That way that for sure have the proper training on how to handle situations and what kinds of force are acceptable when. If you look even into the comic book world Batman went through years and years of training, in fact most of his life was spent training in self defense and quite a bit of his (millionaire) money went into making sure he had the right equipment, and in the end he’d still try to use his brains more than his brawn in taking care of the bad guys only using force when absolutely needed.
that’s my thought on it. instead of the whole vigilante angle, why not play it like an independent branch of the police; where they are trained and licensed to practice protection and uphold laws, but under the higher authority of the civil guard. so like… security guards but with flashy tights?
Batman also had some wicked gadgets… I’d be very disappointed in the dark knight if he ever whipped out a can of pepper spray. XD
Correction, the real Robin Hood never wore tights. During the age he lived in, tights didn’t exist.
what?! but… I watched a documentary by Mel Brooks and he specifically said they wore them! XD
ah well… guess he couldn’t be a real superhero then. tights are kind of an essential part of the wardrobe.
I wish we had the funds (and we would if we spent our money right here in America) for every male (and female but only if the individual female wanted) to spend a short time in the military; something similar to the system Israel (and like a dozen other nations) has. That would go far in eliminating the Bystander Effect. In 65% of violent crimes there are bystanders watching and aware of the situation who do nothing. Teach everyone a sense of duty to help their fellow Americans in need, and we wouldn’t need another special branch of the police force because every citizen can be ready and willing to try and stop that 65% of violent crime all the time. No one needs a mask to do what this guy did (nor the pepper spray, fists work just fine), they need the will to help and to put the good of others above possible harm to themselves.
P.S. This could work for any nation not just America I’m saying America because it’s where I am.
You know, I thought about that a lot recently and I’ve come to the decision that we would all be much better off if there was some sort of mandatory “boot camp”-like survival training. well… my thing was more survival based, but it could be adapted to include self defense and whatnot. so, vote for me next election! I’ll have you all doing pushups before my bags are unpacked! >D
yeah, a few other countries do as well and I just love the idea!
actually, wasn’t this the idea behind everyone having firearms? like, if everyone had a gun, nobody would rob a bank? not sure if that’s accurate, but it kinda makes sense. then again, you’d need the social engineering to give people the mindset to know how to protect themselves and not just whip out their guns every time someone sneezes. but I guess that goes back to that whole “mandatory boot camp / survival / defense training” thing.
granted… it’s just a tad bit cooler when wearing a spandexy hero outfit… >D
As much as I like the idea of private individuals helping out the law enforcement, the one thing that keeps coming back to me as to why it’s Not a good idea is that the legal system (as flawed as it may be) is there to make sure the Right people get the Right treatment and/or discipline that they should get.
It would be too easy for Mob Mentality to take over instead of it being for the good of everybody.
Legalities aside, I do see why people would feel the need to step in and do something. With all the cuts to law enforcement and the regulations tying their hands to carry things out at times when they need to and the legal system often siding with the criminals over the victims… Yeah, I can see That side of the coin as well.
sigh… like some of those news casts i’ve seen where there’s like half a dozen officers in a town of hundreds of thousands… it’s not very good.
but hey, it really is the ripe setting for a real super hero story huh?
They shouldn’t be screaming, they should be fighting! (The word you’re looking for is allowed, not aloud).
damn you grammar! my arch nemesis!