Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Part 2- The Phoenix Jones Interview


What follows is a transcription of my interview with Phoenix Jones, conducted November 23, 2010. It has been edited for clarity, but not content and appears in it's entirety. I am presenting it here without editorial comment- you can make of it what you will.

TEA KRULOS: Why don’t we start by you telling me about yourself and how you got started with all of this, when and why this all began for you.

PHOENIX JONES
: Well, I’ve read comics and watched movies and have had an interest in this since the beginning of time. I wanted to name my son after a Dragon Ball Z character (laughs) -I’ve always been into martial arts and training my entire life, so I’ve always thought you ascend to a certain level when you become stronger than the average person.

It was one of those evolutions for me because after I got my black belt in Tae Kwon Do, I kind of felt let down, because in a weird way Tae Kwon Do is sort of a lie. It doesn’t actually work in practical fighting situations. It’s like who can dance better, but it has nothing to do with real life, so I felt like I wasted a lot of time, you know? From there I went to collegiate wrestling, and I became a state collegiate wrestling champion, and I thought this is where it’s at, right? Then I saw a boxing match, and I thought, yeah, I can’t do that though, those guys would kill me, that sucks. Again I felt let down, like I wasted my time again. From there I moved to sport jiu jitsu, which has a little bit of punching, but is still mostly down on the ground, again I felt let down.

It wasn’t until I moved to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)that I felt I had moved to the real thing, it’s stand up, it’s grappling, it’s wrestling, it’s kicking, anywhere the fight goes, in any situation mixed martial arts has an answer for it.

After that I thought, well what do you do when you have the powers? Because I always wanted to have these powers and now I feel I am trained, I’m trained to know more about combat than the average person. I always wanted to be a superhero so I went and made a supersuit. I started working on it, but left the idea alone because I was working a job. But when I saw fights on the street I broke them up and stuff. I actually broke up so many fights without a mask on that people knew who I was, they’d be like ‘there’s the guy always breaking up fights.’

I was at a water park in my home town and someone broke into my car, and the glass was on the ground. My son fell into it and cut his knee. I was telling people to call 911 and everyone just stood there and stared. And even- one guy started recording it for like YouTube or something. I was like what is this? Why does the world suck? It’s because they are afraid. They’re afraid to call 911 if you’re troubled or if someone is breaking into your car- there are teenagers walking down the street breaking into cars and no one is doing anything, it’s ridiculous.
So my son got stitched up and I still have the glass in a jar in my house as a reminder that bad things happen. There was enough glass you could take it out and put it in a jar.

The following week I was at a bar. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do any kind of drugs- I did one time in 8th grade, anyhow, I was at a bar because my friend was there and we went outside and there was a commotion and someone tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘your friend got beat up,’ and he had irreversible face damage. And I said ‘who did it, show me who it was that did it.’ There was like seventy people outside and no one did anything and everyone knew exactly who beat him up. And I just kept thinking- why didn’t anyone do anything?

The next day I was out on patrol looking for that guy, I didn’t find him and that’s actually really good, because I probably would have done something extreme in the process. And in case there was a crowd or something, and I started beating up this person, I didn’t want anyone to know who I was and that’s how it started with the ski mask and everything. But I’m glad I didn’t- it wouldn’t have been heroic.

TEA KRULOS: So then you developed your own group- how did that come about?

PHOENIX JONES
: That came about before I heard about real life superheroes. I was on a patrol by myself and I walked into a fight between two people outside a bar, there were 11 or 12 people. I felt I couldn’t really get in there to help, I was nervous and apprehensive because there was 1 of me and 12 of them. I didn’t have any weapons- I just had my MMA gloves on, a pair of spandex shorts I use for fighting, a spandex shirt, and a robbery ski mask (laughs)- it didn’t look like I was a hero by any stretch of the imagination, it looked like I was robbing someone and had stumbled into the fight in the process.

So I talked to a friend and he said- ‘dude, that’s you? I heard about that guy. I totally want in.’ And I said ‘Ok, I don’t want to be out there alone so next time come with me.’ He told a riend, and I told another friend, and before you knew it, there was nine of us, and we all have either military backgrounds or MMA training so we came up with a procedure how to stop a conflict.

How we do it is- we got one guy not in uniform across the street with a camera that can also act as a witness for the police. One guy will approach the situation- which is normally me- we got another guy yell that we are real life superheroes and we’re coming to break up the argument, and announce our presence. The other two people stay back, so I’m in front and they’re a little bit in back and then I try to get between the fight, I try to put myself into the position of one of the fighters, basically taking the punishment for that guy and like I said, I’m pretty well trained so I don’t get hurt.

And while we do that, we have another guy who runs around to try and remove the hurt person from the fight by dodging them and walking away. I have a group of lawyers now that I’m working with that I’m working with on a procedure out and we also have paperwork that we fill out every time that we contact everybody before starting, and that’s pretty recent. I got a call from a lawyer that totally wants to represent me and I was really happy about that and they said we should make a procedure book so I can write down what we do and how we do it and then if cops have a problem, we can show them our procedure.

TEA KRULOS
: Speaking of the police, how has your relationship with them been?

PHOENIX JONES
: It depends on what police officer you run into (laughs)- some of them love me, literally stop their car, come out and shake my hand and take a photo with me. Other cops think I’m a real vigilante and don’t want to have anything to do with me. I went down to the police station, I went down and talked to them, they said what I was doing was completely legal. They said they just wanted to know my name because if anyone claims they were beaten up or assaulted by me- because I’m actually out there stopping fights- they want to know who to call and I was ok with that, so I released my information to them.

Which I’m kind of regretting now because other people in the community found out my identification and they think I’m not qualified to do this because –this is the thing, I wasn’t even arrested. I was summoned to appear. I drove with my license suspended three times in a row. But really what that means is I had tickets, I couldn’t pay them because I was broke and I got another ticket when I was broke and I had to go to court, and when I went I got it taken care of, I never spent a day in jail.

Then about a month later, I got pulled over again, and I still had not paid my fine and they gave me a summons to court and said I had to appear, and I said OK, and it was the same thing. The judge said you can go to jail, or pay the fine. And my mom paid the fine for me, which was cool, and then I paid her back for it. But I never spent a day in jail and I don’t know why, why people don’t think I’m qualified to be a superhero. Mr. Ravenblade came after me, saying he knew information about me- that is the only information he could know.

I thought it was more important to be out there on the street fighting and protecting, and everytime I got pulled over it-I was on my way-I had the ski mask on, I’ve never been pulled over in my civilian attire. The more of the bigger crimes I’ve stopped, the more police have started to respect me.

TEA KRULOS
: You mentioned Mr. Ravenblade- how has your experience with the Real Life Superhero community been?

PHOENIX JONES
: I’m actually really ecstatic about real life superheroes. I can’t take the RLSH off my name. People are mad at me for certain things I can’t control, which is amusing to me. The RLSH has to be in my name because Phoenix Jones is a very famous band, and the guy from the band who my friend knows I guess is really angry that I call myself Phoenix Jones, but my lawyers tell me if I put Phoenix Jones RLSH or Phoenix Jones- Guardian of Seattle as my entire title, they can’t sue me. So I’m legally bound to those titles.

And they got mad at me for that. Not only that, but what does it matter? What does fighting crime have anything to do with the title of my name, it’s ridiculous.
(Editor’s note: I’ll summarize this next few minutes of the interview- Phoenix Jones was criticized for typing in all capital letters, which he attributes to a broken computer keyboard.)

TEA KRULOS
: You did get a chance to meet White baron and Sky Man.

PHOENIX JONES: Those guys are awesome… Guess who’s calling me right now? Sky Man’s on the other line, I’ll be right back…
He says hello. I think he really expected me to relax or take my mask off, but I never take my mask off. I had to blindfold him when we took him to our secret hideout, so I’m sure he thinks I’m crazy. (laughs)

TEA KRULOS
: So what are your plans now that people know who you are, you’ve gotten this media, and what do you plan on doing with this momentum?

PHOENIX JONES
: The plan for the Rain City Superheroes is to help people, that’s the number one goal. I think the best way to help people – if you give someone a sandwich, your help lasts as long as the nutrients in that sandwich, but if someone stops you from being killed by a knife or a shot, if I step in (Editor’s note: audio is completely unclear for a couple seconds, but basically explains how saving people’s life from violent crime is his goal)

And I think that is why I took crime fighting and street prevention as my number one task, but what everyone doesn’t know is that before all of my patrols I do a hand out to homeless people. That’s how I start all my patrols. I’ve also gone to a couple schools to talk about drug prevention, and looking at more schools in my neighborhood to talk about drug prevention. I have a comic book that is going to be released soon. It talks about being bullied, because I was bullied a lot in high school- I spent a lot of high school in a locker. So I have things to tell people that have nothing to do with crime fighting. But I feel that the attention is needed to get the other message. I don’t think anyone is going to listen to a guy walking around handing out sandwiches.

Phoenix Jones…people believe Phoenix Jones may help them, I mean they know they can’t count on it 100 percent, because it’s so random, but they know it is possible.

TEA KRULOS
: You mentioned stepping in front of a knife. Tell me the story of you being stabbed.

PHOENIX JONES
: Well, it’s kind of a catch-22. The reason there is a dispute about this story is because when you have a secret identity, it’s because of the police. I wasn’t able to confirm if the police were crooked, so that is why the police report says I was not stabbed. On my Facebook I had (a picture of the scar) but I had to take it off because the scar is kind of signature looking. Basically what happened was I was underneath the Hub(?) bridge at about 3 in the morning and I actually had my girlfriend and two kids in the car down the street.

Before I was really fighting crime, I was handing out food just to get comfortable. I parked down the street and my girl was in the car and the kids were sleeping in the back because we just got home from a trip. And so I was walking around handing out apples and bananas and I saw these two guys fighting and I ran in there. One guy pulled out a knife and I pulled out a tazer and started flashing the tazer and a guy came up behind me and grabbed my shoulder and I felt a punch to my kidney. I was wearing bulletproof apparatus on my back- not the kind I have now. I turned around and that guy was running and the other guy had sat down. I went to pursue that guy and the police showed up and pulled out their guns and told us to get down on the ground and handcuffed all of us to figure out what we were doing. The other homeless people vouched for me, said I came there a lot and I was a good guy, and that’s why the police uncuffed me.

Then in the middle of the thing they said ‘it looks like you have a hole in the back of your suit.’ And that’s when I felt pain. They said, ‘it looks like you’ve been stabbed,’ and I said I was not, I was fine, but I said that because I didn’t want to reveal my secret identity. Then I went to the hospital and got that taken care of. Then later, a news reporter I know personally asked me about the scar on my back, and I said ‘that’s where I got stabbed.’ He ran it in the story because I didn’t tell him not to. You don’t see Batman walk into the ER in his batsuit, you know?

TEA KRULOS
: How often do you patrol?

PHOENIX JONES: I try to put in four or five nights a week. There is a couple days I can’t go out, but I try to shake it up and keep it random. Because once I started getting out people started- not looking for me, but- I recently had a run in with a gang from Oregon called The Peckerwoods, it’s a white supremacist gang. I was able to get a guy arrested with my brass knuckles, and that was probably the scariest encounter I’ve ever had, and the whole gang actually put a hit out for me. So I’m not sure how true- how seriously- the gang is about putting hits out on people but, a friend of mine told me ‘hey, did you mess with The Peckerwoods?’

I hadn’t told anybody about it and I said ‘yeah,’ and she said ‘a friend of mine tells me there’s a little hit out for you.’ It made me uncomfortable, so I’ve gotten paranoid in my older superhero age. (editor’s note: Phoenix Jones is 22 years old) I patrol randomly, I blindfold everyone that bring over, I don’t have a listed address, only a PO Box, my phone numbers are blocked, I’ve become very secretive, because once you actually start fighting crime, you can’t just spit in the face of criminals and expect to walk around.

TEA KRULOS: I’d like to give you the floor now if you’d like to give a message to anyone reading this blog or to the people of Seattle.

PHOENIX JONES: I have a message to two separate groups of people. My first message is to the RLSH.

That message is- I’ve really been hurt by the things that have been said about me. I love you guys, man. When I watched the Dark Guardian video with the drug dealers in New York, you should have seen me. I went crazy! I immediately felt like what I was doing with the homeless outreach wasn’t enough. The day I got a bullet proof vest was the day after I watched that. The way I’ve been perceived has really hurt my face in the superhero community. At large if you didn’t like me or respect what I was doing, talking trash and flaming other people’s reputation isn’t something that I’d be doing to another person, let alone an image or icon or figure.

The last thing to the superheroes- I don’t let criminals go. The incident they are referring to about the guy with the club, he swung the club at me and I was actually able to take the club by force so he was going to charge me for assault, and I was going to charge him for assault, then they found drugs on him- a crack pipe and some crack rocks. So I decided to drop my charges and he dropped his charges on me. But his charges also included crack possession and possession of paraphernalia. And he did walk away, but they gave him a summons to appear in court. So he did not escape, I didn’t press charges because there was no need to at that time. My assault charge wouldn’t hold nearly as much weight as a felony drug possession.

And to Seattle- I really appreciate you guys embracing me. People in the street give me high fives and hugs, and free coffee at a couple different spots, the comic book store is releasing my comic book for me, I met with Seattle police and I’m going to try to set up a meeting with the mayor and I really appreciate the way you guys embrace me, and I hope I don’t let you down. I hope nothing bad happens, but I have a feeling it probably isn’t going to end well. But until it does, I’m going to be out there and I hope every time something bad happens, you guys can fill in for me. There is not enough me to cover the entire city. So when I’m not there you guys can be me. Don’t go in over your head, don’t get yourself in trouble, but what I do is something the average citizen can’t do- I’m just the first one to stand up and say I’m not taking it anymore and I hope you guys stand up with me.
Phoenix out.

60 comments:

  1. "...my lawyers tell me..."?

    The blindfold thing gives me the heebie jeebies.

    Anyway... overall there are definitely people who represent "the community" far worse than this.

    That's not intended as an endorsement. Just saying.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How to spot a nerd in deep need of a reality check:

    "I wanted to name my son after a Dragon Ball Z character"

    No. Just... no.

    And I still fail to see how MMA prepares a person for anything-- except fighting in a well-lit caged arena with nice clean floors.

    This all reeks of Black Knight.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Since he made it public himself I feel like I can bring this up: The public record criminal history report I got on him as part of my investigation showed rather large fines (originally $100,000) and actually does show jail time imposed at sentencing, so public record says despite his initial plea of not-guilty he has been found guilty of something that resulted in jail time. If a police officer or other RLSH looks up his history and sees that, they have no choice but to think that this guys been in jail no matter what he claims. Add this to the the fact the the Rain City Group is now considered a gang by the local police, and you have all the ingredients for trouble, and this is why its important for real RLSH to distance themselves from this guy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well damn, all he needs is to develop an unhealthy obsession with gourmet hot dogs and he'll practically be one of us!

    Disclaimer: He's not one of us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "an unhealthy obsession with gourmet hot dogs"?

    --DW

    ReplyDelete
  6. I personally think that Phoenix Jones does a much better job then 90% of the RLSH community. I've done my research, and the majority of RLSH are overweight neckbeards in corny costumes, doing pretty much the same job as a mall cop with a halloween costume on.

    Phoenix Jones does it to keep his community safe, he does it to help people, he takes the risks associated with stopping crime so that he's ACTUALLY EFFECTIVE in the process.

    It's not enough to observe and report, it's not enough to run around with a cell phone and a sandwich and dial 911 every time you see a drug deal.

    It's not enough to just hand out sandwiches to homeless kids who already have EBT cards (I would know, I was homeless for two years, while the food is appreciated, the person gaining the most out of the deal is the person giving the food. Makes them feel good about themselves, but they're not actually helping, not enough to warrant calling themselves a superhero.)

    I don't like the RLSH community. They don't actually do anything. Why the hell would you join an international forum with your picture on it, if you're a masked superhero.

    I could run a dox-job on any number of names in RLSH, and immediately figure out more than any hardened criminal would need to know to run a hit. It's dangerous, it's stupid, and it's narcissistic.

    I admire, no applaud Phoenix Jones for putting himself in physical danger to keep people safe. I wish he were there to help my friend when he got stabbed back in Detroit. Our society teaches us to be passive, to avoid conflict, to keep our heads down, to not put ourselves into any danger whatsoever, to stay as safe and as sheltered as humanly possible.

    I see the RLSH community putting a lot more time into their costumes than I see them actually coming up with strategies to fight crime.

    If you're reading this Phoenix Jones, I'm looking for you. I've already left you a note at the shop. I look forward to your phone call.

    - Sub

    ReplyDelete
  7. only in the USA. the idiot is going to get himself killed.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Suicide by Cape.

    "When I'm gone and my identity gets revealed, THEN they'll realize how awesome I was! THEN they'll be sorry!!!"

    Are we supposed to be impressed?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awesome story. Also the RLSH is a laughable group of slackers. Half-assing it isn't good enough, this guy is for real.

    ReplyDelete
  10. @ Agent Beryllium
    What do you have against Phoenix Jones, all your comments are negative, don't you agree that your harsh words and criticisms are unprovoked?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Eh, he's just another media hound. New stuff has popped up on the interwebz about his identity and its becoming obvious that it's a media grab for attention with financial rewards.

    He gives lots of clues about who he is, talks about himself a lot but there's precious little evidence of his exploits. The criminals always run away and the stab wounds are always hearsay.

    Plus, Seattle is *my* territory. We were on track to becoming the city of villains (ROACH started here, after all). He with the most media attention wins, but we can't compete with media-savvy reality stars.

    ReplyDelete
  12. not just another. it takes guts to intervene in any dangerous situation, a degree of personal responsibility that is rare. true selflessness. i've been stabbed and shot at, and to not hang it up afterwards is amazing knowing it could happen again tonight. true, he's made many mistakes, giving leads to his identity (your pedestrian investigations reveal that),clues to his past, etc., but thats called "being 22".
    media is a neccesity. there lies the opportunity to inspire those who are prepared to do better, intimidate the light weight criminals and possibly gain a sugar daddy to provide some real gear. he respects the RLSH,but clearly stands alone in his distance from them.
    this story is a tribute to the human spirit, regardless of what you think. when was the last time you made a criminal "run away", agent?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Uh... last week? I can't be sure he was a criminal, but the domestic fight was starting to get ugly and it's amazing what a simple "Give her purse back and leave the building before I call 911" will do.

    When the front door to the building slammed I added "Girlfriend, you deserve better than a guy who beats you with your own purse-- break up with him tomorrow. Next time I'm not warning him!"

    You can call me a coward because the acoustics meant that they couldn't tell where my voice was coming from, but it sure as fuck doesn't take a hero to keep the peace.

    You're all just a bunch of drama queens and attention seekers.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This is obviously connected to something sinister and I don't want none. Keep your super heros in underwear, I want people I can see , not hiding behind masks. You think that's heroism? That's escapism.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hey, and I feel there is some critisim going on, because it's due.

    Ok, so there are already 6 levels of "security" on the street. Here is the paradox.
    YOU yourself, go try to be a caped crusader.
    JUST WATCH HOW FAST YOU ARE APPREHENDED. YOU WILL BE TAKEN DOWN. This is tip off point 1 that shows this guy is really some sort of Policy zombie.
    That's why there is critisims and if your boat only floats on the moat of blood and deciet, then you shall feel that wrath.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Do I detect a hint of jealousy and envy? I see the comments of the haters and while I applaud their willingness to not live in fear and bear witness, they are completely disregarding that Phoenix Jones' approach is one that is being developed over time by evolving from mistakes. Necessity is the mother of invention after all and I would hope for those wanting to actively hinder criminals they would realize the need to develop better identity security measures because professional thugs do not fight fair, they fight to out live the other guy by any means at their disposal and some have plenty of means due to prohibition. More of you need to study history in more detail and realize many of the rights we enjoy today came at the hand of people willing to sacrifice to become symbols and that what used to prevent various acts of thuggery in what is now referred to as "The Wild West" like bank robberies was that the citizenry would fight back and protect their neighbours. Those who don't realize this is nothing new and has done much to bring about good in our current day and age are doomed to repeat the mistakes of history of letting the thugs circumvent common sense laws and regulations that promote healthy communities. Its also admirable that Phoenix Jones recognizes the prohibition on drugs aka The War on Drugs is not working, putting people in jail is not enough. I hope he graduates to handing out survival kits to the homeless, especially in these winter months, a good rain resistant cold weather sleepingbag/jacket is worth its weight in gold in the bush where I live and I am willing to bet it is just as valuable on the streets of a city - a information pamphlet on where to seek assistance for ones needs and advocating for affordable housing couldn't hurt either. First survive, then you can have a chance to take hold of opportunities to thrive.

    ReplyDelete
  17. @ Agent Beryllium
    I do believe you are jealous, you are a 'Winny bitch' who is jealous that Phoenix actual makes a difference, were as all do you sit on your behind and make negative comment about heroes.
    P.S what is the ROACH nonsense your talking about?
    ALSO - you use insults such as "bunch of drama queens and attention seekers." and "media hound" find these comments are rather hypocritical, as you have a display picture in which you are in costume but your face is clearly visible. now if you weren't a dram queen or attention seeker, you could argue that your costume hides your identity, however your face is visible, so then what does that make you?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh i checked out roach, its a very child-ish super villan club

    ReplyDelete
  19. You're absolutely right, Anonymous. all the kids make fun of you because they're -jealous- of you, not because of any personal failings or poor descisions on your part.

    Why don't you go and beat some of them up to make yourself feel better, hmm? That's what's worked before, right?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi ,

    Im trying to find you ..

    My name is Joris jarsky and we need to talk ASAP!!!!

    I think what your doing is amazing.

    Email me ASAP at jorisjarsky@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. Was the Name Vegeta or Gohan you were going to name your kid? or LOL Piccolo?

    ReplyDelete
  22. @Agent Beryllium

    I'm sorry but...what?

    "And I still fail to see how MMA prepares a person for anything-- except fighting in a well-lit caged arena with nice clean floors"

    Where are you looking to fail to see how mma doesn't prepare you for a fight? Good application of MMA is EVIDENTLY dangerous when applied to a person and can work in so many ways in a real life fight. You are prepared for stand up, you are prepared for the ground, you have the two major fighting environments covered. A below average MMA fighter will mess up the majority of people in a fight. It's obviously not invincible, fighting groups is a lot harder, and you would need specific weapon handling training and some tweaks to your game would also help (ie. more push kicks to knee joints, punches to throats etc.) but to say anything akin to mma not preparing you for a full contact fight is plain stupidity, at the end of the day MMA IS full contact fighting and chances are you would have a clear advantage in fighting someone (and with good stand up, sometimes more than one person) with MMA experience.

    I'm sorry but as someone who has trained in martial arts throughout my life and trains and fights mma I find it quite naive and condescending of the way you made your statements and I would suggest only making comments like those when you know what your actually talking about.

    ReplyDelete
  23. *rolls eyes*

    Whatever. Just read what Paul Constant said. He explains it better than I ever could.

    Make sure to read it -carefully-. Especially that second paragraph.

    http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/01/06/please-stop-writing-about-real-life-superheroes

    ReplyDelete
  24. I don't suppose Agent Beryllium makes fun of women as well who will strip naked to bring attention to breast cancer or whatever well meaning message they are trying to bring to a wider audience by way of the media. Let's say you wanted a message to be in the independent and corporate media that isn't just a message of living in constant fear because ideas communicated well in a society have real results for good or ill, how would you go about it? Oh right, you wouldn't, you would just hitch your wagon to the meme by dressing up as well and sling mud. I bet you don't even appreciate the irony displayed by way of the message portrayed with your picture when you call others out for being attention whores. Point a finger at someone and you have three more pointing right back at you, surely you can see by now you are coming across as a hypocrite?

    Sure, just dismiss MMA. Go ahead, take your chances, and do so at your own peril. Even if a martial art proves less than ideally effective after many years of tradition and sport separating it from the martial side of things, it serves to promote physical stamina and efficiency of movement. It is a decent stop gap in the mean time though, good luck finding a decent Israeli Krav Maga course or school in the US that study in the art of dealing with multiple attackers possibly wielding weapons. Here you go, here is a link that you can possibly ignore, unlike the condescending clap trap opinion piece you linked that I didn't ignore http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FNp0jGoJAo

    Someone's going to the hospital instead of the morgue if the claims of Phoenix Jones have any truth to them and the public police reports lend credence to his claims. Your willingness to shout out at something going down is commendable but had the situation escalated you would be little better than another victim, even if that is only trauma at being witness to your aggravating a mentally unstable individual or someone who realizes the very real power of applied violent force to accomplish ones goals aka thuggery. To be unprepared by dismissing MMA and the effect ideas/symbols/heroic figures have on improving society is misguided and naive at best, dishonest and dangerous at worst.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Keep it up Homey!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Can the ones who are against this act of heroism just back off. Phoenix Jones is a legend so stop mocking him. He is a hero. Just because your are jealous and because your too much of a pussy to do it yourself,
    so instead, you go on the Internet slagging him and the rest of the hero community off. Phoenix, if you ever look at this, dont let the negative vibes put you down and keep fighting crime. The cops don't do it so at least no we can sleep safely at night knowing that your protecting our streets.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Any of u got ps3? Or do you all bum off xbox

    ReplyDelete
  28. 'Carpe Diem' Phoenix my friend




    Carpe Diem

    ReplyDelete
  29. Agent Beryllium

    The name sucks.......
    ROACH is pathetic

    And most of all...
    Paul Constant is a twat





    And you have the nerve to take the piss out of an innocent do-gooder.
    You call yourself an agent sent back from the future

    Take a big look at yourself in the mirror and then we will decide who is the weird freak
    Phoenix Jones, the hero
    or
    Agent Beryllium, the cyber freak

    ReplyDelete
  30. Agent Beryllium is a self-styled "Supervillain."

    Her superpower is super internet trolling.
    She seems to wield it effectively.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Funny thing you guys should mention "awareness" campaigns...

    http://codenameberyllium.blogspot.com/2010/10/wonderella-cashes-in-on-awareness.html

    Everyone knows about breast cancer, everyone knows that big cities have crime, you're both in the same "LOOK AT ME I'M SELFLESS!!!" boat.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Golly I seem to recall there being a code of honor involving martial arts... something about being used for defence only?

    When you go out there and put yourself in a dangerous situation on purpose this seems to be negating all that mental discipline. As said many times before I could care less if any cape gets what is coming to them practising their "heroics" on the street. But the minute you screw up and get innocent bystanders hurt or killed that will be your ass.

    No masks kids... you don't get the luxury to slink off into the night when you do eventually screw the pooch.

    Otherwise well done Rain City.. someone says something against you and you go into 5th grade play ground mode. Bravo.. and why do a vast majority disapprove of your methods? If you cannot handle a simple online conversation you have no business enforcing your own code of right in wrong on the street. You are not heroes... just another group of vigilanties.

    This is amateur hour.. wait until you grab the attention of Nancy Grace or someone as equally fun. I don't think calling her a "whiny bitch" will help you then either.

    ReplyDelete
  33. You're essentially LARPers -- and you think that getting together and having these public circle-jerks of asinine rhetoric makes you clever?

    How extraordinarily quaint.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Yes poop knife
    You and your 5th grade name has got yourself dragged into this 5th grade fight for no reason what-so-ever
    How very 5th grade of you

    ReplyDelete
  35. And poop knife
    Doesnt matter about a silly code of honor when somebodys life (excluding the HEROES) is at stake

    Get your priorities sorted out
    And agent beryllium

    Even though they are both 'awareness campaigns', can you seriously say that the two are similar?
    Get real

    ReplyDelete
  36. Doing nothing all day poop knife, moaning about the heroes will get even more civilians and innocent bystanders killed.
    At least their doing something to decrease the amount


    And before you even think about it, i help as well. It might not be as great and it definitely doesn't hit the headlines but I do give blood.
    Are you going to criticise me for potentially saving someones life by giving blood. It's just the same thing as what they do.


    Give it your best shot.

    ReplyDelete
  37. The problem with arguing with Anonomi is that there is no way to verify anything said as truth. So, for example I could say something like;
    "I'm a 10 year physician and trial lawyer, and everyday for 12 hours, I save human lives by providing free healthcare, and battle injustice with free legal representation. Anyone who says whatever I say isn't unquestionably true, is a child eating cannibalistic satan worshiper who hates America. And I say Remarkable Tarantulaman is the bestest, and everyone who even questions that opinion is a nazi furry".

    Facts and details, and having a name to identify the speaker hold value. All else is static.
    (Anonymous for the purpose)

    ReplyDelete
  38. Note to anonymous posters- I should have said this long ago, but could you identify yourself with a letter or number or something? This is all kind of confusing. Carry on.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Ok, Jan 7th 6:52 am
    Jan 7th 8:47 am
    Jan 7th 4:38pm
    And this one were all by kal-el

    I will start with my name with all of my comments

    ReplyDelete
  40. Phoenix Jones! All you criminals should head for home...
    "Dont taze me Jones"
    Phoenix Jones! Is here to save the daaaaay.
    Phoenix Jones! Guardian of Seattle

    I love you Phoenix Jones, I wish you all the best against Ravenblade (whom I assume is your arch-nemesis)
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  41. I'm tired of watching the news and seeing the next effed up something happening to someone ANYWHERE. Power to Mr. Phoenix, not for being a badass, not exactly for helping others and stopping crime, but for trying to change his world the way he wants it.

    And whether or not this guy is legit, all that needs to be said is that his idea is. I didn't do any deep research and I haven't read up on him too much, but from what I have seen he is doing the perfect job of portraying a superhero and getting his message out.

    Phoenix Jones, I live in Seattle and I love the idea of having that slight chance that you could be watching out for me. And that you don't carry a gun, and that if I was a drunk crazy man wielding a whittling knife you wouldn't shoot me (sorry, just trying to point out another side of the argument, no offense to the cops or anyone in that situation).

    Oh and ROACH, lol neat idea but come on, I throw those away everyday...

    -innocent bystander

    ReplyDelete
  42. "Agent Beryllium"?! Are you kidding me? Grow up and join reality, little girl.. And for everyone making comments, trying to sound smarter than the previous commentator, perhaps you all should check your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Nothing proves ignorance more than a sentence that doesn't even make sense. If these 'superheroes' want attention, let them have it. They deserve it. Little girls who work in coffee shops, spending the day fantasizing about being a 'super villain', do not.

    ReplyDelete
  43. You're right. I should have called myself "Phantom Fist" or "Dark Hawk" or "Night Dragon" or any of the other names that come pre-assembled with the Official DC Comics's Word Jumbler Superhero Naming Set™.

    From now on I am ZEN ANGEL!!!

    ReplyDelete
  44. A. She is not a little girl, she is over 25 years old

    B. She doesn't work in a coffee shop

    C. Good or bad, the RLSH community/RCSM/vigilantes/crime fighters/heroes/do-gooders/what have you need 'super villains'. They help in providing a sense realism and commentary. They watch the watchers, if you will. This is not about Agent Beryllium, Poop Knife, Malvado, etc--so, if you will kindly shut the fuck up and get back on track, it would be most appreciated.

    --DW

    ReplyDelete
  45. Amazing how people have the audacity to criticize someone who is risking his own safety to help others in need. As if you're doing anything better? I'll take a masked hero who actually takes action over all the apathetic bystanders who sit there and do nothing like a bunch of useless bumps on a log.

    btw. For those who keep saying "guys who dress like superheroes but don't have superpowers are going to get killed". Huge organizations of people all over the country do this all the time. They're called cops. Last time I checked, the police don't have any special superpowers of invincibility, flight or what have you. They just have training and a paycheck, and a lot of them are crooked. This guy isn't doing it for money, so even if he did want attention, he'd DESERVE IT because he's actually helping people.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Thank you Mr. Jingles

    ReplyDelete
  47. "...criticize someone who is risking his own safety to help others in need."

    This is funny, since half of the "heroic deeds" which Phoenix Jones has claimed to have done, have ended up being false. The ones which aren't blatant lies have him going into an already volatile situation and escalating it to the point of action. There have been witnesses to this.

    For example, he approached a drunken man, and basically forced him to take a taco and a bottle of water. The guy didn't want them; I mean, come on--who the hell would? If I walked up out of the blue wearing Phoenix's gimmick and said eat this, would you? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Yet, Phoenix was dead-set on having the man eat his taco. The man became a wee bit irate, which caused Phoenix to become physical. In the end the cops were called. OMG! How heroic.

    You say that he isn't in it for the media, eh? Then why is it that every time he wipes his arse, the media is informed? He stops a fight, the news is on it. He gets a new outfit, the news is on it. He gets his arse whooped, the news is on it. He walks down the street, the news is on it. It is getting a bit old, and if anything it is causing him to have to one up each before mentioned instance to stay in the limelight. HE GOES TO THEM; thus, he IS in it for the media.

    It is also funny how none of the "crimes" have been reported to the police... If your shop was getting held up, and I ran in and knocked the guys out, would everyone just go back to what they were doing? I'm rambling on, but the point is, WHY ISN'T HE CATCHING THE "BAD GUYS" AND MAKING SURE THEY GO TO JAIL?! They keep getting away. He claims to be an "MMA master", and yet wee Tiny Tim stares at him causing PJ to squeam,thus allowing lil' Timmy to pogo away.



    "I'll take a masked hero who actually takes action over all the apathetic bystanders who sit there and do nothing like a bunch of useless bumps on a log."

    Is this yet ANOTHER Kick-Ass reference? Are you Hellpool by any chance?



    "btw. For those who keep saying "guys who dress like superheroes but don't have superpowers are going to get killed". Huge organizations of people all over the country do this all the time. They're called cops. Last time I checked, the police don't have any special superpowers of invincibility, flight or what have you. They just have training and a paycheck, and a lot of them are crooked. This guy isn't doing it for money, so even if he did want attention, he'd DESERVE IT because he's actually helping people."

    I'm not understanding the beginning of this tirade. PJ has had a gun pulled on him; so yes, yes he could have been killed. Are you saying that no cops have ever been killed? Despite their high end equipment, bulletproof attire, and the law backing every step they take, numerous cops are killed every month/week in this Country. Daily throughout the world. RLSH are more likely to be killed due to the lack of resources that law enforcement agencies have. Zetaman can't really call in for backup. As for the money; it is funny how he started out with a gimmick which he claimed cost less then $10 American. He said that he liked it that way, it made it so that people would think that anyone could be Phoenix Jones. Then, he gets a +$350 American suit, high end equipment, etc. Obviously there is money coming in from some where, since he and his significant other had been on government assistance for some time. Hell, that makes me want to quit my jobs and get on welfare.

    --DW

    ReplyDelete
  48. “Amazing how people have the audacity to criticize someone who is risking his own safety to help others in need. As if you're doing anything better? I'll take a masked hero who actually takes action over all the apathetic bystanders who sit there and do nothing like a bunch of useless bumps on a log.”

    Phoenix Jones has lied about half of his “heroic exploits”, and the rest have him entering hostile conflicts only to escalate them to climax. For example, there was an instance where Phoenix Jones and company came across a drunken man. Phoenix Jones tried to give the man a taco and a bottle of water, yet the drunk didn’t want them. Phoenix then forced them onto him. Now, if I were to walk out of the blue wearing Phoenix Jones’ gimmick and tried to make you eat a taco, would you? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? In the end, the two fought and the police were called all because the drunk wouldn’t eat Phoenix’s taco...no pun intended.

    “...apathetic bystanders who sit there and do nothing,” is this YET ANOTHER Kick-Ass reference? Are you by any chance Hellpool?

    As for someone who actually does stuff, I have a question...WHAT IS HE DOING? He keeps coming across criminals, and then what? Nothing. Does he bring them to justice? No! Out of all of his patrols where he has found drug dealers, pimps, and gang members, what does he do? He fights with them, and then they run away. How heroic. I’m spit-balling here, this maybe a novel idea, but why not catch the “bad guys” and turn them over to the police? Hell, wee Tiny Tim could be sticking up a lady, and even he would have time to pogo away to freedom. If you were being held up, and I knocked the guy out from behind, should we all just go about our business as usual, without informing the police? Hmmm, well, actually it is frowned upon in America to not report a crime dear children. Just F.Y.I.

    --DW

    ReplyDelete
  49. Here are your two drafts, just as you wanted X.

    --DW

    ReplyDelete
  50. get a haircut DW.
    Just because your worthless to the work, does not mean this guy, Phoenix Jones, is. I really hope people like you would one day wake up to the symbolism that the world needs.
    -- DRE

    ReplyDelete
  51. OH GOD NOT THE FRAKKING "SYMBOLISM" ARGUMENT AGAIN!

    Listen, we've got symbols in spades. Not a month goes by when some disaster isn't averted by an everyday bloke who was in the right place at the right time and did the right thing, and the media goes nuts about it.

    If regular dudes don't float your boat, there's a ton of moving picture heroes, literary knights, funny pages avengers and television idols to get inspired by.

    A great woman once said "We don't need another hero". And she wore a ridiculous outfit while doing it.

    Seriously, I can smell your publicity-hungry fap juice from here.

    Get over yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  52. I don't understand what you mean by "get a haircut DW." Do I have long hair? I didn't realize that a buzz cut constituted excessive hair.

    I'm worthless to the work. How so? Should I go out and start picking fights with people, increasing hostility, pissing them off to the point of wanting to kill me, and then fight with them? Again, how heroic. I shall reiterate, HE HASN'T BROUGHT A SINGLE CRIMINAL TO JUSTICE! Dressing up, walking the streets, egging people on, and being a media whore is not heroic you eejit. Why don't you wake up to the fact that this is not a comic book. PJ will not unite the world with his symbolism. Until the day that he actually does something, other then help a lil old lady across the street and acting as a punching-bag for criminals (I mean come on, how embarrassing! Why would you get the media to cover that you got your arsed whooped), I shall think of him as JUST a media hungry-floundering MMA fighter.

    --DW

    ReplyDelete
  53. Good lord, you Americans are completely off the map!

    ReplyDelete
  54. I guess it's true, it is an Englishman's privilege to grumble.

    ReplyDelete
  55. I'm not grumbling my dear American friend, I am wetting my pants with laughter.

    ReplyDelete
  56. This whole scenario is hilarious. I agree with this Mark from Manchester...AND i'm not Brittish, i'm an Australian..If some scallywag wants to make it in the media for something which involves blowing smoke up their keister, whats the big problem if the media are stupid enough to make a deal out of it. Switch your TV off when it comes to news and current affairs shows, i did this 3 years ago, and life has been bliss. I accidentally switched on the Golden Globes today and apart from seeing some Ricky Gervais hilarity, i almost barfed when some hoity toity actor got up to speak.
    "Anyman that takes himself too seriously, always runs the risk of looking ridiculous, anyman who can consistently laugh at himself, does not". ~ Vaclav Havel, a Russian Philosopher.

    ReplyDelete
  57. The only person here with a grip on reality is the person who called out all the atrocious spelling, punctuation and grammar. Everyone else is trying so hard to appear intellectual, that they just end up looking like a 5th grade drop out. That could be why most of the arguments here are of the grade school variety. A guy dresses up in a rubber costume and goes looking for trouble and he's a 'hero'? RLSH? ROACH? "Superheroes and super villians"? Really? Or just a bunch of sci-fi/comic book loving geeks with a lot of time on their hands and nothing better to do? Let's get real, people.

    ReplyDelete
  58. I guess I am missing something; what was your point again? That people who partake in discussions and/or debates pertaining to Phoenix Jones validity and/or effectiveness are nothing but fifth grade dropouts? Then you finish your paragraph off with, "let's get real, people." Again, what do you mean by this? The fact is there is a guy walking around Seattle, Washington, claiming to be a superhero. Nothing that you, or other people, say or do on this website can change this fact. So by simply saying, "come on guys, really? Superheroes? Grow up," is rather ignorant to the discussion at hand, is it not? Also, by equating the discussions on here to that of fifth graders, does nothing but show your own immaturity. Cheers.

    ReplyDelete