Operates out of: San Diego North County area
Activities: Street patrols.
Occupation: "Kickin butt and taking names!"
Quote: "I used to feel that they were…I thought they were necessary but I started to do what I do in North Las Vegas. When you’re from that area, the first thing you notice about cops, they fend for themselves, not you. To serve and protect- in the day and age and area I was there, it didn’t seem that way. It seemed more like a big bull bullying the smaller cattle or sheep."
"That’s what it felt like in Vegas and that is why I coined the name the way I did.
I thought they were an ineffective, unnecessary part of society from my standpoint. I don’t feel that way about the police here in North County. I did have those views and opinions a long time ago when I was younger."
"I don’t condone what I did 5 years ago. But now I find there are different ways to accomplish what I accomplish in different respects and people need to broaden their horizons and realize the reason we are out there is to help.
We need to realize we aren’t the law and I’ve made that mistake and a couple of other people have. We are not above the law, we are everyday citizens trying to make the world a better place."
Author's notes: The above quotes were transcribed from a phone interview with Vigilante Spider. I was surprised that despite his namesake, he says his opinion of law enforcement has developed over the last several years, with his view shifting from resentment to cooperation.
I think that any new experience in a way is similar to our progression from youth to adulthood. More often than not, when we are young we make dumb mistakes because we do not have the benefit of years of maturity and experience to fall back on and grow on a mental and emotional level. I suppose alot of new RLSH get into it and as is the case they might stumble in the beginning. Some learn faster than others and some don't "get it" no matter how hard they try. I agree with Vigilante Spider on one thing - RLSH should NEVER presume that they are above the law even if the law in their area seems messed up or the public servants that enforce it seem subpar. RLSH should always try to work within the boundaries of the law, in tandem with the public servants of the law. I truly believe it is very possible for a RLSH to do their job in uniform/costume, work in conjunction with the local law enforcement successfully (see Citizen Prime in Utah working with the Guardian Angels with the consent of local law enforcement), and improve the world around us. RLSH should never shy away from their desire to help people and improve their surroundings but sometimes they have to temper their methods and realize that even people with good intentions answer to the law. This being said however I think that their is a grave misconception being perpetrated by foes of the RLSH - that being that most of them are volatile, out of control, violent vigilantes looking to settle scores with whoever gets in their way. I find this degree of deceptive propaganda loathsome but unfortunately a train of thought that many will use to falsely attack the RLSH. And for the record I do not consider myself a RLSH but rather a part time costumed activist. Still, I believe in the RLSH movement and the nobility of it's intentions. It's very easy for the foes of the movement to point out its flaws but more often than not they fade into the shadows when it comes time to talk about its merits.
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