Phoenix Jones Lit on Fire at Superbowl Street Riot

Phoenix Jones on the streets of Seattle on the night of Superbowl Sunday.

--Seattle

Phoenix Jones was on patrol with his team, the Rain City Superhero Movement, on the streets of Seattle after last night's Super Bowl.

According to an update on his Facebook page, Phoenix Jones and his team mates Midnight Jack and the Shade encountered fans celebrating the Seattle Seahawk's victory by starting bonfires in the street. The team tried to extinguish the fire, leading to a reveler trying to punch Midnight Jack and a piece of burning couch thrown at Phoenix Jones, who posted a picture showing fire damage to his "supersuit."

Jones reports (unedited):

"ONCE I SAW THE FIRE I DREW TASER ON THE SUSPECT HE TOOK OFF RUNNING. I PROCEEDED TO USE COOLING GEL FROM MY UTILITY BELT. ONCE THE FIRE WAS OUT A POLICE OFFER ASKED US TO LEAVE THE SCENE BECAUSE THERE COMING IN TO SHUT IT DOWN." 

Phoenix Jones displays fire damage to his suit.

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RAIN CITY BLUES

The author with Purple Reign and Phoenix Jones in Seattle. Photo by Lucien Knuteson

THINGS NOT-SO-SUPER IN SEATTLE FOR PHOENIX JONES AS PURPLE REIGN, EL CABALLERO QUIT RAIN CITY SUPERHERO MOVEMENT

Phoenix Jones was riding high at the beginning of the month with another win by his MMA fighting alter ego, a unanimous decision victory on November 2. But recent public revelations show that Jones's team, the RCSM, is also facing a knock out.

A Facebook status update by El Caballero followed by an article yesterday with the Seattle Weekly reveals that the luchador mask wearing RCSM member has quit the team and will be doing his own thing. In the article, "Cabby" (as some call him) alleges that Jones stole his "class 3 military helmet" and that four other undisclosed RCSM members have issue with Jones not providing armor ordered or giving a refund.

Even more damning, today Jones's significant other Purple Reign posted the following status on her public Facebook page:

"I feel it is time to make a public statement announcing that Phoenix Jones and I are no longer together and will not be working together on any future projects. I have always conducted myself in a professional and respectable manner and do not wish to list the details of our separation.

I also do not have information about any of the allegations made against him, so please do not inquire. I do need to make it clear that I am not affiliated with him or the Rain City Superhero Movement, however, I will continue to help those in need as Purple Reign. I wish Phoenix and the RCSM the best of luck in their future endeavors."

I met Phoenix, Purple, and other members of the RCSM and wrote about them quite a bit in Heroes in the Night. My best wishes go out to everyone. What will be the results of this Seattle Shakedown? We'll have to wait and see.

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HERO PROFILE #14: Evocatus

Photo by David Carnahan

Based out of: Seattle

Team Affiliation: Rain City Superhero Movement

Team title: Executive Officer, Director of Human Resources
Author's notes: After asking Evocatus to sum up who he is and why he joined the Rain City Superhero Movement in Seattle, I thought I would just repost most of his response here.

From Evocatus: 

Hi, I’m Evocatus, or “Evo,” for short. I joined the RCSM candidacy program in September 2012, and became a junior ranking member shortly after. I had been a fan of Phoenix Jones for a while prior to that, and was fascinated by an actual team of people who chose to make an active difference in their community, by patrolling the streets of Seattle.

Having spent nearly a decade in the military, I was drawn to working in a team element, and had honestly missed that particular component once I’d left that life behind. This, combined with a strong sense of community service, seemed to make me a shoe-in for this line of volunteer activism.

Learning about each individual member, helped me understand why we’re all here. Most of us are in our mid-20’s to mid-30’s, married, children, work regular jobs, and live otherwise quite normal lives, which wasn’t what I’d expected. I think most of us presume anyone in the RLSH community is likely in their teens, live with their parents, and play video games for a living. The members of this team are quite real, and aren’t the normal caricatures of spandexed heroism we’re used to imagining. Simply put, we’re everyone. 

We’re you, reading this. We’re that guy that helps you jump start your car at work, or the woman that offers you to go ahead of her in line at the store. We are that kind person that offers a smile every morning at the bus stop, we are that person that kept the door open a few more seconds so you could get in from the rain, we are the volunteer at that one crisis clinic a friend you know went to.

I’ve since been patrolling at least once per week for over a year now, have done several blood drives, spoken at schools, worked with a camp for disabled children, conducted/participated in almost two dozen food & clothing handouts for the homeless, and I’m excited for the future of this team, and the things we may inspire others to also do.

The question often comes up, about why I joined the Rain City Superhero Movement. Being a part of this is simple; the tangible differences I make to my community keep me motivated, and in love with this city. The real questions I wonder are, “Why not,” and, “Why did I wait so long to start?”

Be safe, be kind.

 -Evo

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Phoenix Jones Gets Cracked Reporting

This is the photo of Phoenix Jones by Lucien Knuteson that Cracked.com swiped from my blog and used on their site without asking permission or giving attribution. 

Internet reporting is so shoddy these days that I wouldn't be surprised to see a Cracked.com article titled "5 Writers Who Actually Spent More Than Ten Minutes Checking Over Their Work."

Apparently we have to give a free pass to people like Cracked.com-- "because it's satire!" as everyone exclaims. Still, I feel I have to speak out about the scenario Cracked suggests in their Triumph the Insult Comic Dog style report, "The 5 Most Spectacularly Failed Attempts at Superheroism."

RE: Point number 4: "A Superhero Maces a Bunch of Dancers." Other than a few nouns, this relaying of the "pepper spray incident," as it is commonly known, is a complete falsehood.

I should know-- I was there.

I was trailing Phoenix Jones in Seattle to get material for my upcoming book, Heroes in the Night, in October 2011 when we stumbled across a street fight. I don't feel iffy on this-- one guy was kicking another guy laying in the street in the head, one dude was punching another dude, there was angry screaming and shoving. After Phoenix Jones broke the group up, one person deliberately hit another person in the arm with their car.

If that was a dance, as this writer adamantly suggests, it was one hell of an electric boogaloo. So where does this report from Funkytown come from?

Well, when the police showed up and asked the group what had happened, they decided that saying they were "dancing" instead of saying they were "beating the shit out of each other in a street fight" sounded better. The police, who were none too thrilled with Phoenix Jones, decided to take their word for it, ignore what Jones had to say, and added the frolicking alibi to their report.

Toward the end of the short Phoenix Jones segment of the article, the incorrect reporting accelerates-- no, Phoenix Jones was not arrested and unmasked on live television. No, Department of Social Services did not ban him from ever working with children ever again. I think presenting that last sentence as fact is actually libel, but I don't know, I'm no lawyer.

Am I defending the actions of Jones that night? No. It is what it is and you can read my detailed account of that evening in a Heroes in the Night chapter titled "People Fighting and Pepper Spray and Superheroes and...I Don't Know."

But if there's anything I hate more than getting punched in the face by a pepper spray soaked Russian (it happened)-- it's lazy fact checking.
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Book available OCTOBER 1, 2013!

HERO PROFILE #3: Phoenix Jones

Phoenix Jones. Photo by Lucien Knuteson

Location: Seattle

Team Affiliation: Rain City Superhero Movement

Activities: Crime patrols, charity events

Favorite food: Skittles

Author's notes: PHOENIX JONES! Opinion on the "Guardian of Seattle" differs sharply. Some say he is the best thing to happen to the RLSH movement, some say he is the worst. He's had many memorable controversies over the last couple years: May Day, Mutual Combat, and the Pepper Spray Incident (I witnessed that one first hand!) I think Phoenix Jones is passionate and dedicated to his mission, but he sometimes gets himself in over his head.

Phoenix Jones is featured in a couple chapters of my book. I presented his story in an objective way, and after reading about him, I'm sure you'll draw your own conclusions.

Links:

Check out Phoenix Jones live on patrol at his Ustream Channel HERE

Phoenix Jones's wife, Purple Reign, spearheads a campaign against domestic abuse called the Purple Reign Campaign.


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HEROES IN THE NIGHT, available for pre-order at IPG///BARNES & NOBLE///AMAZON///POWELL'S///INDIEBOUND
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Book available OCTOBER 1, 2013!

HEROES IN THE NIGHT BOOK COVER!

Plus PRE-ORDER INFORMATION!

This is a proud day for me and I'm pleased to be able to release the cover of my book Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement, a secret I've guarded as vigorously as a superhero's secret identity up until now. Here it is:

The photos, l-r, top-bottom: Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones (with myself in the background making an Alfred Hitchcock/ Stan Lee style cameo appearance) Milwaukee RLSH The Watchman, early RLSH prototype Terrifica, who patrolled bars in Manhattan, and Zetaman, of Portland, Oregon.

More book info:
Publication date: October 1, 2013, Chicago Review Press.
272 pages. 22 black and white photos, 25 color photos, 10 black and white illustrations.
Paperback: $16.95 (CAN $18.95)
E-pub/Adobe pdf/ Kindle: $13.99

Want to pre-order a copy?

Amazon link HERE

Barnes & Noble link HERE

Powell's link HERE

Independent Publishing Group link HERE (book description is up, but not pre-order option)

Information for Indiebound coming soon!

I've also set up my Goodreads author page, so please stop by. I'd be honored if you'd hit the "become a fan" button and add Heroes in the Night to your "to read" list. My Goodreads page is HERE

I'll be posting more updates as I get them and this summer the blog will swing back into action with some new Real Life Superhero profiles, a book excerpt, books news, and more!

Mutual Kombat: Fight!

Its been awhile since I reported on news coming out of Seattle. Phoenix Jones and his crew, the Rain City Superhero Movement, have been running into a stream of street level confrontations lately.

The most dramatic of these happened in the early hours of this morning. The team intervened in an altercation between some men trying to stop another person's vehicle. The men then turned their attention to the RCSM and an angry confrontation started.

"You know Washington is a mutual combat state, if you'd like to agree to fight we can do that if you'd like to," Jones suggests at the 2:05 mark in the video below. He goes on to explain that  "mutual combat" apparently allows people to fight until one of them hits the ground. I'm no legal expert, but this claim seems to be legit because when police arrived on the scene, they allow the mutual combat to proceed (after trying to talk them out of it).

At the 6:25 mark the fight begins. Jones has removed his famous rubber cowl, and the two men begin to circle each other. After a couple of kicks, Jones' opponent attempts a choke-hold but Jones counters with a right hook and knocks the man out. He then quickly exits from the fighting area and at the command of police leaves the scene. The aftermath-- well, you can just watch for yourself. (NSFW-- loud obscenity, racist comments, total chaos)


On a less combative and more congratulatory note, Phoenix Jones' wife Purple Reign was honored by the University of Seattle for her work on the Purple Reign Campaign, which raised awareness about domestic abuse and money for a women's shelter.

Superheroes Turn to Crowdfunding

Rock N Roll (left) and Night Bug, members of the California Initiative,are fundraising to produce a series of books for children.

In late May I posted a blurb about Austin,Texas RLSH Zimmer's effort to raise funds to build a solar poweredphone recharger for his gadget building company Zimtelligence. His Kickstarter campaign to fund the project was a success, raising over $3,000 and started what appears to be a new trend for RLSH (X-ALTS, RCSM,etc.)-- crowdfunding to support projects and equipment upgrades. There are two current campaigns I'm aware of and will mention here.

Members of the California Initiative are currently trying to raise a little over $8,000 through the site FundRazr to pay for the production of a series of RLSH themed children's books. The FundRazr page states:
"Through our stories, wehope to teach children the importanceof being kind,standing up for what you believe in, getting involved in your community, and much more from the code of ethics that all true superheroes live by."

The group says 10 percent of book sales will be divided between children's charities and are offering incentives at a number of donation levels similar to Kickstarter.

The donation page and more info can be found HERE.

Also a hot topic is Phoenix Jones' effort to raise$10,000 for a new "supersuit" via paypal donations. The Seattle superhero, leader of the Rain City Superhero Movement, says the upgrades include bulletproof armor and face shield, and built in cameras that will allow viewers to follow his patrols live. His effort is off to a strong start,but other RLSH have been critical of his budgetary priorities. (See for example, this post from the Seattle Weekly.)

Jones is also offering a number of incentives for donating at different levels. High rollers can even get their name engraved on the suit. The donation page and more info can be found HERE.

Heroes in the Night will be published in Fall 2013 by Chicago Review Press

Heroes in the Night featured in Melbourne City Journal

Straight out of Melbourne, Australia is the below article (not available online) on RLSHs. Journalist Yolanda Redrup interviewed me for the article via phone and quotes me on RLSH relations and the infamous "pepper spray incident" I witnessed while patrolling with Phoenix Jones. It was a wild night, especially when, as Yolanda puts it, I "copped a punch in a massive brawl."  The article focuses quite a bit on the Fauna Fighters, a Melbourne duo that are animal rights activists that use the superhero motif to promote their cause, gathering petition signatures, litter pick up, and patrols. Thylacine and Flying Fox have had a controversial reception among the RLSH for showing support for the radical animal rights group the Animal Liberation Front.

Thank you to Yolanda and The City Journal and G'day to any new readers that followed the article to this blog.

MAY DAY! MAY DAY!

May 1st is International Workers' Day, a commemoration of the Haymarket affair, which was  an 1886 clash between police and protesters in Chicago. Most May Day protesters are peaceful, but events often draw the Anarchist Black Bloc, a group that often demonstrates by causing property damage, smashing windows and clashing with police.

In Seattle, Phoenix Jones, along with his team mates Midnight Jack and El Caballero hit the streets to monitor the Anarchist Black Bloc. Rather than speculate, interpret, or comment further, let me simply share this video so you can see what happened next.

AWM: Arrested While Masked

Bee Sting, right, shown here chatting with Master Legend, is the latest RLSH arrest.

People ask me what the relationship between RLSH and the police is like. I'm somewhat relieved to say that the majority of the time it is ok, if not a little awkward. That is because most RLSH patrols are done unarmed, like a concerned citizens foot patrol.

But over the last 9 months there has been... incidents. Consider the following RLSH Arrested While Masked (AWM):

--October, 2011. Phoenix Jones and "the Pepper Spray Incident." One of the more hair-raising parts of my upcoming book, Heroes in the Night, details a night I spent in Seattle. Phoenix Jones, along with his Rain City Superheroes Movement team mate Ghost, myself, and videographer Ryan McNamee saw a street fight between Russians, Jones intervened and pepper sprayed the combatants, and all hell broke loose. Eventually the Seattle Police Department showed up and read us all our Miranda Rights. They let us all go except Jones, who was taken to jail with assault charges. The charges were later dropped.
Infamous video HERE

--November, 2011. I was the one who broke the story of the arrest of The Ray, a Bay Area RLSH and former member of the Pacific Protectorate. The Ray was beaten down by police and arrested for "assault" and "failure to disperse" at an Occupy Oakland protest. See my write up HERE.

--January, 2012. I traveled to San Francisco to meet a man named Richard McCaslin aka Phantom Patriot aka Thoughtcrime for a protest. Although he hasn't been arrested recently, the event reflected on the 10 year anniversary on his 2002 arrest for raiding a place called the Bohemian Grove. It is a complex story and I try to make sense of it HERE.

--April, 2012. The Bar Harbor Batman finds himself in hot water after he posts a Facebook update meant to be an April Fool's joke that says the Bar Harbor Batman will blow up a hospital unless his demands are made. A trial is still pending. See my blog post HERE.

--April, 2012. Bee Sting arrested. See entry after this one.

The Purple Reign Campaign Continues

Last month I wrote about the kick off of the Purple Reign Campaign, an undertaking by Seattle Rain City Superhero Movement member Purple Reign. The campaign focuses on raising awareness about domestic violence with a fundraising effort to benefit the charity group Northwest Family Life.

The Campaign held a "Everyday Heroes Against Domestic Abuse Comic Contest" which was judged by Purple's husband, Phoenix Jones. Jones, according to his Facebook page, just intervened in an escalating fight involving someone with a knife- they held one of the men until police arrived.

A winner to the contest was announced as Luke Molver of Durban, South Africa. You can see the winning entry HERE.

Next up for the campaign: The Healing Reign Music Benefit and Auction which will feature performances by Quickie and Ghost Town Riot as well as a silent auction May 12. More info HERE.


(PS- You can here me tell an overview of an incident I encountered with Phoenix Jones on The Moth's website here: themoth.org/tell-a-story/listen-and-vote)

Moth-Man?

At a suggestion, I gave a one minute pitch for a storytelling program called The Moth Radio Hour.

The Moth has several live events celebrating storytelling. The radio program has won a Peabody Award, the highest honor in broadcasting.

There were a lot of stories I could have gone with, but I chose the story of me visiting Seattle back in October and witnessing would has come to be known as "The Pepper Spray Incident." This wild night featured Seattle Rain City Superhero Movement leader Phoenix Jones trying to disburse a street fight with some high octane pepper spray.

It was a complicated night to try to explain in 60 seconds, but I'm always up for a good challenge. I practiced different versions of telling the story and I'm pretty certain the first attempt sounding like this:


You can find the story, listen to it, and vote here: themoth.org/tell-a-story/listen-and-vote

If the story gets enough votes, I could be featured on the program.

We Play 'em On TV: RLSH on NCIS

RLSHs on NCIS. "Spandexia," far left, is obviously based on Terrifica, while "Whipcord" far right, is based on Geist. The lady with a star shirt plays a NCIS forensics analyzer who happens to be a RLSH fangirl (and potential "cape chaser" I would imagine.)

NCIS joined the list of TV shows to feature an episode based on Real Life Super Heroes, a sort of art imitating life imitating art imitating...ah, you get the point. Previous portrayals have been featured on shows like Rookie Blue and Castle.

This episode featured several RLSH characters and contained several clues that the show's writer, Stephen D. Binder, must have done some digging around to find material for the story. Consider these points:

- One of the RLSH is found dead and a video similar to the "Pepper Spray Incident" (which I witnessed first hand, btw) with Seattle Rain City Superhero Movement founder Phoenix Jones surfaces.

- One of the characters tells a story (albeit an exaggerated one) about The Fox, an environmental activist, sometimes cited as a RLSH "early prototype."

-A website based off the World Superhero Registry, a defunct but often cited RLSH website.

- RLSH characters clearly based off actual RLSHs Terrifica ("Spandexia")of NYC and Geist ("Whipcord"), of Rochester, MN. Some of the characters contained various elements here and there of other RLSH, too. There was one that looked a lot like Motor-Mouth.

-The RLSH crew the detectives discover are participating in a "bait patrol," a somewhat controversial tactic some RLSHs have used.

Twin Peaks fans will note a guest appearance by Ray Wise, aka Leland Palmer, as the father of one of the RLSH (named "ICU").

You can watch the episode online here: www.cbs.com/shows/ncis/video

The Purple Reign Campaign Launches

Purple Reign, left, and Phoenix Jones at a Seattle cafe. Photo by Tea Krulos.

Rain City Superhero Promotes "Everyday Heroes Against Domestic Abuse"

Purple Reign, wife of Phoenix Jones and Rain City Superhero Movement member launched a campaign yesterday to promote awareness about domestic violence.

The campaign, which lasts until April, has a variety of scheduled events to raise awareness and money for Northwest Family Life. That non-profit group is a counseling and learning center addresses the issue of domestic violence through advocacy, intervention, and prevention.

Money will be raised through soliciting donations, merchandise sales, and a Healing Reign Music Benefit & Auction in April. Personal survivor stories will be shared on the Purple Reign Campaign website and Phoenix Jones will judge a comic panel drawing contest on the theme "Everyday heroes against domestic abuse."

You can find more info and donate at: www.purplereigncampaign.org

THE COLIN McENROE SHOW

RLSH and radio show guest Knight Owl, left, and Zimmer

I was a guest today for an hour long radio show, The Colin McEnroe Show, on Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR). Also joining me as guests over the course of the hour- Knight Owl, Geist, Rock N Roll (see previous entry for a profile), and Seattle detective and department spokesman Mark Jamieson.

Det. Jamieson is kind of destined to be the man who has to answer questions about Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Superhero Movement until the end of time, often telling media outlets that he feels the RCSM are putting themselves and others in danger.

We were really hoping to hear from Jack aka Razorhawk, so he could talk about his RLSH design shop, Atomic Hero-Wear, but unfortunately the clock ran out before he had a chance to speak.

There were a few questions from listeners who called in, and a guest caller- Superhero of Clearwater, Florida. Apparently the lines were jam packed the entire show.

I also mentioned local Milwaukee RLSH The Watchman and former Connecticut RLSHs Runebringer and Scavenger (where are they now?).

I think the show went absolutely great and a big thanks to the Colin McEnroe Show crew and the guests who called in.

You can listen to the show here:
www.yourpublicmedia.org/content/wnpr/colin-mcenroe-show-being-real-life-superhero

PHOENIX JONES and Co. NAB STABBER

Just days after having charges dropped (but also being reprimanded by Seattle's City Attorney) Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones was back on the street with his Rain City Superheroes Movement team mates El Caballero, Ghost, Midnight Jack, Pitch Black, Mantis (sometimes also spelled as Mantissss), and cameraman Ryan McNamee.

McNamee captures some exciting footage of the group, who encounters someone who has just been stabbed. The superheroes then chase the suspected stabber for 8 blocks, eventually trapping him in a taxi as he tries to escape. Police arrive on the scene very quickly, draw their weapons and arrest the man.

Some of the group runs back to see if they can help the stabbing victim, who is soon on his way to the hospital while the suspect is taken to jail.

You can see the video below.

NO CHARGES FOR PHOENIX JONES

...BUT SEATTLE CITY ATTORNEY ISN'T EXACTLY A FAN
Charges were dropped against Phoenix Jones in what is widely known as "the pepper spray incident." I witnessed this incident myself during a trip to Seattle last month.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes cited a couple of reasons for this- only two out of four alleged victims spoke to investigators. The other two fled the scene. My guess- didn't really want to talk to police for reasons of their own. The City Attorney also said that an individual is allowed to use force when coming to the aid of another person, and this law casts reasonable doubt on the assault charges.

However, Holmes also made it a clear point that he did not approve of Phoenix Jones.

KOMO News quotes Holmes as saying:

"Mr. Fodor is no hero, just a deeply misguided individual. He has been warned that his actions put himself in danger, and this latest episode demonstrates that innocent bystanders can also be harmed."

THE RAY: ARRESTED

The Ray, posing for an action shot.

Breaking News: Pacific Protectorate Member Hauled in at Occupy Oakland Protest

On my way to my day (or night is a better description) job, I noticed I had received a call from Motor-Mouth, marked "urgent." Motor-Mouth leads one of two groups of RLSH/ X-ALTS in the California Bay Area. His group is the Pacific Protectorate, North-Cal division. There is also a team called the California Initiative- a team that also includes branches in Virginia and the team's origin point in New York.

Both groups have made an effort to do security detail with the Occupy protests in the area. The Occupy Oakland protests in particular have turned very ugly as protestors have clashed with heavy handed police over the last week. Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and flash grenades into the crowd.

Motor-Mouth called to tell me that his team mate, The Ray, had been out in the middle of it during protests Wednesday night. He says he received a text from Ray, saying he was at the protests, but was probably heading home after another walk around to check out the scene.

The next morning, Motor-Mouth received a call from family members of The Ray, saying he had not yet returned home. Later in the morning, Motor-Mouth says he watched a news report where police displayed weapons confiscated in the arrests. Among the items- a customized shield, similar in design to the one made famous by Captain America, which Motor-Mouth had lent to The Ray for his patrol.

Later, in a follow up message to me, Motor-Mouth says he confirmed with police that they had indeed nabbed The Ray, charging him with "assault" and "failure to disperse." He is being held at Oakland City Jail, but will be transferred today, and will be arraigned on Monday. Meanwhile, Motor-Mouth says the rest of Pacific Protectorate will be out in force doing security at the Occupy Oakland site this weekend.

Further developments will be posted here.

In other news:

PHOENIX JONES LOSES JOB

Phoenix Jones' day job was caring for autistic children. The Department of Social and Health Services sent a letter informing him that he was not allowed to work with children due to the pending status of “the incident." The incident I'm referring to is one I witnessed in person in Seattle- Phoenix Jones saw a group of people fighting and intervened by pepper spraying members of the group. He was taken in under charges of assault, although charges have not been filed at this point.

Jones says he will do more day time patrols in addition to looking for a job.

MDA BENEFIT

Los Angeles based RLSHs Sage and The Handler are also going up the river, but in their case it is a "bail me out" style charity fund raiser. Their goal is to reach $800 dollars to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and they are a little over half way there as of this posting. Check out their donation page:
www.joinmda.org/burbank2011/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/249317/Participant/sage/bfimp/true/Default.aspx

Phoenix Jones: The Space Needle Interview

Everything you need to conduct a good interview- a notepad and pen, digital camera, digital voice recorder, a cup of coffee and...a collapsible baton? At a cafe with Purple Reign and Phoenix Jones after the Space Needle interview. Photo by Lucien Knuteson.
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The scene: October 8, a little past 8PM. Phoenix Jones has suggested we meet up at Seattle's famous Space Needle, then head to have a crime report meeting with his wife and team mate, Purple Reign, at a cafe. From there we headed out on the eventful patrol everyone has heard about.

It was cool with a light drizzle of rain. A busker wailed away on the saxophone. I had made contact with local photographer Lucien Knuteson. He told me he was on his way to the Space Needle, and while we waited I decided to record an interview.

I snapped this shot of the Space Needle moments before meeting up with Phoenix Jones.

Tea Krulos: The team- where would you like to see it go from here?

Phoenix Jones: You know I really want to solidify one whole city. Like I think we’ve done parts- we made a big step in Bell Town, a big step in Pioneer Square but I would like there to be a more open line of communication between me and the police and a more direct response between me and the people.

I want it to be more like- you know, call the police and send a text message to Phoenix Jones and I want to have enough guys to send them here and there. Basically my own superhero-esqe police force. I think that would be pretty cool. But one that does it for free, obviously. And doesn’t write tickets.

(We encounter a High School homecoming football game near the Space Needle and stand on a hill behind the fence, taking it in. As we walk away, our dialog is inaudible but Jones mentions he was high school football team captain.)

TK: So you were captain of the football team?

PJ: I was, yeah.

TK: I know you get this a lot- people say you’re going to get stabbed, you’re going to get shot, you’re going to get killed- how do you respond to that?

(We encounter a small group of young high school guys, wide eyed at seeing Phoenix.)

Dude #1: Hey! Are you the Rain City…

PJ: I am, I’m Phoenix Jones.

Dude #2: I was watching your YouTube videos the other day.

PJ: My personal videos are on Phoenix-Cam.

Dude #2: Phoenix-Cam?

PJ: Yeah, it shows videos of us taking down drug dealers and stuff like that so check it out.

Dude #2: Alright, man.

PJ: You guys be good! Sorry about that. Ok, here’s the thing- so what makes a superhero a superhero is that they face adversity and they overcome it. If you are not facing adversity, you are not a hero. If you’re not in the line of fire, you are not a hero. When people got scared and said 'oh my god, he’s going to die' what they really said is- 'he’s stepping up, putting himself between danger and safety' and that is what I would expect everyone to do.

And could I get stabbed? Yes, happened. Could I get shot? Yes, it’s happened. Could I get hit with a baseball bat? Yes, it’s happened. Can I get my nose broken? Yes, it’s happened. But ideas are bulletproof. If they get me, they got to get the idea. And I think I’m at like reaching 2 million people- so they got to get an idea out of 2 million people’s heads and I’m not even halfway done yet.

TK: Is there ever an event or turning point that would make you stop?

PJ: Well... obviously if they get me, right that is going to make me stop ipso facto. I guess as long as there is a separation between my family and this, I’m not going to stop. I think if someone brought my family into it, it would make things more complicated for sure. That is when I would have to really weigh the costs.

But I think at that point I would have already made my choice because if they are coming after my family it is not going to stop because I hang up the cape or hang up the cowl. because I have already set an idea.

It is like the scene in Batman when they talk to the Joker and he is like ‘you’ve changed things. We can’t go back to the way it was.' I feel if they are coming after my family, I’ve already changed things. And at that point quitting isn’t going to help- we got to move and I got to make a long commute.

TK: How would you describe your experiences with the media?

PJ: They went in waves. The first wave was 90% negative and kinda twisted what I said. It wasn’t helpful to me, it was a hindrance, it was terrible. The middle wave was the curiosity of- is this guy for real? And for the most part I think the ‘for real’ part was answered and now I am in the last one and that is understanding. And I’m having the most fun with this one- where people have gotten over the fact that I’m out there. They’ve gotten over the fact that I really do interject in crime. Now it’s come down to- why?

And I think this is a lot more entertaining and a lot more interesting and a lot more – I feel helpful- for the people to understand why instead of trying to find out if it is truth or a publicity stunt.

TK: What advice would you give- like there were those young guys back at the football game who were interested in you and what you do- what advice do you give to people who are inspired by you and want to do what you do?

PJ: Well, there are two things. The first thing is that there are two types of heroes- the type of hero that responds to a need, a calling where they live or they respond to a threat and out of that threat they arise to be heroes. Then there are the calculated heroes who have taken the time to train and then put themselves in the line of fire to prove they are heroes. You want to be the latter. You want to be trained if you are responding to a threat or a purpose. Don’t wake up one day and dress in spandex and walk down the street and fight crime. It is not going to end well.

Dude walking by: Hey, nice suit, man!

PJ: Thank you, guys!
The second thing I tell them is that the hero and the coward are mostly the same, the difference is the coward doesn’t do something and the hero responds to his training. If you see a situation and you don’t do anything you are defined by the actions of not doing anything If you see a situation and you do something, you are defined by your actions of doing something, but none of those definitions are ever going to line up with what you think. No matter how brave you are and how much crime you fight and stop bad things from happening people are going to judge you and you have to be ready for that and willing to take that, no matter how noble your choice is. This isn’t a road to become famous. 90% of the superheroes who are really doing work, no one will ever hear about.

TK: Being out with you, I’ve seen a lot of people recognize you, give you high fives and stuff like that- how does it feel to have this sort of reception from Seattle?

PJ: It is really funny because it- you know, here’s a good explanation. Remember yesterday when we saw the hot dog vendor who we had helped his cart not get robbed by those guys and he gave us the free VIP passes for hot dogs-

TK: Yeah.

Here is a photo I took of Jones and his team mate Mist talking to the hot dog vendor he is mentioning.

PJ: That kind of thing is awesome. In the same breath, the people who have had an experience with me, a feeling with me and have an emotion attached with me, that is when it feels good. That is when I feel like- yes!- I have changed the way that guy thinks about me being a superhero. Now when it is just people who have heard about me and think its cool- when something bad shows up on TV they are going to think what that said and when an article comes out, they are going to think what that says.

Right after this article with a bunch of lies was written about me, people were actually spitting on me when I walked by on the streets it took me months of doing what I had been doing before people realized that article wasn’t true.

When someone comes up and says- hey you saved my cousin from this or you saved my bus from getting robbed or you saved my hot dog stand from getting robbed, those always feel great. When someone gives me a high five because they recognize me, it feels good but I take it just at that because I know it is easy to flip and turn.

That is why when people do that, I say 'hey check out my Phoenix-Cam' because there is video of real people having everyday experiences with me and I feel the more they see video and are like 'hey that guy is real and that guy is real and that guy is real' it is going to be harder to change their mind to be negative toward me. You know?

At this point Lucien calls me and we meet up with him and head over to the crime meeting.