In November 2010, the Seattle Police Department issued a bulletin asking officers to be on the lookout for masked individuals roaming the streets while out on patrol. These particular individuals were not suspects or dangerous criminals, however, but everyday people dressed as superheroes and intent on fighting crime and protecting the city. A total of nine costumed crusaders had already been identified, operating under the collective name of the Rain City Superhero Movement.
The Seattle police bulletin was released just two months before the premier of Superheroes, a documentary that examined the real-life superhero movement that had been growing within the United States since 2008. From New York to San Diego, Miami to (yes) Seattle, anonymous individuals were donning masks and capes to confront crime in their neighborhoods. Most of their actions were humanitarian in nature, but a handful of these real-life superheroes took it upon themselves to take on drug dealers and car thieves in the hopes of becoming bona fide crime fighters as well.
While the number of real-life superheroes operating in Seattle was close to double the initial nine reported in November 2010, one in particular soon began making headlines both locally and nationally – Phoenix Jones, the self-proclaimed Guardian of Seattle.
The city’s police department initially became aware of Jones (not his real name) in early November 2010 while responding to a harassment complaint in the city’s International District. When they arrived on the scene, police found Jones and five other “costume-wearing complainants” – four men and one woman – confronting a man swinging a golf club at them. Since the real-life superheroes did not want to reveal their true identities, they declined to press charges.
Phoenix Jones had embarked on a superhero career a few months earlier. While he and his son were walking through a parking lot at the Wild Waves amusement park, they discovered that their car window had been smashed. The son slipped on the glass, badly cutting his knee. The father asked passersby for help but nobody offered assistance.
A few weeks later, one of Phoenix Jones’ friends was assaulted at a nightclub. The future Guardian of Seattle ran after the culprit but lost track of him. He did find, however, a ski mask discarded by the assailant. While holding it in his hands, Phoenix Jones decided to fight crime in Seattle himself rather than relying on the police or his fellow citizens.
“Every one of us started out as an average, everyday person who saw things happening and asked, ‘Why isn’t someone doing something about this?’” Red Dragon – another member of the Rain City Superhero Movement – explained to The Back Row in January 2011. “We all took up a persona to answer that very question.”
As for the exact role that the Rain City Superhero Movement played in Seattle, Red Dragon said it involved a little bit of everything. “We patrol the streets at night for crimes which include everything from barfights, to vandalism, to dealing drugs,” he explained. “We also engage in poverty and homeless outreaches. For example, this past weekend, we teamed up with other members of the RLSH community here in Seattle and tended to almost 100 homeless by handing out much needed supplies.”
“To be a police officer, there’s so much red tape,” Phoenix Jones told The Daily Beast in December 2010. “It would hinder my ability to fight crime.” And it was fighting crime that most interested the self-proclaimed Guardian of Seattle. “They can keep feeding homeless people with sandwiches,” he said of his fellow superheroes. “Leave the crime to me.”
That bravado arguable made Phoenix Jones the most famous real-life superhero in the country, as well as the most controversial within the real-life superhero community. Peter Tangen – a non-superhero who managed a website dedicated to the movement – told The Daily Beast that many in the community believed Phoenix Jones was more of a borderline vigilante than superhero and more interested in media attention for himself than the movement.
“He’s definitely a showman,” Tangen said. “Trying to get famous.”
The Seattle Police Department obviously had their own views of Phoenix Jones and the Rain City Superhero Movement. “There’s nothing wrong with citizens getting involved with the criminal justice process, as long as they follow it all the way through,” department spokesman Jeff Kappel told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in November 2010. Kappel meant that anyone aware of a crime should call 911 to report it, and then be willing afterwards to appear in court as a witness.
In terms of people intentionally putting themselves in harm’s way, the Seattle Police Department stood in firm opposition. Many within the real-life superhero community held a similar viewpoint, believing that their mission was more about upholding the values of comic book superheroes and serving as an inspiration for others.
“When I talk to people, I tell them that they don’t need a mask or a costume to do the right thing,” Red Dragon explained to The Back Row. “It can start simply by standing up for other people, or helping those who are unable to help themselves at a given moment.”
He then added, “The reason I chose (to become a real-life superhero) is because I want to bring hope and good fortune to those who find themselves in dark places. I want to inspire people to have the courage to stand up for themselves and for others. And I want the wicked to face the justice system for preying on the weakness of others.”
On May 29, 2014, Phoenix Jones released a statement declaring that the Rain City Superhero Movement had officially disbanded. He failed to elaborate on the reasons, but just as quickly as the real-life superhero movement had taken hold in Seattle, it had suddenly ended. While Phoenix Jones may no longer be the Guardian of Seattle, however, he – along with Red Dragon and close to a dozen other real-life superheroes – have become the stuff of legends nonetheless.
Anthony Letizia