FUNDRAISER ENDS AT MIDNIGHT

The Phoenix Jones Suit Upgrade Fundraiser ends tonight at midnight and I’d like to thank everyone who supported it. Incentives will be delivered on time or earlier then promised. We made it halfway to the goal and with these funds I will focus first on safety upgrades for myself and for my team. I’ll be exploring other ways to fund the rest of the expenses and if you’ve donated to the fundraiser and have had second thoughts I’d like to restate that you’re welcome to a refund. Just write to me at thephoenixjonessuitupgraderefund@gmail.com from the address you made the donation through and I’ll refund your donation, you can even keep the incentive.

I’ll continue to be active in our city looking out for victims of crime, being an active supporter of various charities and hopefully representing the idea that we can all look out for each other and make our city safer and more caring.

I’ll continue to use this blog to share my thoughts; answer questions about my missions and plans, write details about the evolving upgrade to the suit and in other ways continue to express my ideas.

Cost Break Down

Price layout from head to toe:

Head: Custom made cowl consisting of a bullet proof face mask, bullet proof helmet, built in radio, scanner, PA system, and camera attached to the side. Estimated cost: $15,000.00 (most of this cost is in the fabrication, all of these items exist by themselves but are not compatible with each other, the PA, camera, and scanner are not included).

Neck: Custom fabricated Nomex and Kevlar neck piece with joints for movement. (This is being donated - there is currently no product like this on the market, estimated value is $25,000.00).

Chest: There are currently thousands of brands and styles of bulletproof for the chest and vital organs/ What makes this part of my suit unique is the coverage. Typical bullet proof vests are heavy and leave all of your arms and some of your torso exposed. They also leave the clavicle exposed. My chest piece will cover 94% of my chest, arms, and back, making it the most complete bullet proof suit other than a bomb suit or the Trojan Suit of Armor. There will also be raised areas that look cool but serve a functional purpose. These areas are made of ceramic and titanium plates that help protect against knives and multiple rounds of fire. Currently, there is no operation suits like this and it is estimated at $100,000.00 to create and manufacture. 

Groin: There are plenty of good groin protectors and we were able to convince a company to donate one. We plan to upgrade the current groin protector with ceramic and titanium plates as well. Estimated value for groin protector 500.00 estimated price fro upgrade 1500.00

Hands:  There are plenty of bullet resistant gloves and no upgrades were needed: $100.00

 

Cape: Break away cape system that disengages if it is pulled on with X pounds of force. Also made of a bullet proof fabric witch greatly reduces speed and impact that bullets coming from the behind you will have on your armor. This currently does not exits and is estimated at $5,000.00 to create and manufacture.

Leg Armor:  There are currently plenty of leg armor pieces. We mixed and matched to allow the most coverage. We upgraded the leg armor with ceramic and titanium plates. A Estimated value is $10,000.00, some of that value is donated and we will cover the rest.

Boots: There are plenty of bullet proof boots and pieces you can place over your boots. We mixed and matched these as well as and upgraded them with ceramic plates and titanium. Estimated value $1,500.00.

  

Body: Skin tight fire resistant jump suit which is what the armor is attached to. Estimated value: $2,000.00

Total Cost: Aprox. $160,000.00. This does not include any of the tech upgrade prices or the utility belt accessories. The total cost would be $198,000.00. Most of the supplies were donated by people who believe in Phoenix Jones. The only thing I have to cover is $10,000.00. This is used for assembly, wiring, labor and shipping to different factories.  

Sid Garrand, the owner of Nightmare Armor Studios and is well known for designing fully functional prop armor. What many people do not realize is that he also has military contracts and he designs gear for our Armed Forces.

I BELIEVE IN HEROES

This is our fault, not one person but our fault collectively. We’ve stood by and watched, even cheered as bad behavior has been glorified in movies, tv, in comics and books. Sometimes even in real life. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that comic book creators started mass-producing toys, shirts, and collectibles with the image of villains on them.  Why did it take so long for this to happen? Because before then no one wanted them, no demand, no supply. Nowadays the villains are just as popular as the heroes. People walk around wearing tee shirts with the image of The Joker or Two Face on them. It’s like they forgot Two Face is a homicidal maniac. Would you wear a shirt with real villains on it? Would you wrap that shirt up and give it to your kids as a present. I hope you answered no because it would confuse them into thinking that villainous behavior is good or normal. This is what we have done, we have made all the bad things that villains do ok by making them fun to watch instead of just fun to defeat. It is no longer bad to be the bad guy, they usually just seem to be misunderstood.

Someone told me the other day to fuck off.  When I asked why he said that he answered “Because you pepper sprayed innocent protesters on May Day”. I explained to him that the only people that got pepper sprayed were an angry group of people who were vandalizing private and federal property, and scaring and threatening citizens. He said he agreed with the protestors but not their methods. So I said “If you agree with them but not their methods you don’t actually agree with them. What you’re saying is you’re frustrated, angry, and disappointing. You want change”. A lot of people feel that way, I know that I do. We’re in a recession and I believe that big business is smothering small business, jobs are disappearing rapidly and people’s futures are less secure then they were 20 years ago. This feeling or need for immediate change is spilling over into our actions, into our hearts, into our minds. We have been disappointed by everything else so we turn to villains, why? It’s impossible to be disappointing by them; they’re the safe bet. Hope is always a gamble and you have to jump with no safety net. I understand hope, I also understand fear and the power the fear breeds. Its easy to give in, its easy to say “Well that’s a rough part of town, we’ll just go around it.” or “This is a rough neighborhood, better catch a cab.” or “Don’t walk at night, you don’t know what can happen.” Whether we like it or not we all know that bad people exist. I’m asking you to have faith that there are many many more good people. I’m asking you to stop letting people with bad intentions control you. I’m asking you to take your streets, neighborhoods, cities, and states back. Not through violence but through controlled calls to action. When I put on the mask I patrolled in one city focusing my efforts on one neighborhood because that’s what it needed. It needed a symbol to say no to drug dealers and violent criminals roaming the streets. I now believe the world needs heroes more then ever. I want you to reject the idea that people are bad and dishonest. I want you to become a hero, maybe not in a super suit but a hero in your own way. I want you to look around and see what needs to be fixed and work to fix it. If you are not willing to be a part of the solution unfortunately you’re part of the problem.

APOLOGIES AND PROMISES

I’ve more than realized the original goals I set out to accomplish when I decided to become an activist. I wanted to help people, to be a positive part of the solution. I reject apathy and hoped people would realize that we could all participate in helping our communities and its citizens. I created Phoenix Jones in the image of a superhero to do this work, outrageous by design it caught the attention of the media around the world. With this attention I’ve hoped to reach a large audience with a message, we should all look out for each other, bad things shouldn’t happen to good people while witnesses look on and do nothing. Somehow the story went kind of viral and soon media were flying to Seattle from all over the world to see what I was doing. I did my best to represent this idea and think I did pretty great, not perfect, but pretty great.

When I started dressing up like a superhero I was under the impression that there were only a few other people dressing up and trying to make a difference in their communities. As time progressed I noticed that there were a ton of online profiles of people claiming to do the same kind of work. I remember how happy I was to not be the only “super” around. I actively reached out and talked to several members of the Real Life Super Hero community (RLSH). I was soon being misrepresented by the media for two events and many of the RLSH jumped to conclusions about me, labeling me bad and their most vocal members rejected me. So I left and decided to do my own thing. Since that day I have been the subject of constant attacks. I made some bad decisions early on and deeply regret some of the dismissive things I said about the homeless outreach branch of the RLSH community. The attacks continue to this day. Lately they have stepped up their game, coordinating attacks on my bank accounts, my wife and her association with NW Family Life, posting claims of wrong doing as fact without a shred of evidence to justify their accusations, searching for anything disruptive in a coordinated campaign of bullying and harassment. A film maker I once trusted to objectively report his perspective on what I do has been one of those leading the charge of bullying, harassment and the spreading of propaganda.

I share many of the same morals, ideals and philosophies of a large group of RLSH. I know many who are powerful forces of good like Thanatos, Geist, Silver Sentinel (who retired last night), RazorHawk, DC’s Guardian, Good Samaritan and many more. It is so often the loudest voices that are heard and within the RLSH community the loudest voices are those of a group who actively seek to discredit me and make me either stop or be stopped by public opinion. I refuse to allow that to happen.

I made the mistake of thinking I could be the greatest real world superhero ever without offending other “supers” who had been active for years. I made the mistake of thinking people dressing up like superheroes and helping the homeless also had to fight crime. I made the mistake of belittling RLSH who solely do humanitarian work. For these things, for my admitted arrogance, for my lack of humility, I am sorry.

I will continue to be an activist, will continue to do work both as Ben Fodor and as Phoenix Jones. I will continue to dedicate myself to the things I believe in, will support Purple Reign in all she does, will look out for the victims of street crime and will always fight for what I believe in. I will also spread awareness of the rising problem of cyber bullying. Say anything you want on my Facebook pages, but if you can’t prove accusations and list sources, your comments will be considered for removal.

I believe the suit upgrade fundraising campaign has lost its positive energy. What started out as a way to protect my team and ensure I would not be injured standing up for what I believe in has turned into a controversial topic. I am stopping the active solicitations for donations to the suit upgrade fund. I will leave the fund active and blog open till August 1st in hopes of reaching my goal. I will follow through with all incentives promised for donations and the money gathered so far will go to upgrading the armor in the current suit I have. If anyone who has donated would like a refund of their donation, email phoenixjonessuitupgraderefund@gmail.com and I will refund all donations the second week of August. I will succeed in my goal of raising awareness of subjects that I feel are overlooked. I in no way intend to stop pursuing the criminal element of Seattle and over time I will succeed in my suit upgrade as well.

I’d like to thank everyone who supports my message. I’d like to thank everyone who believes that we can make our community a better and safer place. And I’d like to thank spell check for helping me with this.

“I have goals to accomplish and dreams to make come true” nothing is going to stop me, “I just am leaving this galaxy for one a little less complicated” Watchmen

Time to Evolve

I wanna thank everyone who has donated so far. We are at $3,300 and a third of the way to reaching the goal. I’m taking some time out to address my message as Phoenix Jones.  It’s my hope that the stories of what I do inspire people to look out for each other. That people who see someone being victimized by crime will do whatever they can to help. That people will consider the desperate situation of the homeless and look at them with a little more compassion. I hope that I can somehow symbolize these things and inspire a little bit of change in our communities.

When I set out I wanted to maintain a secret identity and went through a ton of work to do so. I was able to pretty much keep my identity secret for almost two years.  Maintaining a secret identity means you have to rely completely on yourself and your loved ones. So I knew to get started I needed an outfit, something that was intimidating, easy to move in and hide my face. So given my budget (about 20 bucks) I went to the store and bought a pair of longjohns. I looked in my closet and found my MMA shorts, gloves, and a pair of shoes I didn’t plan to wear again and I was off.

The first couple of weeks I did not really find any crime. I felt Seattle was pretty safe.  So I decided the one thing I see a lot of is homelessness and a lack of consideration for their plight. I had found a mission. To get supplies I started by going to different stores asking if on the day things were going to expire I could take them to the homeless population on the streets. I got laughed out of most of the stores I went to and treated like a crazy person. I started gathering money from my friends and my job and buying food myself. I was pretty good at this but there was always someone I did not reach or I ran out of food while I still had a line of people asking. A couple of weeks later I was on a routine hand out when I came across a man bleeding and crying. I asked what was wrong and he yelled at me to get lost. I said let me call an ambulance because you’re really hurt. He said no you have done enough, the cereal bar you gave me the other day got me mugged. I found out that when I would pass out food if there wasn't enough the homeless people would steal from each other by any means necessary. I remember the rage I felt, the anger seemed uncontrollable but a lesson was learned. I cannot hope to help people by just giving them food, I had to stop the predators that prey on these people. For the next couple of nights I did just that. I stayed under the I5 overpass in a sleeping bag ready to stop injustice. On the third night at about 2 am I heard a scream. I remember being scared, startled and unnerved but no one else moved a muscle. The screams became increasingly loud as I made my way to where the attack was happening. I saw a man with a ponytail beating a man clutching onto a water bottle and a small pizza box. I intervened and broke up the fight but as I did I saw blood on the sleeping bag. The man with the pizza had been stabbed repeatedly on his hands and possibly other places by his attacker. I followed the attacker into the darkness and that’s when I felt it.  Right on my back it was the most disgusting violating experience. The lower right side of my back felt cold and I could taste metal. It was like my body knew I was in serious trouble. I turned around and subdued the attacker and managed to call 911 too get an ambulance for the victim. I laid next to the attacker now zip cuffed to a pipe and started to cry, not from pain but from fear and exhaustion. By the time the police had arrived I was somewhat together. I explained the situation to the cops and filed a statement for their police report.

I needed about two weeks to heal and I knew I was going to need a better suit. I got a loan (cosigned by my mom), which was a lot harder than I thought. I bought the best bulletproofing, knifeproofing boots, blunt trauma riot gear and the now famous xtremedesignfx rubber suit. I told Lance from extreme design what I was planning to do and he made my suit with a special rubber and wire mix to add protection.  Within two months of fighting crime in this suit I was all over the news, headlines ranged from EXTREMELY DERRANGED COSPLAYER ATTACKS CRIME to SUPERMAN EXISTS but the biggest win was when I got a call from a store I had previously given my number to when I was in spandex. They said they had 55 pounds of food for me if I was interested.

I filled my car and the trunk with food. When all was said and done not one person under the bridge was missed and the leftovers were donated to The Union Gospel Mission. I learned two things; the first was that people need extreme examples to shake them out of apathy. I could not be that symbol in my old spandex costume because no one would take me seriously.  Second, inspiration comes in many forms and although I did not care about the way my suit looked, it turned out the people did. I knew my mission was to stop crime while inspiring others to do the same. I hope the story of this new suit will reach and inspire a completely new group of people as well as keep me protected and I don’t think you can put a price on that.

Hackers, Bullies & Threats

I have seen a lot of things in my short life but I never saw this coming.  I never thought I would have a group of people dedicated to stopping my progress in life. There are entire Facebook groups designed to say false crazy things about me or to attack me.

This weekend it reached a new level. As you may know my wife was a victim of domestic violence and instead of being quiet about it she started a non-profit to help other victims. I think it was part of her healing process to help other people recover from their trauma and to let them know without a doubt that they are not the only one, that they are not alone. It was this experience that really made it possible for her to love me the way she does.

She understands why I do what I do. She never questions my resolve or tells me to stay home instead of going out to try and protect victims of violence. She understands this is something I must do because I believe in it. I don't just say I believe in it, my actions show it. So in a show of support my wife wrote about me on her blog and posted a widget to the suit upgrade fundraiser. Since then she has received many email threats, nasty comments and today someone hacked the server and put the whole website off line. They would rather all of the women who contact my wife on a regular basis through this website were turned away. They would rather all of the resources available for victims be unavailable. They don't care about the thousands of dollars she raised for domestic violence through this site. All they care about is stopping me, hurting me, deterring me from my mission.

Well I have bad news for these haters, they will never succeed. There are too many Facebook pages, websites, articles, news stories, and people who believe in what I symbolize. You can crash as many servers as you want, cyber-bully my wife, me, and others who support my mission and no one is going to stop me. You’re too late.

At one point this was just about a guy in a rubber suit stopping violent crimes. Its more than that now, its more than Phoenix Jones, its more than the cops, its more than black bloc, it’s more than haters and its even more than you or me. I get hundreds of emails a week from people who are going to carry this legacy when I’m gone. Who are going to teach their kids to be better citizens. Who are going to be voices for accountability, who are going to help their brothers when they’re in trouble.

My personal war on crime has turned into an idea. An idea that people are willing to invest time, energy, resources, and now money into. This suit will be funded and created by the same people who support the idea of "Phoenix Jones", the same people that know that behind this mask there is more than a person. There is an idea and ideas are bulletproof.

The Dangers, The Upgrades, The Incentives

A fundraiser to support Phoenix Jones' volunteer work on the streets of Seattle. Violence is rising in Seattle and crime against innocent citizens in our city has increased dramatically. The mission of Phoenix Jones is to both protect the citizens he witnesses being victimized and to represent the idea that each of us can and should look out for each other:

GSN PSA 'The World Needs Winners' featuring Phoenix Jones (Above Video)

The Dangers

Just this year alone Phoenix has protected five people from knife attacks, been witness to three events where guns were fired, over 30 bullets shot at him or in his general direction, has provided important evidence in a murder case (including the only audio of the gunshots that killed an innocent girl), and been the only thing that stood between a violent mob and the federal building they were intent on attacking. Aside from being shot at, Phoenix has been threatened with murder and stabbed. Although he is well protected with his current gear he has also become very well recognized by the criminal element and the threats he faces must be taken seriously. This fundraiser is to provide a suit upgrade designed to protect him from those threats:

While on 2011/12 New Year's Eve patrol, Phoenix Jones and team witness a gun shootout, give chase to suspect, and provide video evidence to the police. (Above Video)

The suspect in the above video has just stabbed a man and threatened to stab witnesses. Phoenix Jones intervened, chased the suspect 8 blocks until the suspect hailed a cab. While in the cab he held the driver hostage at knife point, Phoenix stayed on the scene while on the phone with police until they were able to arrive and subdue the suspect. He then led police to where the victim was and provided video evidence.  (Above Video)

The Facts: 

In the first three months of 2012, homicides in Seattle increased by 267% according to SPD crime statistics. Major and violent crime are up 7% during this same period as well. (http://www.seattle.gov/police/crime/12_Stats/2012_Major_Crimes.pdf)

In 2011 there were 20 homicides. As of July 3, 2012 (just over halfway through this year), The number of police officers per capita has decreased in a period of population growth. Seattle saw its 22nd homicide victim.  What will the numbers look like at the end of the year unless more crime prevention patrols are implemented? (http://www.seattle.gov/police/crime/11_Stats/2011_Major_Crimes.pdf  and  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018585856_shootings03m.html)

In 2000 Seattle had 2.24 officers per 1000 people.  In 10 years the city's population has increased from 563,373 to 617,334 by 2010....with only 2.16 officers per 1000 people. The number of police officers per capita has decreased in a period of population growth.  "We can't sustain safe and vibrant neighborhoods with a shrinking police force relative to the overall size of the city. " (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2012358920_guest15joncas.html) 

Police are asking for the community's help: "Seattle City Councilmember Nick Licata told SPD he was concerned that current strategies used to curb violence are not working. According to Special Operations Assistant Chief Paul McDonagh, officers are being concentrated in "hot spots," which have seen the most violence.  SPD said in addition to the extra officers, they will continue to urge neighbors, family members and witnesses to share what they know about violence around their communities....Police say they need to get everyone engaged in solving the problem, and they will continue outreach to communities."  (http://www.king5.com/news/local/Seattle-Council-to-be-briefed-155229915.html) 

 

The Upgrades:

This fundraiser is designed to upgrade the bulletproofing, functionality, and redesign of my current superhero suit.  Below are some of the sites that will be working on the suit:

http://www.nightmarearmorstudios.com

Nightmare Armor Studios is run by Sid Gearin. He is an expert in electronics and fabrication. He has fabricated hundreds of armored suits that range from extremly expensive cosplay all the way to military grade tactical suits.  Sid belives in my mission and stance on crime and has donated his time and extensive work shop to completly redesign the Phoenix Jones suit. (His estimated time and production value to produce a suit of this quality is in the $100,000.00 range, a portion of the funds raised will be used to pay for his materials and his employees' time).

http://www.bakerballisticsllc.com/ 

Baker Ballistics is a company Phoenix has been working with for years.  They've has donated (at cost value) bulletproof vests for the team.  Baker ballistics is best known for the Baker Bat Sheild (which they've also donated a few to the team).  This is a ballistics sheild used by swat teams, police officers, and superheroes to shield themselves from bullets, breach houses, and protect citizens caught in cross fire.  For the suit upgrade project they have donated this exact technology to be placed within the suit allowing the same protection as the shield (this will cover 80% of the body.  The estimated value they are donating is in the $80,000.00 range and what can not be donated will be covered by the fundraiser).

http://www.guardpd.com/

Guardian Protective Devices is donating several less than lethal protective items at cost.

Additional Items to be purchased with fundraising money:

• Bulletproof face shield
• HD live-streaming camera
• Electrical wires and servers 
• All bolts and metal parts used to attach the suite  
• Cost of Incentives

 

The Incentives:

Reward #1
PLEDGE $10 OR MORE
You receive a rubber phoenix Jones bracelet. these are only available for fundraiser donors.
Est. Delivery: Sep 2012

Reward #2

PLEDGE $50 OR MORE
You receive a rubber Phoenix Jones bracelet and a signed photo.
Est. Delivery: Sep 2012

Reward #3

PLEDGE $100 OR MORE
You receive a rubber Phoenix Jones bracelet and a limited edition Phoenix Jones t-shirt. This particular t-shirt design will only be available for donors of this project.
Est. Delivery: Sep 2012

Reward #4

PLEDGE $250 OR MORE
You receive a rubber band phoenix Jones bracelet, a signed photo, a limited edition Phoenix Jones shirt, and a call from Phoenix Jones thanking you for your donation.

Est. Delivery: Sep 2012

Reward #5

PLEDGE $500 OR MORE
You receive a Phoenix Jones rubber bracelet, a signed photo, a limited edition Phoenix Jones t-shirt, a phone call and a voice message you can use as your voice-mail. (If you have specifics you want mentioned on your voice mail you must email them to PhoenixJonesSuitUpgrade@gmail.com)
Est. Delivery: Sep 2012

Reward #6

PLEDGE $1,000 OR MORE
Limited Reward (12 of 12 remaining)
You will receive all the before mentioned incentives plus your name will be engraved in the suit forever.  You will also receive a small piece of the suit engraved with a special thank you note.
Est. Delivery: Oct 2012

Reward #7

PLEDGE $2,000 OR MORE
Limited Reward (2 of 2 remaining)
You receive all before mentioned incentives but instead of a piece of the suit you receive a phoenix Jones replica helmet (fits most normal sized heads is bullet and blunt trauma resistant).  The helmet includes a special message inscribed on the back.

Est. Delivery Oct 2012

** When you make your donation you must email a copy of the receipt to:  PhoenixJonesSuitUpgrade@gmail.com You must include your name, email, address, and the receipt to receive your incentives **