Mutual Kombat

It has been a long time since I made a blog post.  I feel it is time to clear a few things up. On Friday morning, November 9th, 2012 I made a choice to engage in mutual combat with a man who was verbally abusive and threatening the SAFETY of my family. If you have not already seen the live footage, please watch this video:

I do not think that everyone should evoke this law (Seattle Municipal Code 12A.06.025). There are a ton of factors that come into play legally when you do this kind of thing. My entire team is trained and are very legally conscience of the law.

I also do not want people to think poorly of the Seattle Police Department. I have had my fair share of police encounters but the officers that responded to this call were professional and very clear that they did not approve, but that it was within my legal right to 'duel' with the antagonist.

More audio at MyNorthwest.com

Dori Monson from KIRO radio interviews SPD Sgt. Sean Whitcomb

I have decided to upgrade my gear and the team's as well, starting with cameras. #MutualKombat t-shirts are for sale by clicking http://www.badcockapparel.com/phoenix-jones-black-crew_p_792.html Purchases help our cause and show support for our team and my war on violent crime.

TIME TO PARTY!

This has been a SUPER crazy year for me. From being arrested, to unmasked, stopping more crimes than any previous year, supporting my wife’s domestic abuse campaign and working on my own suit upgrade. There is only one thing left to do: have a super crazy Phoenix Jones 3rd Birthday Party and raise money for my wife’s domestic abuse awareness charity - THE PURPLE REIGN CAMPAIGN.

For more info on THE PURPLE REIGN CAMPAIGN click here.

When and Where: Saturday Sept 8 at 8:00 PM

AFK Tavern

1510 41^st Street

Everett, WA 98201

425-259-0525

Saturday September 8th my crime fighting team and I will be at AFK Tavern, signing autographs, taking photos, talking superhero-ing and celebrating another successful year. Half of the tables are already reserved so book soon. The night will sell out so don’t wait until the last minute!

Mario Kart Championship Contest

$5 entry fee. Winner receives 50% of the total entry fees collected, the other half will be donated to the PURPLE REIGN CAMPAIGN. Be advised, no crybabies! I am a vicious Mario Kart player and I will eat your soul.

Costume Contest

Not everybody can go out and fight crime - but everyone can dress the part. The contest will start at 11 PM and will be judged on three elements; construction, appearance, and accessories.  $5 entry fee. Winner receives 50% of the total entry fees collected, the other half will be donated to the PURPLE REIGN CAMPAIGN. Please bring a picture of the character you are impersonating with your name and character name on the back.

AFK Tavern

If you don’t know, or have not been there, AFK Tavern is a gaming saloon that is open to all ages, half of the tavern is a bar so that’s for adults only. It’s a great place for nerds and jocks alike. If you have not been to AFK you are missing a fracking good time.

Special Offer

The best Phoenix Jones look-a-like will earn a seat at my birthday table!

Special guests Captain Karma, Midnight Jack, El Caballero, Westlake Drake, Boomer, and the first lady herself, Purple Reign.

The Future

I was out at the movies the other day with my son. He was wearing a shirt that Purple had bought him. It has a picture of the Green Lantern on it and says “Future Superhero”.  I have always loved this shirt and never really though twice about it.

During the movie my son feel asleep on my lap and since it was a kids movie I was not that interested in it and I started thinking, what if my son really does become a superhero?  At first I had these ridiculously funny dreams of him being a kid sidekick with wise cracking jokes. Then I thought maybe he would just carry on my Phoenix Jones title kinda like Nite Owl gave his title to Dan Dreiberg.

As I’m daydreaming I started really dissecting why I became a masked adventurer in the first place. The first couple times I did this kind of work it was easy to understand the motivation. Someone hurt my son and I was mad and I’m the kind of person that if I see a problem and I can fix it I will. The next couple of times it was also out of need, friends getting beat up, or walking down the street and seeing someone get mugged. I actually wore all my super gear under my clothes and would park far away from activities I was planning to attend just so I could walk the streets and maybe see something.

As I was pondering all my adventures and mishaps I remembered a time I saw a guy do a hit and run on Capital Hill. I raced into the alleyway, ditched my regular clothes and chased after the car. Eventually he got stopped on a one way and I was able to grab the plate number and report it to 911. I started walking back to my car sliding through alleyways so I would not be seen. I reached where I had left my clothes and there was nothing there, someone had stolen my clothes. My original crime prevention suit looked nothing like the current Jones suit so I was at a loss about how I would walk in public and not be recognized. After going through several ideas I finally just said well I’m in the Capital Hill nightclub district (which is known for outlandish costumes just FYI if you’re not from Seattle) so I’ll just wear my boxers, no shirt, no shoes and my flattop. I walked three blocks to my car half naked right past the police taking the statement from the women who was hit by the car I had chased. Its moments like these I would never want to deprive my son of. Crime fighting isn’t just about catching the bad guy and looking out for people, there are a lot of gritty parts and these are the parts I wanna protect him from.

Back to motivations, at some point helping people became less about getting lucky and being in the wrong place at the right time and more about parking in dark alleys and walking bad neighborhoods just in case someone needed my help. I was so mad that there was no “Phoenix Jones” there when I needed him, no random stranger to say “Here is my phone, call 911”. That’s what this is all about, it’s about creating awareness, awareness that people can be great, that they can and should look out for each other. Lots of people only wanna do what’s easy and comfortable, never reaching out of their comfort zone.  Some people are more concerned with watching YouTube videos then making witness statements.

I decided that this world needs help and if I was going to help her I would have to bring some attention to the things I believe in. I would use social media and the idea of being a superhero to create a conversation about what level of citizen intervention is legal and helpful. Every day I get a couple of messages and stories where someone I know on Facebook or in real life did something heroic when the time came, not because they wanted to be a hero but because I had inspired them to do the right thing. I hope I inspire my son to do the right thing. I hope I have the will power and dedication to see this through. I hope that people take notice and really change their hearts and minds to reflect a more caring society. I hope most of all that in 15 years when my son becomes a man the world will no longer need a “Phoenix Jones” and that all citizens have summoned the testicular fortitude to say no to crime and to look out for each other.

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