The Rain City Superhero Movement was a Seattle-based organization active in the U.S. state of Washington between 2011 and 2014. It was composed of costumed activists who describe themselves as a crime-fighting brigade.[1] Witnesses have reported that the group has intervened in crimes on several occasions, while the police maintained they would prefer that individuals other than sworn officers not place themselves in danger, and act as good witnesses instead.[2]
 Members of the Rain City Superhero Movement passing out flyers with descriptions of a criminal in 2013 | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Phoenix Jones (Benjamin Fodor) |
In July 2011, local police recorded ten citizens patrolling the city of Seattle in superhero costumes, using the names Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, The Mantis, Prodigy, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88, Penelope, and Phoenix Jones. Other members included "Red Dragon",[3] Midnight Jack, Omega, Karma, SkyMan and El Caballero.[4] "Purple Reign" worked mainly on intelligence and advocacy against domestic violence.[5][6]
The group stopped four people pretending to be law enforcement from robbing a blind man whose pockets they purported to be lawfully searching.[4] Red Dragon notes that the group has also "stopped car-jackings, helped stranded vehicles on the highways, stopped people from driving drunk, chased down and aided in the apprehension of a sex-offender, and even escorted people to their cars late at night".[3] They have dealt with a man making threatening statements while swinging a golf club.[2] On May Day, 2012, El Caballero, Midnight Jack, and Phoenix Jones confronted vandals damaging an old federal courthouse.[7][8]
On May 29, 2014, Phoenix Jones officially declared that the Rain City Superhero Movement was over.[9] On February 6, 2022, Chris Piers, a member of Phoenix's team called Omega, publicly revealed his identity and reminisced about his experiences and misgivings about his involvement in the "movement" in a video on his YouTube channel, Comic Tropes.[10]
References
edit- ^ Fezzani, Nadia (2012-04-26). "The day Phoenix Jones revealed himself to the world | Metro". Metronews.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ^ a b Casey Mcnerthne (2010-11-18). "Police alerted to 'superheroes' patrolling Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ^ a b "Tea with Gill: An Interview With Seattle Crimefighter Red Dragon". The Back Row. 2011-01-24. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ a b "VIDEO: Phoenix Jones and crew stop men claiming to be police from robbing a blind man | Inside Belltown - seattlepi.com". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 2012-03-15. Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ^ "Phoenix Jones "Real-Life Superhero" Unmasked". ScienceFiction.com. 2011-10-14. Archived from the original on 2012-05-02. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ Goldstein, Ken. "Purple Reign interview (video, at 1:27) 7 May 2012". Peter Tangen. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Seattle's self-proclaimed 'superheroes' help out on May Day". wsbt.com. 2012-05-02. Archived from the original on 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ^ Casey Mcnerthne (2012-05-02). "May Day protests turn violent in downtown Seattle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ^ Waylon Jordan (29 May 2014). "Real-Life Superhero 'Phoenix Jones' Makes a Disturbing Announcement". KEKB FM. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
- ^ Comic Tropes (2 February 2022). "I Was A Real Life Superhero". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.