The Initiative Collective (sometimes truncated to simply "The Initiative") is a group of organizations located in cities throughout the United States and internationally .Their goal is to promote personal safety through neighborhood watch activities, self-defense classes, and other forms of outreach.[1][2] They are a part of the Real-life superhero movement.
| Formation | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Location |
Founded in New York City in 2009 by "Zero," "Tsaf," "Lucid," and Zimmer Barnes, the group's initial goal was to patrol the streets of Greenwich Village to stem a rising tide of anti-gay violence.[3][4][5] The New York Initiative (NYI) members started by taking on superhero-like personae to attract attention when talking to the media (though not on the streets),[6] patrolling on longboards and donning bulletproof vests as part of their activities.[3] They were profiled in the HBO documentary, Superheroes.[6][7]
Since 2009, additional Initiative "branches" have been formed across the United States, including California,[8][9][10][11] Washington,[1] Virginia,[12] Illinois,[13] Tennessee, Massachusetts, the central United Kingdom, and Australia.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b "Free Self-Defense & Awareness Classes for Seattle Neighborhoods". Central District News. 26 June 2013.
- ^ Belonsky, Andrew (4 June 2013). "NYC Superheroes vs Anti-Gay Criminals". Out.
- ^ a b Gifford, Kelly (4 June 2013). "Superheroes Step Up to Fight Anti-Gay Crime". New York Observer.
- ^ Shaer, Matthew (7 August 2011). "The Amazing Superheroes of New York City". The Daily Beast.
- ^ Krulos, Tea (13 July 2010). "Brooklyn's Own Superheroes". New York Press.
- ^ a b Isla, Frater (14 July 2013). "Don't Call Them Superheroes: An Interview With Zero and Dark Guardian of the New York Initiative". disinfo.
- ^ "Superheroes (2011)". IMDB. 2011. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
- ^ Smiley, Lauren (14 December 2011). "The Real Life Superhero Files: Rock N. Roll". SF Weekly.
- ^ Fezzani, Nadia (29 April 2012). "The women of Real Life Superheroes". Metro News.
- ^ McEnroe, Colin (26 January 2012). "Colin McEnroe Show: Being A Real-Life Superhero". Your Public Media.
- ^ "AARP: Super Humans Unmasked". AARP. 2 February 2016.
- ^ Jasek, Marissa (4 June 2013). "'Superheroes' fight crime, help the needy in Hampton Roads". WKTR.
- ^ Gebresilassie, Hannah (18 July 2018). "Real life superheroes lend a helping hand". WSIL-TV.
- ^ "The Initiative Collective". Retrieved 11 July 2013.
External links
edit- The Initiative Collective's official website
- The Initiative Collective on Facebook
- The New York Initiative on Facebook
- The Virginia Initiative on Facebook
- The California Initiative: San Francisco on Facebook
- The California Initiative: Oakland-East Bay on Facebook
- The California Initiative: SoCal on Facebook
- The Washington Initiative on Facebook
- The Illinois Initiative on Facebook
- The Tennessee-Memphis Initiative on Facebook
- The Boston-Massachusetts Initiative on Facebook
- The Arizona Initiative on Facebook
- The UKI/Central Initiative on Facebook
- The Australia Initiative on Facebook