rose0529
03-26-2009, 08:14 AM
You might have seen this on KSTP, but thought it was interesting and you guys might get a kick out of it!
http://kstp.com/kstpImages/geist_superhero.jpg
It�s not a bird. It�s not a plane. In fact they don't even fly. But that hasn't stopped some ordinary people from doing some extraordinary good deeds around the Twin Cities.
Ripped from the pages of comic books, there�s a growing group of disguised Good Samaritans taking to the streets to look after all of us.
If you stop to look beyond the hustle and bustle of Saturday night traffic, you may just catch a glimpse of the Great Lakes Super Heroes Guild in the shadows.
Meet Geist the Emerald Cowboy, Razorhawk, and ShadowFlare�real life heroes that patrol the streets of Rochester, New Brighton, and Hopkins.
They won't reveal their real names, phone numbers or what they do for a living. Although, they say, they do have a life outside of their alter ego and don�t just live in their mother�s basements. You could say they're equal parts neighborhood crime watch, costume party and Boy Scout. While you might laugh, don�t make fun�Razorhawk is a former pro-wrestler. "We usually try to get down here as a group at least once a month then we work our own neighborhoods every night," he said. They�re looking for criminals in hopes to do good deeds for strangers. The superhero movement started in the late 1990's but interest in the idea swelled after tragedy. In fact, the Metro heroes accredited national crises like the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 for why they answered the call to super heroism.
So 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS tagged along while the real life super heroes patrolled the streets of downtown Minneapolis Saturday night. The evening included a stop at a local homeless shelter to drop off bags of food. "It's about helping people and doing what we can for our own communities and helping people less fortunate and people who need our help," Geist explained. So where would you look for a superhero? On the Internet at WorldSuperheroRegistry.com (http://worldsuperheroregistry.com/). "There's about 200 of us in the United States and another 50 in the rest of the world," ShadowFlare said. The network of mysterious masked do-gooders are used to getting strange looks from those who might not understand. "People find us odd. People find us eccentric and we know that it's an unorthodox approach to societies problems," Geist said. Even if those problems are as simple as garbage on the street.
Although they don't come across much crime, they will get involved if they have to. If they are called to duty, these real life super heroes could be packing some real life weapons: Wrist rockets, fighting sticks, stun batons, and bullet proof vests. While police said a little extra help is always welcomed, they're afraid this band of self-proclaimed super heroes look more like vigilantes. "To walk around with a stun stick, smoke grenades and other things, that's probably taking it a little too far. That shows that someone probably is taking matters into their own hands more than they should when they should be calling us," said Minneapolis Police Sgt. Jesse Garcia. Some of them explained they have made citizens arrests and even helped in police investigations�which is one of the reasons the heroes stay anonymous. "We do make enemies. The gangs are my enemies in my town. They know that, I know that, and frankly I don't need them to know where I live and I don't need a drive by," Geist said. But for the most part, they're here to spread good will by paying it forward and even spreading smiles along the way.
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S849976.shtml?cat=1
http://kstp.com/kstpImages/geist_superhero.jpg
It�s not a bird. It�s not a plane. In fact they don't even fly. But that hasn't stopped some ordinary people from doing some extraordinary good deeds around the Twin Cities.
Ripped from the pages of comic books, there�s a growing group of disguised Good Samaritans taking to the streets to look after all of us.
If you stop to look beyond the hustle and bustle of Saturday night traffic, you may just catch a glimpse of the Great Lakes Super Heroes Guild in the shadows.
Meet Geist the Emerald Cowboy, Razorhawk, and ShadowFlare�real life heroes that patrol the streets of Rochester, New Brighton, and Hopkins.
They won't reveal their real names, phone numbers or what they do for a living. Although, they say, they do have a life outside of their alter ego and don�t just live in their mother�s basements. You could say they're equal parts neighborhood crime watch, costume party and Boy Scout. While you might laugh, don�t make fun�Razorhawk is a former pro-wrestler. "We usually try to get down here as a group at least once a month then we work our own neighborhoods every night," he said. They�re looking for criminals in hopes to do good deeds for strangers. The superhero movement started in the late 1990's but interest in the idea swelled after tragedy. In fact, the Metro heroes accredited national crises like the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 for why they answered the call to super heroism.
So 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS tagged along while the real life super heroes patrolled the streets of downtown Minneapolis Saturday night. The evening included a stop at a local homeless shelter to drop off bags of food. "It's about helping people and doing what we can for our own communities and helping people less fortunate and people who need our help," Geist explained. So where would you look for a superhero? On the Internet at WorldSuperheroRegistry.com (http://worldsuperheroregistry.com/). "There's about 200 of us in the United States and another 50 in the rest of the world," ShadowFlare said. The network of mysterious masked do-gooders are used to getting strange looks from those who might not understand. "People find us odd. People find us eccentric and we know that it's an unorthodox approach to societies problems," Geist said. Even if those problems are as simple as garbage on the street.
Although they don't come across much crime, they will get involved if they have to. If they are called to duty, these real life super heroes could be packing some real life weapons: Wrist rockets, fighting sticks, stun batons, and bullet proof vests. While police said a little extra help is always welcomed, they're afraid this band of self-proclaimed super heroes look more like vigilantes. "To walk around with a stun stick, smoke grenades and other things, that's probably taking it a little too far. That shows that someone probably is taking matters into their own hands more than they should when they should be calling us," said Minneapolis Police Sgt. Jesse Garcia. Some of them explained they have made citizens arrests and even helped in police investigations�which is one of the reasons the heroes stay anonymous. "We do make enemies. The gangs are my enemies in my town. They know that, I know that, and frankly I don't need them to know where I live and I don't need a drive by," Geist said. But for the most part, they're here to spread good will by paying it forward and even spreading smiles along the way.
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S849976.shtml?cat=1