IamA Nameless Crusader, a Real Life Superhero; a nutjob who patrols around in a costume! AMA!

Why not join the police and get paid for it too?

Through the week, I actually have a job in my field that I absolutely love! Doing what I do in my RLSH capacity, I feel more free at times than an officer. No red tape, no long list of policies and negative public scrutiny--as long as I stay on the good side of the law, I really have no fear of retribution from up above.

What kinds of crime do you intervene in most? What would make you say " fuck this im out"?

Usually drunken fights, assaults, that sort of thing. While we've never managed to come across a mugging or sexual assault in progress, I think just being in the areas we patrol is enough to deter them. We might not be taken seriously as a physical threat, but usually they'd rather not deal with the consequences!

As far as FTIO (Fuck This, I'm Out) situations, anything where the police are already involved, or come into play part way through, we're usually no longer needed and/or in the way, aside from providing evidence and witness testimony. That's usually our cue to Bug Out.

Since you don't use weapons, do you have any hand to hand combat or self defense training? I'm from Seattle and I know Phoenix Jones trains MMA. You ever met Phoenix?

Never met the fellow in real life, but he was part of my inspiration of getting out here and doing this!

Sadly, I do not have martial arts experience at this point in time. My current schedule of work, combined with the commute, does not allow for the time. Maybe that's just an excuse, maybe I should find the time!

I want this guy to team up with Phoenix Jones and some of his other pals and then have a disagreement about some policy moving forward that ends up in them having a huge fight at SeaTac but somehow they end up in Russia and then become friends again.

Usually, I go by the rules of the Op leader. Following House Rules usually avoids most conflicts of policy.

Edit: So, if I was working with Phoenix in seattle, it would be his show, his command. Likewise, if he, for whatever reason could convince him to do so, was helping us out here in Oshawa, it would likewise be expected he would follow Aftershock's lead. (leader of the group I'm in here, the Justice Crew of Oshawa)

You guys seen awesome, the world needs more people like you! It's a good thing you're doing, but you keep it fun and lighthearted as well, and I think that's a really good things to see sometimes.

As for a question, how long did you prepare to do this/how long did it cost before you felt safe enough to go out? What's your best story?

It took about a year from initial conception of the idea, to me actually having the balls to put my gear on and meet up with Aftershock, the OG oshawa superhero. That included collecting all my initial gear (I did not have as good a job at the time, so my gear was rather... lacking at the time), and researching different laws, other existing RLSH, and slowly building up the courage to go out.

As for my best story, it's probably Christmas of last year when I did a guest patrol for the Trillium Guards of Ontario (A collective of Toronto-based superheroes), where we did this massive handout including a trolley full of waterbottles, 30+ McDonalds sandwiches, at least 50 articles of random donated clothing, and equally as many pairs of socks, various goodie bags including home-prepared foodstuffs, hygiene items, etc. There's probably more I'm forgetting off the top of my head, but it took 3 of our group's cars to transport everything to the Op setup site!

That's really cool! Thanks for the response!

No problem!

What's your relationship with local law enforcement?

Over 3 years, we've built up a good rap; by not getting in their way, breaking any laws, or otherwise making them mad. I'm sure their expectations of RLSH are poisoned by some bad apples in the community; but currently, I think their opinion of us straddles somewhere between 'tolerates us' and 'supports us'

Does anyone not make fun of you mercilessly? Do you try to intervene in fist fights in which either participant could beat you senseless? Do you carry weapons?

It actually kind of varies. Some nights we have every joe in Oshawa yelling 'Faggots!' at us out the window of his car, other nights we go without so much as a single mocking giggle.

As far as intervening in fist fights were we're obviously out of our league, of course! We do wear armor (our gear is as functional as it is colorful), so we can handle getting beat around like a throw pillow without MUCH risk of serious/permanent injury. A broken bone or two, sure, but we accept the risks when we go out. (A lot of people wrongly assume we're teenagers; we're actually older adults--I'm late 20s, my partner is early 30's)

As previously mentioned, no, we do not carry weapons for legal reasons. Gotta stay on the good side of the law!

we can handle getting beat around like a throw pillow without MUCH risk of serious/permanent injury. A broken bone or two, sure

What bones have you had broken intervening in physical altercations? What's the worst beating you've endured?

Getting smashed over the head with a big ass tree branch is about the worst we've endured so far. While not as an RLSH, I've suffered an adult's fair share of broken bones and injuries in my life to know what to expect when that day comes.

Every come across any super villains?

Amazingly, such people exist, at least on social media. Mostly it's just satire accounts though. I've yet to meet someone who legit tries to be a villian in a classic sense.

What's your usual go-to move when you come across a dangerous situation? For example, if you see someone getting mugged, do you step in and try to resolve the situation, call the police, or what?

I usually operate with my partner, so in situations like this, we'll have one person stay back and immediately call into 911 for assistance, while the others approach and intervene if necessary. We take photos of the suspect if we can before he is aware of our presence, and either A) maneuver defensively if he becomes aggressive towards us; applying a citizen's arrest if there is no other option; or B) following suspect at a safe distance if he/she flees, gathering as many details as we can (direction of escape, license plate, etc)

At the end of the day, we aren't trying to be a badass and fight every criminal element in the city--we're trying to save that guy or gal who's unfortunate enough to have found themselves in a mugging or sexual assault.

Do you have a sidekick or protégé? Do you have a power that justifies being a superhero rather than a benevolent vigilante? What's your origin story? What's your favourite food? Who does your tailoring? Have you made any enemies? Do you watch TV? Brooklyn Nine-Nine? How many questions am I allowed to ask?

Do you have a sidekick or protégé?

Nope! I'm actually the sidekick in this! The group I'm part of, the Justice Crew of Oshawa, is led by a hero named Aftershock, who I operate under!

Do you have a power that justifies being a superhero rather than a benevolent vigilante?

Actually, there is a difference between an 'RLSH' and a vigilante: An RLSH follows the law, whereas a vigilante takes it into their own hands. As far as powers go, I can cook a pretty mean Scotch Bonnet stir fry! Does that count?

What's your origin story?

I was one of many inspired by the original Kick-Ass movie! Underneath the violent hollywood dressing, it DID have a very important message.

What's your favourite food?

I love spicy things! The hotter the better.

Who does your tailoring?

I actually have yet to use a tailor, haha. Maybe soon when I buy a good suit!

Have you made any enemies?

Mostly a lot of keyboard warriors, but there have been a time or two where, someone I strongly suspect is at least a mid-tier member of drug distribution, uttered a carefully worded indirect threat to us on the street that was several steps above your everyday knucklehead telling you he would kick your ass. The kind that sends shivers down your spine...

Do you watch TV? Brooklyn Nine-Nine?

After I get home from work during the week, I usually veg on Netflix for a while. But no, I've never seen Brooklyn Nine-Nine!

How many questions am I allowed to ask?

As many as you want, haha.

Wait. Oshawa? As in Oshawa, Ontario?

Yes sir!

Wow cool!! I can't believe I've never heard of you guys.

We're relatively low-key at the moment, haha.

I wanna know what the drug dealer told you.

It's been two years since this incident, but (paraphrasing) it was something along the lines of, "Be careful guys. I hear some scary people are on the loose around here. It would be a shame if something bad happened to you guys."

Now, it's hard to pick up from text format, but the tone of his voice was extremely implying that he meant himself or his associates.

Do you have a regular (steady) job or is this what you do full time?

I have a full-time job in my dream career during the week that I have during the week (mostly, anways. At work right now, silly weekend OT). I love my job and would never consider switching careers!

Do you carry a gun?

Nope, no weapons of any kind.

Canada's laws about self defense/weaponry are incredibly restrictive, and is often left up to the discretion of an officer.

Rather than risk it, we abstain from anything that could possibly be considered weaponry!

Our gear is mostly defensive; including padded vests, chainmail, motorcycle armor, bulletproof vests, and the like!

What made you start doing this?

Kick-Ass, while being a violent hollywood movie, had a very good point. It made me realize how fed up I was with collective society's lack of shits to give about one another

Lack of shits is an understatement.

What worries me just a little is that some people might see this and go "let's troll them and make an evil organization to rival them! we can call it the Society of Hating, Irritating and Terrorizing!"

Yeah, I just wanted to use "s.h.i.t." as an acronym...

Haha, yes, people have made profiles/groups based on this idea. Thankfully, most of them only appear to be in satire, and not in support of actual, criminal 'villainy'.

Do members in the Justice Crew know each other's true identities?!?!

For the most part, at least insofar as the core members. Each member is left to reveal his identity at his or her own discretion; our only adamant expectation is that our memebers readily identify themselves to law enforcement when they request it.

Who is your nemesis?

There's a particular keyboard warrior who's made it his life's goal to bring annoyance and aggravation to myself and all others who do this sort of thing, including outing the civilian identities of us. Part of the reason we take such (sometimes overboard) precautions regarding our identities!

Besides outing your identities, how does that keyboard warrior try to annoy and aggravate you?

spreading misinformation to discredit what we do, such as false allegations of criminal wrongdoing on our part (while untrue, anything said often enough brings doubt into people's minds), reporting our accounts on social media sites and causing them to get banned, that sort of thing. Just minor annoyances that stack up

If you're the Watchmen, who watches you?

The police know our civilian identities, so if we did run afoul of the law, they'd be on us pretty damn quick.

Colgate or crest?

Colgate, never tried Crest

Have you ever had to testify in court? If you were to testify, would you go to court in costume?

Any information/witness testimony we give to the police is under condition of anonymity. As of yet, our testimony has not been needed in further legal capacity than a statement at initial reporting of the crime; but when that time comes, I'm sure there's laws in place to protect our identities. I'd probably retain legal counsel at the time to assist in that regard.

Do you ever have any trouble keeping your secret identity a secret?

Me personally, no. I take steps to prevent that information becoming readily available.

How do you pick neighborhoods to patrol? Are there any that are too dangerous for you guys?

We usually stick to the downtown core with a radius of about 10km (as this is the area where the police get the most reports of street-level crimes. I'm glad they trust us enough to share that information with us!)

Luckily, Oshawa is pretty tame in comparison with, say, Toronto, so there isn't too many areas we'd avoid; though our exact choices depend on our exact number of members for that specific patrol. Efficiency is key!

How long did it take before you got into your first physical altercation? Did you win?

When you start going out as a RLSH, you learn to stop looking at these sorts of situations as 'win' or 'lose,' and start looking at them as 'success' or 'failure'. If you get the crap kicked out of you but you got the mugging victim to safety, and/or got the perp arrested, it's a success. If you beat the crap out of the guy, but he gets out of arrest because he's the victim of assault, that's a failure.

Whether you win or lose a fight has no bearing on why you're out there doing what you're doing. Hopefully that sheds some light into the psychology of us!

Have you guys ever considered using drones to increase the efficacy and coverage of your surveillance?

Actually, yes, I have! Recently in fact!

Before moving forward however, I have to research the law in regards to the operation of drones, especially when it comes to recording audio/video. It's a bit of murky territory so it may not pan out in our favor. At best, I see us only using it in places like wooded areas and other public/crown land.

Super cool. Thanks for the response and for the inspiration!

No problem!

What would be your recommendation in terms of getting started as a RLSH?

1) Research the laws in your state/province and city. You want to operate to the best of your ability, but also stay on the good side of the law. You want to be able to consent to being searched without fear of something you're carrying having you cuffed and put in the back of a cruiser!

2) If possible, find others who have already gotten into this or are interested in doing so. Having at least one partner is VASTLY safer and more efficient than one lone person. That's not to say you can't do it on your own--you just have to base your game plan a little differently!

3) Figure out what type of gear you'd be using (something I refer to as the Gear Paradigm): Defensive, Agile, Friendly, or Stealthy? The more you lean to one of these, the more you'll notice you lean away from others. Where you fall on this paradigm will play a huge role in your interactions with both the local law enforcement and random passerby on the street, as well as your capabilities in a SHTF situation.

4) Be prepared! Think of every possible situation you could find yourself in, and think of the way you'd best deal with it. That way, you've at least done the mental exercise and aren't caught with your pants completely down!

So uh, what's your name?

Nice try, haha.

Has anyone ever pulled a gun on you? Or, atleast a dangerous weapon?

Unless you consider a 2" thick tree branch a dangerous weapon (I do not), then no.

Oshawa, thankfully, up until recently has been relatively gun-free. You'll have the occasional douche canoe rob a store with a pellet gun, but as someone who has a lot of personal experience with them I can tell the difference usually right away (unless there's some pretty shit lighting. The inside of the barrel is usually a dead giveaway--pellet gun barrels are a LOT smaller, and do not have rifling).

Aside from that, you'd be amazed how hilariously innacurate handguns are in real life. If you and the guy with the gun are moving, you'd be amazed how much of a miracle it would be for him to hit you.

Don't get me wrong, it's always better to be safe than sorry. But due to my personal non-RLSH knowledge of firearms, I'm armed with a strong knowledge of their operation and capabilities that will (Hopefully) give me an edge if and when the time comes.

What's a real-life utility belt look like? Both yours specifically and RLSHs in general. No weapons, as you said, but I'm guessing you carry more than just a flashlight.

I personally opt for a military-style chest rig than a belt, but the idea is the same. Just mounted to a different part of the body (personal preference).

Here's some of the stuff I have at my disposal:

• Disposable camera (for evidence/suspect photography--can be immediately turned over to the police)

• Paracord (multipurpose tool for cordage/survival, and good for bounding during a Citizen's Arrest)

• Emergency whistle

• First-aid kit

• Fire Kit (for starting fires for the purpose of warmth or survival, such as having someone fall in the water during wintertime)

• ID (for police)

• Loose change for homeless/people down on their luck

• Garbage bags for trash collection

• Caution Tape

Major props for helping the homeless and picking up trash- we could use more people like you. How does a citizen's arrest work in Canada? I understand it's based in common law but here in the US it varies widely from state to state and I've never heard it really mentioned outside of store owners holding on to shoplifters.

http://findlaw.ca/learn-about-the-law/criminal-law/article/how-to-make-a-citizens-arrest/

A more official source:

http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/other-autre/wyntk.html

What kind of armor do you wear?

At the moment, a combination of sports-style padding and hard ABS shin/wrist guards and chest/back plate, capable of dealing with most blunt and edged weaponry with a degree of effectiveness. (enough to the point where it will save us from life-threatening injury, anyway)

Due to a very recent increase in firearm offenses in the area though, we are in the process of upgrading to Level III-A armor for small arms.

How could I potentially become a real Life SuperHero as well? Any advice? I'm out in the New England area and I don't know if their are any other people already RLSH that are here.

1) Research the laws in your state/province and city. You want to operate to the best of your ability, but also stay on the good side of the law. You want to be able to consent to being searched without fear of something you're carrying having you cuffed and put in the back of a cruiser!

2) If possible, find others who have already gotten into this or are interested in doing so. Having at least one partner is VASTLY safer and more efficient than one lone person. That's not to say you can't do it on your own--you just have to base your game plan a little differently!

3) Figure out what type of gear you'd be using (something I refer to as the Gear Paradigm): Defensive, Agile, Friendly, or Stealthy? The more you lean to one of these, the more you'll notice you lean away from others. Where you fall on this paradigm will play a huge role in your interactions with both the local law enforcement and random passerby on the street, as well as your capabilities in a SHTF situation.

4) Be prepared! Think of every possible situation you could find yourself in, and think of the way you'd best deal with it. That way, you've at least done the mental exercise and aren't caught with your pants completely down!

Aside from Kick-Ass, were there any other superhero comics/films that helped inspire anything like your costume, name, etc.? Are there any friends/family that you specifically try to keep this secret from, or are you generally open with it as long as you know they will keep it secret?

I try to have as little people in the loop as possible. My SO knows, of course, because relationships should have no secrets.

As far as other inspirations; believe it or not, I was never big into superhero comics! I mean, I watch the Marvel movies, and the internet has exposed me to most popular heroes for the most part. If you see my gear, you'll probably notice it's got more of a Paintball vibe to it.

Thanks for answering! Just an additional question if you want to answer or not; how hard is it to keep it secret from those who don't know? Is there a specific level of cautiousness that goes into it?

Basically, avoid overlap in your everyday life and your RLSH. Refer to your RLSH activities in code, such as 'I'm going out for a walk.'

Obviously, the reason we wear masks is to conceal our face as well.

Hey! I'm wondering. Have you ever been followed to your home by people who try to find your true identity? Has it happened to anybody in your group? Do you have to take particular attention when going home?

We take precautions. Our home base's street is dark and unoccupied, and there's no lights on at time of departure/arrival. It's impossible to see us come and go unless you're right there with a good light.

We always ensure we're free of tails before we make the final leg to HB!

what has been the reaction (if any) of any traditional law enforcement you've had interactions with?

There's always a tinge of apprehension, as there have been a few bad apples in the community that have poisoned the outlook on RLSH; plus, guys walking around at night in masks (despite our colorful outfits) is always a red flag for anyone in law enforcement.

Thankfully, over the past 3 years we've built up a good working relationship with them. Usually when they stop to talk to us, it's just to confirm who we are (as we call in to police dispatch every patrol to let them know we'll be out). The worst we've ever had is one officer ID us with a bit of apprehension

How badly have you gotten beat up?

At most we've had a guy smash us over the head with a big ass tree branch, or punch us in the chest/stomp our shins. We wear armor, so none of these actually affected us.

I can see how a punch in the chest could easily be blocked by body armor, but what kind of protection do you wear to protect you from a tree branch to the head? o-o

Paintball mask, for me. It was up on my head at the time, and absorbed the impact.

Do you think you'll ever be in a relationship?

Haha! This is one misconception that always follows us around. People often think we're manchildren who live in our parents' basement. Thankfully, I have a loving lady I've been in a relationship with for a year now; I have my driver's license, and normally I have a car (Ice on the highway is bad, mmkay). I also have a good job I commute to on a daily basis that lets me live quite comfortably, and funds my RLSH expeditions.

Do you understand that nobody takes you seriously, and the reason they did a news piece on you was to make fun of you?

"Do you understand that nobody takes you seriously" Glad to see the outfit is doing it's job!

The comical nature of our appearance is a VERY strong tool for disarming potentially dangerous situations, and usually ends up in aggressors walking away rather than escalating things. This is extremely useful when we come across an individual getting harassed, mugged, or otherwise assaulted.

As far as the news making fun of us, perhaps you need to refine your subtext skills a bit and rewatch the clip? Nothing about it was particularly mocking in any way!