Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones loses state job after arrest
SEATTLE — Seattle’s masked crime-fighter Phoenix Jones has lost his day job.He's getting exactly what he wants - tons of free publicity. It's interesting that he's a social worker, though - one wonders if perhaps some of the impetus behind the Caped Crusader might be frustration at the things he sees 9-5... Often, the state social workers see the toughest of the tough cases; folks that can't or won't help themselves and have sunk to rock bottom. It's not hard to see someone who really wants to help being frustrated by the red tape and limitations of the bureaucracy.
The superhero — real name Ben Fodor — was informed by the state Department of Social and Health Services he could no longer work with vulnerable children because of his Oct. 9 arrest for investigation of assault. He says he was breaking up a late night fight and used pepper spray in self-defense.
It doesn't excuse his actions, mind you. Deciding to insert one's self into a fight already in progress is such a horrifically bad idea, and he's lucky that getting arrested was his outcome. He could very easily have been shot, stabbed, beaten, or a combination of all three. There's some dispute about whether the "fight" he allegedly broke up was even an actual fight or just folks horsing around after leaving a club, and he may very well have assaulted innocent people out having a good time.
Here's an interesting thought, though. What Jones was doing is vigilanteism, plain and simple. Yet in all of the news reports, the word "vigilante" does not appear. Yes, the word that the media is lightning-quick to apply to concealed carry holders does not appear in news reports about someone that fits the description to a T. It's interesting to see how words mean different things depending on which side of the aisle you happen to stand.
As for losing his job? Well, that's a tough one. The assault charges were dropped, so he has no record. Obviously the powers-that-be at his former employment didn't agree with his extracurricular activities, whether that's enough cause to fire him or not is a matter of state law. Where he's a state employee, though, he must have run afoul of something pretty serious. In any case, he doesn't have Bruce Wayne's millions to fall back on.
It is refreshing, though, to see a "superhero" who didn't need a size XXXL costume...
That is all.
4 comments:
It's only vigilantism if you have a firearm.
{sarcasm}Everybody knows that real superheros don't believe in guns.{/sarcasm}
He could very easily have been shot, stabbed, beaten, or a combination of all three.
That's called a "Detroit Three Way", just for the record.
If the charges were dropped, how can they fire him, especially from a civil service job? Don't get me wrong, I'm all about an employer being able to fire someone, but usually they have to say why. I'm sure that he won't be shy about talking to the media about this, so we may find out sometime soon.
LOL Delta-Bravo: A Massachusetts Three Way is Warm Roast beef on an Onion roll with Sauce, Mayo, and cheese.
Also if you watched the video of Phoenix's arrest it looks to me like he turned a minor scuffle into a serious brawl with hurled bottles and drunks attempting to run the Batman Clone down with their car.
He made a blemish into an honest-to-god mess.
I work for the state of michigan as a foster care supervisor. We are held to a higher standard because we work with vulnerable youth. I'm not defending his firing but i'm not surprised especially if the administration is as gutless as they are here. I definitely have to be anonymous for this post.
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