PAGE A10, KEIZERTIMES, OCTOBER 6, 2017
HEROES,
continued from Page A10
Shield is ex-military and felt
his experiences while deployed
in Afghanistan were something
he could use once he got home.
He began watching the rise of
what was later known as the
Real World Superhero Move-
ment in 2006, but he waited
nearly nine years to fi rst don
the spandex.
Still, there were stumbling
fi rst steps. He did practice runs
in Colorado while stationed
there, but he was as scared of
any encounters with real peo-
ple as they might have been
suspicious of him.
“I basically had the red suit
and belt and a mask. I was
hiding behind cars and mov-
ing around them as other cars
passed. I was totally creeping,”
Shield says.
At one point, an enthusiastic
preteen ran up to him and he
froze. Shield stood up straight
and just stared before the kid
took off running.
“I realized after that I need-
ed to be able to engage with
people,” Shield said.
By the time he assembled
his full costume in Beaverton,
almost everyone got a wave and
a reminder to stay safe at the
very least.
Arachnight’s fi rst contact
didn’t go much better. He went
out on patrol for the fi rst time
the day his mother died and,
like Shield, he wasn’t quite pre-
pared for new role he’d taken
on. He wore a balaclava mask,
a Spider-Man T-shirt, jeans and
tennis shoes. For security, he
slung a large metal baton across
his back. The fi rst two evenings
were uneventful, which is one
of the reasons the third is so
memorable.
“I was walking down a
suburban neighborhood and
I heard this rumbling coming
from the distance. It got closer
and closer and then a pick-up
truck full of teenagers switched
on the headlights and drove
past me honking. Then I heard
this screech and I looked back
and saw the truck reversing,
spin around and head for me,”
Arachnight says.
He did what any wise, na-
scent hero does. He ran. He
ran for three-and-a-half blocks
before turning a corner and
diving into a bush where he
stripped off his mask and web-
slinger T-shirt and left his baton
behind. He re-emerged after
the truck passed.
The truck came back and
asked Arachnight, the civilian,
if he’d seen anyone matching
the description of the guy in
a mask with a six-foot katana.
Arachnight played dumb, but
the high schoolers didn’t call
off the search for another six
weeks.
“I know because I was work-
ing at the local gas station and
I would be fi lling up their tank
while they told me about the
masked man they were looking
for. I had to play it off like ‘that
guy sounds like a real freaking
nutcase,’ then I would go out
on patrol again that night.”
Both men found that don-
ning a mask and superhero
outfi t gave them a sense of mis-
sion that stretched beyond what
they encountered on the streets.
“When I look in the mirror
now, I ask myself what would
GS do? I can’t have a double
standard or be a hypocrite, and
I’ve defi nitely cleaned up my
language,” Shield says.
“I suffer a lot of anxiety and
low self-esteem issues. Putting
on the mask awakened some-
thing inside of me. You act
more professional and have a
more heroic demeanor toward
yourself,” Arachnight added.
Both said their heroic perso-
nas felt more like their destinies
than their civilian lives.
“Patrol night comes along
and it’s like this chance to be
who you really want to be. A
lot of times my everyday nor-
mal life feels less natural to me,”
Shield said.
IDENTITY CRISIS
It might have been that
comfort in his superhero skin
that led Shield to try something
new when deciding to patrol
in Keizer. For the fi rst time, he
announced his presence and
intent to patrol online.
The blowback that resulted
from the posting was unex-
pected to say the least. Messag-
es piled up questioning his mo-
tives, his mental state, and just
about everything in between. It
took minutes for someone to
post a photo of him out of cos-
tume with a loved one. Shield
isn’t trying to cover up any-
thing in his past, but he is con-
cerned about the possibility of
upsetting someone who would
target his friends and family.
“Keizer has been the hard-
est town to crack. I don’t want
to get killed if I end up in a
confrontation with someone,”
Shield said. “No other town
has come after me to unmask
me. That makes me nervous.”
There are a number of peo-
ple in Shield’s personal life who
know of his activities. Arach-
night has only a few.
“If I take the mask off then
you know I’m just the guy
who you see walking down the
street and you don’t know I’m
here to help,” Arachnight said.
The initial wave of online
skepticism blew over in a few
days and a few apologies even
cropped up in the mix once
some doubters had time to re-
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Mat and Quentin Evans pose for a photo with Keizer’s new community
superheores at a meet-and-greet in Claggett Creek Park.
fl ect.
Truthfully, community su-
perheroes inhabit a grey area.
Other community superheroes
in other places have run afoul
of the law and even the inhab-
itants of the communities they
set out to protect.
Shield carries a ballistic
shield, a tactical fl ashlight, pep-
per spray, bad dog spray, util-
ity knife, seatbelt cutter, glass
breaker, Taser, a polypropylene
sword that could defend against
a crowbar or bat, and a personal
medical kit.
Arachnight carries mace,
a telescoping baton, tactical
fl ashlight and stun gun along
with his medical kit. He wears
alloy-knuckled gloves, but he’s
also CPR- and fi rst aid-cer-
tifi ed. He counts local police
among his personal heroes.
The sheer amount of gear
is costly, but also legal, and the
totality of it in list form appears
threatening. On the other hand,
Shield fi nds it helps him make
his case when law enforcement
offi cers roll up.
“We’re already a joke and
we look legit. Half of the battle
is won when the police look at
me and see that I’m well-pre-
pared. If you dress like a clown,
people will treat you like a
clown,” Shield said.
When Shield went into
Shari’s earlier in the night, the
manager went pale and imme-
diately said no face masks were
allowed in the restaurant. They
make it a habit not to go too far
into any establishment to avoid
those specifi c types of reactions.
There also aren’t too many
spaces they see as out-of-
bounds. Private residential
property would be taboo, but
they’ll check out dark spaces
around businesses and apart-
ments.
“I’ve walked around places
on patrol I would never walk
around in broad daylight,”
Shield said.
They try to balance their
appearance with friendly de-
meanor and a healthy dose of
humor.
“You never hear of Batman
obeying the ‘No Trespassing’
signs. You have to go where the
bad guys are. It’s not like I’m
going to yell over the fence,
‘You’re lucky you’re not over
here obeying the law,’” Arach-
night says.
“If you were, I’d shake your
hand and congratulate you on
being a good citizen,” quips
Shield.
Shield and Arachnight don’t
have a record of instigation and
don’t intend to start in Keizer.
More than anything, the pair
just hopes to inspire people.
“I love seeing kids’ reactions
and the awe on their faces. I
have a lot of siblings and kids
are a big deal for me. Knowing
I can make someone feel good
puts an insanely large smile on
my face,” Arachnight said.
“My only agenda is to make
superheroes real,” Shield said.
“Why aren’t they real? It takes
a little guts, a little courage, but
there’s strength in numbers.”
Time will tell. But if the
mere presence of a few com-
munity superheroes prevents
some crime along the way, it’s
hard to argue with those mo-
tives.
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