Reflection 9

If I was told that I had to construct a costume to wear on my nightly adventures to help the streets of Carol Stream, I would make sure not to wear any spandex or tights. I feel that the average superhero costume almost puts off a negative image to the public that “this guy is crazy for wearing a speedo over some red tights.” I think a more practical outfit would be a uniform that is similar to a police officer, but make it more "civilianized." What I am imagining right now is like an outfit for the neighbor watch, but with body armor, civilian grade utilities to both defend and scare off predators. Under the uniform would be a bullet proof vest, just for safety precautions, and the back of the uniform would have a neighborhood watch symbol, but obviously it would be more “badass” looking. The uniform would be all black, with protective vest reflectors on the front and back so when I was walking the streets, people could see where I was and not run me off. This could be a disadvantage, but it would be smarter than wearing all black. The material used for the uniform should be Kevlar, so I would not have to worry about knifes tearing into my skin if I was attack and I would  be double protected from a gunshot with both the bullet proof vest and the Kevlar uniform. And lastly, I would make sure to have a walkie-talkie that would go directly to the police station in case I needed back up or to call in a civilian arrest. Most importantly, my name would be "Nightwatch."

My general work would consist of paroling the streets, checking on houses where the owners had left for vacation, helping drunk people get home from the bars, and prevent sexual predators from kidnapping kids. I would drive around on a nice Yamaha motor cycle, jet black, so I could chase after robbers fleeing the scene of a crime and to also drive people to safety. There has been recent development in the older parts of Carol Stream where younger children are attempting to establish “gangs.” I use the term “gang” loosely, but I would make sure to prevent conflict between other gangs and crimes associated with gangs from increasing. There is also a problem with families not getting enough food on the table for their families, so I would also make sure to develop food drives for the less privileged, but I would make sure to keep it year round and not just on special occasions.

In the documentary, I identify most with Zetaman and the New York Initiative, because they have more legitimate forms of combating problems on the streets. For the New York Initiative, they bait criminals on their rounds around the city, which I think is a great idea because it pulls out the creeps and prevents them from attacking a bystander walking home from work or to a friend’s house. But they also helped people out, like we saw in the movie, when the man had his foot ran over and they made sure to help him out and ultimately get him home safely. As for Zetaman, he went around and gave out care packages to the people living on the streets, out of his own money, and regularly.