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doublescoopz Home : News : Videos : Pictures : Polls : Contact

Superheroes Arrested on the Streets of Hollywood!

The LAPD are cracking down on the Hollywood Blvd. heroes and start by taking away the Caped Crusader in handcuffs...

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By scoopz - 6/4/2010
If you've ever been on Hollywood Blvd. you know that there are people that dress up as some of our favorite superheroes and take pictures with tourists in exchange for tips. For many of them, this is how they make a living. It's not just some sort of hobby. It's how they pay for their next meal. And now, well, they're getting their jobs taken away from them.

The LAPD has begun to clear the streets of all "Heroes". This week, several unlicensed costumed character were arrested. Spider-Man, Batman, and several others were detained in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. The reason? LAPD received complaints form both tourists and shop owners saying that the costumed characters were "getting a bit more aggressive trying to get money and tips."

GeekTyrant had this to say:

"Maybe there are just way too many of these costumed characters out there and it was getting out of control so they are cleaning it up. Hopefully they leave the respectable people alone. Fact of the matter is there were some bad apples in the group and now it's effecting everyone. I would hate to see all of these people taken off the streets, they have been around for years, and have become a Hollywood staple. I think Tourists are expecting and wanting to see these people when they come to Hollywood, not see them being arrested."

Check out the video below from NBC Los Angeles, which shows Batman being arrested right after he was interviewed:

View more news videos at: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/video.

To get a better understanding of what these people go through, watch Confessions of a Superhero on Hulu. It gives you an inside look of the life of a Hollywood Blvd. Hero.

How do you guys feel? Do you think it's wrong or necessary?
Source: GeekTyrant
DISCLAIMER: This article was submitted by a volunteer contributor who has agreed to our code of conduct. ComicBookMovie.com is protected from liability under "safe harbor" provisions and will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. For expeditious removal, contact us HERE.
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43 Comments
elcaballerooscuro92 - 6/4/2010, 9:14 PM
that's so unfair! that is an honest way to make a living.



and i really hope they were costume crime fighters in the real life, they are really neccesary in mexico.
ClaireLannister2016 - 6/4/2010, 9:16 PM
Superhero fail
OriginalPhysco - 6/4/2010, 10:41 PM
SKRULLS!
McLovin - 6/4/2010, 11:38 PM
This is total bullshit. With everything that is wrong with our country, and in the rest of the world, this is where our tax dollars go to? These guys go to jail but the CEO and the entire board of directors for BP get to walk free? We have terrorist organizations threatening our own citizens from within our country and we do nothing about it because of "freedom of speech". Do you know how many people waist the government's money (our money) by being in jail for non-violent crimes? Times like this, I wish we did have superheroes. That way, we could actually see some justice be done.
marvelguy - 6/4/2010, 11:50 PM
@McLovin

Don't the rest of us, the working taxpayers, have the right to not be hassled by somebody in a superhero get up?
It's similar to any bum situation, it's way too hard to figure out who is genuine and who is a scammer.
Local police have nothing to do with things like BP. It's sort of a public disturbance and a level of solicitation.
I hope you write your reps and Senators about those bigger issues that are upsetting you. BP is not criminal. And if not for the environmentalist movement, that well would be on land and we would have capped it within a day or so.
McLovin - 6/5/2010, 12:43 AM
@marvelguy - so they should all get arrested? The ones actually harassing people for money I can kind-of understand (I say kind of because they should be fined on their 1st offense as a warning and arrested if it's an issue that persists), but what about the guys/gals who haven;t done anything wrong? To arrest someone for putting on a costume? A freaking Halloween Costume??? What are we, in Cuba? China? Isn't freedom of expression also protected by our 1st amendment?

johan02 - 6/5/2010, 1:10 AM
I know why they arested that Batman imposter, he wasn't wearing the right hocky pads LMAO!!!!
LEEE777 - 6/5/2010, 6:40 AM
[frick]ing COPS always [frick]ing the little man over!

*******! : D

I think their cool!

[frick]ing P*GS! : D

Check this movie out its pretty cool! =









SkWiRlDaDdY - 6/5/2010, 6:53 AM
Wonder Womans got some massive granny pantys!!!
rsalas - 6/5/2010, 8:02 AM
Hey SirPrize some women like to get choked. Some.
TheSmytheFactor - 6/5/2010, 8:56 AM
I watched that Confessions of a Super Hero movie those people are insane. All they do is bitch about how tough they have it and how poor they are but they get up every day and stand on the street and pressure people into tipping them... why dont they just get a real job and do real work, o cause they are lazy and insane.
MaliciousHero - 6/5/2010, 9:21 AM
Psstttt, little does anyone know. The police cheif, is NORMAN OSBORN! We just have to wait for him to do something like attacking Asguard.

I figure a new Heroic Age will happen in a bit after that.
gizzep13 - 6/5/2010, 9:24 AM
I say taze the lot of them, none of the costumes are very good (except the undernourished superman)It's just a clever way to disguise good old fashioned pan-handling. Good riddance!
TheQuestion - 6/5/2010, 9:59 AM
Damn. I guess you can't be Latino or a superhero in this country anymore.
valeriesghost - 6/5/2010, 11:06 AM
@theQuestion buahahhahahahahahahaha!
alten2345 - 6/5/2010, 11:35 AM
@TheQuestion

No it's just illegal to be a superhero in LA. Being an illegal latino immigrant is just fine :P
Acerimmer1 - 6/5/2010, 12:47 PM
Perfect cover for pimps and drug dealers. No wonder they want them gone.
GeekSexy - 6/5/2010, 1:29 PM
They are not arresting EVERYONE, just the ones that are pushing too hard. It says that right in the article. I live in Hollywood and some of these guys definitely push the parameters of harassment. Technically, it is ALL illegal. There are loitering and panhandling laws being broken; solicitation without a license; and copyright infringement for using licensed characters for profit without consent from the holder of said property (celebrity impersonators not included). I believe that character impersonators are part of Hollywood Blvd and will never go away, but like was mentioned before, there are a few bad apples that need to be picked from that tree.
ThePrince - 6/5/2010, 1:48 PM
@ anil
like really REALLY official?!?
ThePrince - 6/5/2010, 1:58 PM
nm. just seen it for myself. right on
pitchblack - 6/5/2010, 2:20 PM
Hahaha suckers
Blight - 6/5/2010, 2:39 PM
i was just there last week, got my picture taken with batman and betelgeuse (think about it). really nice guys, and they didn't even ask for money, i wanted to. but then when me and my friends wanted a picture with a clone trooper and darth vader they were major dicks about it, they were rude to my friends and demanded to see the money first. it sucks that some folks are just ruinin it for everyone.
Nightwing09 - 6/5/2010, 3:47 PM
Danm pigs
California - 6/5/2010, 4:42 PM
I wonder why Batman was arrested? Contrary to what idiot cops & other idiots think, you can't just arrest someone because in your opinion they should be arrested. This is a good lesson for Americans to learn. We're becoming so accustomed to letting law enforcement do whatever it is they want to do; after all, most people think that they are the ones providing *protection* and "keeping us safe" so they are willing to look the other way & just let more & more laws get passed which subject all of us to more government control.
TheSmytheFactor - 6/5/2010, 5:24 PM
lol actually Batman got arrested because what he was doing was not legal. Loitering, disturbing the peace, Public Solicitation all illegal acts soo law enforcement was pretty much doing their job = enforcing the law. Opinion has nothing to do with it the people on Hollywood blvd are constantly informed of what they can and cant do legally and chose to violate those laws. In reality them standing in that spot all day taking pictures with people isn't legal its loitering, disturbing the peace, etc but the cops allow such to take place because its a tourist attraction to a point. They give those people a break and let them do their thing and some of them take it too far and BREAK THE LAW SO THEY GET ARRESTED
gtrman - 6/5/2010, 5:56 PM
@Scoopz
Did you even watch the video? The arrested a registered sex offender, a guy carrying narcotics, and people chasing other people for money and cursing if the tip is "too small"..

You're fukcing-A RIGHT I want those assholes arrested, but your article makes it sound like EVERYONE is getting arrested. Boy, you sure know how to put a slant on a story. You even say;

"For many of them, this is how they make a living. It's not just some sort of hobby. It's how they pay for their next meal. And now, well, they're getting their jobs taken away from them."

No, their not. The ones out there being decent and not harassing people (and not carrying drugs or have sex offense felonies on their rap-sheets) are being left alone. And incidentally, regardless of how polite they are, if WB and Marvel/Disney wanted to, they would have every right to march on down there and sue every one of them, and the law would be on their side. Incidentally, standing on the sidewalk and asking for money isn't a job, it's being a bum.

This isn't about cops or big business being assholes, this is about assholes getting arrested where deserved.
McLovin - 6/5/2010, 6:06 PM
@TheSmytheFactor - Really? But the problem is that loitering can be left to interpretation. Here is the definition for everyone to see:

1.
to linger aimlessly or as if aimless in or about a place: to loiter around the bus terminal.
2.
to move in a slow, idle manner, making purposeless stops in the course of a trip, journey, errand, etc.: to loiter on the way to work.
3.
to waste time or dawdle over work: He loiters over his homework until one in the morning.

I'm quite confident that every single one of us could fall under that category at one point or another. Does that mean the police should arrest us?

What about the old laws that were never taken off the books, which could still technically be enforced if their judgment is to do so.

Here, I encourage everyone who has an interest to check out these websites and tell me how much you trust law enforcement to use their judgment when enforcing these laws.

http://www.dumblaws.com/

http://www.loonylaws.com/

check these out and then tell me about what is right and what is justice. The majority should not be made to pay for the errors of the few. If you disagree, look up 1940's Japanese-American Internment Camps and get back at me.

superdog - 6/5/2010, 7:39 PM
It's a fine line between trying to make a living and harassing people. Some of them probably cross it and need to be stopped. It's the same with all people who beg for money. If you stand there with your hand out or a sign asking for money that's fine. If you follow people contuinually asking them then cuss at them and pitch fit if they ignore you that's harrasment. It's a fine line.
Blight - 6/5/2010, 7:41 PM
@McLovin: to cops and the legal system, such terms aren't really left up to free interpretation like that. the only people that can really do that are your judges, and if you're lucky your lawyers might be able to manipulate it, might not. there are dictionary definitions (which you have readily supplied) that honestly would have no hold up in court, and there are legal definitions. And legally, an important part of loitering is "refusing" to listen to an officer and not moving along when you clearly have no business being at that location. You can apply your dictionary definition to every single one of us probably, but have you ever had the nerve, when a cop told you to move along, to straight up tell him no, you have the right to stand there all you want? Probably not, cuz judgin by your eloquent language you're smart enough to know you'd have your butt thrown into a cell at the local police station for harassing an officer or something similar if you tried to disrespect a cop like that.

I'm not sayin I like cops. I actually hate the cops on my campus. Me and my friends, a large group of Asian kids, after having a sandwich run at a jimmy-john's, were told to "move along" cuz we were pretty much done, and it was 3 in the morning on a business day. We were pissed at the cop, but we obeyed. Cuz the law enforcement system's here for one thing, regardless of individual cops being jerks. THEY ENFORCE THE LAW. and on the off chance they're doing their jobs right, THEY PROTECT US. without them, society's set systems would crash in seven kinds of horrific.

but hey, i'm from a town where cops actually protect people. what do i know, right?

i agree with gtrman. like i said in a previous post, i've met some of these folks just last week. for the most part, they're friendly folks; some of the ones i met are just small-time actors trying to get by with the time they got while waiting for their small breaks, and having fun with it too. but then you have the few who harass the tourists, one of which actually calling one of my friends a "cheap b%$ch" for not wanting a picture with him, and then proceeding to chase after her in a menacing manner (then again, hard not to walk in a menacing manner if you're dressed like Darth Vader). In any case, just because the majority shouldn't pay for the errors of the few does not mean the few can be ignored, and the most efficient way of dealing with those few and keeping the peace is to arrest them.
McLovin - 6/5/2010, 9:18 PM
@Blight - you do bring up an interesting point. As did grtman. My rant was related to those who were told not to show up, and for doing so were arrested for simply being there. I am not a fan of the fact that some individual law enforcers abuse their power and use them as a way to intimidate regular civilians.

But I do agree that our society needs the police. I'm sure everyone would agree with that statement if they ever needed to call them for assistance. Now as far as the comment you made: "to cops and the legal system, such terms aren't really left up to free interpretation like that. the only people that can really do that are your judges, and if you're lucky your lawyers might be able to manipulate it, might not." That may be so, but you still spent the night in jail and probably some money to make bail and on a lawyer to get you off. Shit, if they arrest you on Friday, you prob spent the whole weekend in jail because some cop was having a bad day or because you were dumb enough to push the limits.

You're right, I've never been stupid enough to provoke a cop or test their limits, but it still upsets me that some of these folks were arrested without actually doing anything wrong, besides simply being there in costume.

p.s. what happened to you and your friends was wrong also and if that is the case, you guys were within your rights to defend yourselves. Me? I would have shown him how strong the Force was with me on that day and beaten the fcuking midichlorians right out of the sum bitch!

CaptainLoser - 6/5/2010, 9:51 PM
From the video shown here, ANYONE dressed in a costume was arrested without even demanding tips. I wonder if one could be arrested for just walking down the boulevard in a costume without stopping to loiter?
Ranger14 - 6/6/2010, 5:24 AM
It SHOULD be a crime to have puny, wimpy guys playing the part of superheroes. Batman looked like a school girl next to that cop. :P

Watcher - 6/6/2010, 5:49 AM
get a job?
McLovin - 6/6/2010, 9:31 AM
@ Ranger14 - I can't argue with that. If you are going to pose as a superhero, you should first pay your dues in the GYM!!!
scoopz - 6/6/2010, 9:36 AM
@gtrman They aren't the only ones being arrested! they're doing a complete sweep. they were told not to come! and if they did, they were arrested. the fact that any of them were guilty of previous crimes is a coincidence.
scoopz - 6/6/2010, 9:41 AM
and another thing. When you've been doing something your whole life, been living a certain way as far back as you can remember, it's hard to make that big of a change that quick. I agree with the fact that it's very possible to find a new job (even in this economy)and they probably should've had one in the first place (who knows. maybe they did). But the thing is, they shouldn't have had this taken away from them either. It's pretty ridiculous how many of you are missing the point of the article.
Yourdaddydevilandlord - 6/6/2010, 11:59 AM
How awesome would it be to buy weed from Batman! Or a piece of ass from Wonder Woman! I thought they were going to say copyright infringement because they get money using that property.
HeyVanity - 6/6/2010, 6:57 PM
I saw that movie about awhile back, and those people really are crazy...
HeyVanity - 6/6/2010, 6:57 PM
I saw that movie about awhile back, and those people really are crazy...
Ranger14 - 6/6/2010, 10:45 PM
...and what's with the string bean goofy looking Superman? Arrest him for the love of all that is right and good! :P
REAL213 - 6/7/2010, 12:24 AM
@Leee777 that girl jennifer that is dressed like wonder woman in the movie used to live in my apartment building, i used to hit on her by our pool all the time.

sadly i did not tap that :(
marvelguy - 6/7/2010, 7:07 AM
@McLovin,

I think it's cliche that when police are dispatched to do their jobs, suddenly we're a communist country.
Do we know if regular people complained? Do you want to wade through a sea of free-loaders who may or may not hassle you? Like I said, it's similar to the vagrant scenario. Some are vets and others are dirtying the vet name. If they are wholesale corralling every goof in a costume, it's wrong. But if there is an ordinance that says you cannot hide your identity, then the law rules.
McLovin - 6/7/2010, 8:19 AM
@ marvelguy - I hear ya bro, but it seems a little extreme to simply arrest everyone. Sure they are not contributing to society, but it seems they serve a purpose as tourist attractions. I just hate it when we take such a harsh and simplistic approach and just resort to "Arrest them all!!!" I think putting innocent people in jail is never the best solution.

Oh, and concerning your "you cannot hide your identity" comment ... works for these gals doesn't it?



But their protected under the 1st Amendment as well. I hate it when the same law can be used to protected a select few, but be ignored towards others. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not an extremist and I obviously know that freedom of religion trumps freedom of expression, but sometimes they walk hand in hand.

Hey, I'm a marvel guy myself, so you have my respect as it is, but we still have quite a bit of work to do as far as how our system seems to benefit some more than others. It will be a lot of work, but I'm confident we'll get there.

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