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    The Initiative Collective: Difference between revisions

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    |status = Active
    |status = Active
    |Leader = (by branch)
    |Leader = (by branch)
    |Members = * [[New York Initiative|NYI]] (founding branch)<br>* [[California Initiative: San Francisco|CAI: SF]]<br>** [[California Initiative: East Bay|CAI: Oakland]]<br>** [[California Initiative: SoCal|CAI: SoCal]]<br>* [[Arizona Initiative|AZI]]<br>* [[Illinois Initiative|ILI]]<br>* [[Tennessee Memphis Initiative|TMI]]<br>* [[Boston-Massachusetts Initiative|BMI]]<br>* [[Washington Initiative|WAI]]<br>* [[United Kingdom Initiative: London|UKI London]]<br> ** [[United Kingdom/Central Initiative|UKI Central]]<br> ** [[United Kingdom Initiative: Liverpool|UKI Liverpool]]<br>* [[Australia Initiative|AUI]]
    |Members = * [[Boston-Massachusetts Initiative|BMI]]<br>* [[California Initiative: San Francisco|CAI: SF]]<br>* [[United Kingdom/Central Initiative|UKI Central]]<br>* [[Washington Initiative|WAI]]<br>
    |image = File:Initiative.jpg
    |image = File:Initiative.jpg
    |caption = Seal of the Initiative Collective
    |caption = Seal of the Initiative Collective
    |Category = Public Service
    |Category = Public Service
    |Allies = [[Legacy Initiative (Utah)]], [[Xtreme Justice League]], [[United Earth Hopeforce]]
    |Allies = [https://legacyinitiative.org Legacy Initiative], [[Xtreme Justice League]], [[United Earth Hopeforce]]
    |foes = Apathy, Crime
    |foes = Apathy, Crime
    |actions = Neighborhood watch, humanitarian outreach, safety education, volunteer services
    |actions = Neighborhood watch, humanitarian outreach, safety education, volunteer services
    Line 25: Line 25:
    ==History==
    ==History==


    ===NYI===
    ===Founding and First National Expansion===
    The [[New York Initiative]] was founded on October 3, 2009<ref>https://www.facebook.com/ZeroNYI/posts/2626615317413496</ref>, as a collaborative effort by [[Jack Zero|Zero]] (PA), [[Zimmer]] (TX), [[Lucid]] (PA), and [[TSAF]] (Detroit, MI), who had relocated to New York for the express purpose of combating violent crime there. This lineup of the NYI was featured in the Documentary "[[Superheroes (HBO Documentary)|Superheroes]]" by [[Michael Barnett]]<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoTOhG9VwQc</ref>, which premiered in January of 2011 at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Slamdance_Film_Festival</ref>
    The Initiative was first founded in New York on October 3, 2009 by heroes [[Z]], [[Lucid]], [[Zimmer]] and [[TSAF]]. They operated as a standalone throughout 2010, and were featured in the 2011 documentary "[[Superheroes (HBO Documentary)|Superheroes]]" by [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0055953/ Michael Barnett].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoTOhG9VwQc</ref>. This documentary appearance attracted numerous new members to the New York team; as well as inspiring the formation of other Initiative teams in other areas under the shared banner of the Initiative Collective.


    ===VAI===
    2011 saw the formation of the [[Virginia Initiative]] in June and [[California Initiative: San Francisco]] in August. 2012 saw the addition of [[Washington Initiative]] in February, [[California Initiative: Los Angeles]] in April, [[Louisiana Initiative]] in June, and [[Arizona Initiative]] and [[Colorado Initiative]] in July. By November of the same year, the Colorado and Louisiana branches had folded, with the latter being quickly reformed and relaunched under different leadership.  
    The NYI opened up its first satellite branch, the [[Virginia Initiative]], in June of 2011,<ref>https://heroesinthenight.blogspot.com/2011/06/virginia-initiative.html</ref> overseen by [[Ira Ui'Raghallaigh]] ("O'Reilly") and [[Deaths Head Moth]]. This also began the practice of actively abbreviating each new branch by its state abbreviation, followed by "I".


    ===CAI===
    2013 saw the introduction of the [[Illinois Initiative]] in February. April brought the [[United Kingdom Initiative: London]], the first international team to join the collective. In July, the [[Tennessee Memphis Initiative]] was founded by former San Francisco team member [[Olde School]]. Also in July, members of the New York, California, and Washington branch embarked on a cross country trip to film the docu-series 'Taking Initiative: Nation of Heroes'<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20130204002601/indiegogo.com/nationofheroes</ref>. Around this time, the Louisiana branch quietly folded for the second time.
    In August of 2011, established [[Real Life Superheroes|RLSH]] [[NightBug]] and [[Rock N Roll]] accepted Zero's offer of a branch, activating the third NYI offshoot: The [[California Initiative: San Francisco]]<ref>http://heroesinthenight.blogspot.com/2011/08/nyi-trial-by-mud.html</ref>.


    ===WAI===
    ===Fractures and Reformation===
    The [[Washington Initiative]] was founded in February of 2012 by [[Drop]] (fka "Bridges").<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/WAI.Seattle/about/</ref><ref>https://citylivingseattle.com/Content/News/City-News/Article/Working-with-the-homeless-Real-life-superheroes-/22/167/89044</ref>
    By early 2014, disagreements began to arise amongst branches, leading to [[Z]] and the New York team severing ties from the greater Initiative Collective in January of that year. This rift led to the collective rebranding itself as the “Hero Initiative”, and the creation of a new New York branch headed by [[Spectre]] and [[Dark Guardian]]. The original NYI would continue on for several months before eventually changing names in June to become [[T.R.I.B.E.]]. This rift would lead to leadership changes amongst many Hero Initiative branches, with some members aligning themselves with T.R.I.B.E. as it expanded into other cities. 2014 also saw the dissolution of the Arizona Initiative.


    ===CAI: Los Angeles===
    In July of 2015, [[California Initiative: Los Angeles|CAI:LA]] leader [[Sakura]] married [[Virginia Initiative]] leader [[Ira Ui'Raghallaigh]], which would ultimately lead to the end of the Los Angeles branch. Later that year, T.R.I.B.E. and Hero Initiative would make amends and unite under the Initiative Collective banner once again. In April of 2016, Olde School would once again relocate from Tennessee to Massachusetts, leading to the formation of [[Boston-Massachusetts Initiative]]. That same month would see  Spectre step down from his leadership role in the NYI and [[Rover]] named as the new leader. This move caused disagreement between the Collective and NYI member Dark Guardian, who subsequently left the team to found the [[New York Ronin]]. The Ronin, much like T.R.I.B.E. before it, quickly expanded into a national network of teams as an alternative to the Initiative Collective.
    After an extended absence from the group he co-founded, former NYI member [[Lucid]] co-found the [[California Initiative: Los Angeles]] with [[Deimos]] in April of 2012<ref>http://cailosangeles.wixsite.com/caila/about</ref>, making it the second branch established in California. NYI member [[Short Cut]] also joined the CAI:LA for a time thereafter.


    ===AZI===
    ===Second National Expansion===
    The first incarnation of the [[Arizona Initiative]] was founded on July 10, 2012 by [[Justin Hackert]], aka "Stitch Oz."<Ref>https://www.facebook.com/ZeroNYI/posts/340257782715939</ref>
    2016 also saw the Collective enter into another period of growth, with the [[Arizona Initiative]] being relaunched in July, followed in September by the [[United Kingdom/Central Initiative|UK Initiative: Central]]. In April 2017, the [[Australia Initiative]] joined the collective, and June saw the creation of the [[California Initiative: Oakland-East Bay]] run by former [[California Initiative: San Francisco|San Francisco]] team leaders [[Rock N Roll]] and [[NightBug]]. August saw the [[Virginia Initiative]] go on hiatus and quietly fold, as well as the addition of the [[California Initiative: SoCal]] team.


    ===COI===
    2018 would bring the addition of the [[United Kingdom Initiative: Liverpool]] in May, followed not long after by the dissolution of the [[United Kingdom Initiative: London|London]] team in October of the same year. One year later, the [[Kansas Initiative]] would join the collective.
    The [[Colorado Initiative]] was activated in July of 2012 by [[Venus Love]] and [[WhiteKnight]].<ref>https://www.facebook.com/ZeroNYI/posts/346802732061444</ref><ref>https://www.facebook.com/InitiativeCollective/posts/413829811996807</ref>


    ===ILI===
    ===Covid-19 Pandemic and Modern Era===
    The [[Illinois Initiative]] was founded on February 11, 2013 by long-time RLSH [[Treesong]].<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/IllinoisInitiative/about/</ref> An earlier, prototype incarnation of the ILI that was based in Chicago did not pan out, and some members of that team went on to form the [[Greater Chicagoland SuperHero Initiative]], and later to [[P.A.T.C.H.]].
    2020 began a period of decline for the collective, due in no small part to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic/ Covid-19 pandemic] and subsequent lockdowns. In April, the Liverpool team ceased operations. July would see the launching of the [[North Carolina Initiative]], which quietly folded in August of the same year. In November, the [[New York Initiative]], which had become largely dormant under the leadership of Rover, was relaunched with a new roster. 2021 would see even more upheaval, with the Illinois and Australia teams ceasing activity in February and April, respectively. October of that year the Kansas team would also become inactive, while the SoCal branch came under the leadership of [[Spectral Hawk]].


    ===UKI London===
    2022 a dispute with other collective members led to [[Sweetie Pie]] withdrawing from the collective, thus ending the [[Tennessee Memphis Initiative]]. 2023 saw even more departures, as the [[New York Initiative]] severed ties with the greater collective to become an independent team once again. Spectral Hawk also left the collective at this time, causing the SoCal team to end. Some time at the end of 2023, the Oakland-East Bay team removed their social media presence; followed shortly after by the Initiative Collective website going offline. The status of the four remaining branches is currently unclear.
    [[Shipwreck]] (then going by "Joe London") founded the [[UKI London]] on April 29, 2013, making it the first international branch.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/UkiLondon/about/</ref>


    ===TMI===
    ==Branches==
    The [[Tennessee Memphis Initiative]] was founded in July of 2013 by former [[California Initiative]] member, Thomas "[[Olde School]]" Strange<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/TMInitiative/about/</ref>, who was responsible for the creation and success of the California Initiative’s successful used needle pickup program.
    ===Active===
    [[Boston-Massachusetts Initiative]]<br>
    [[California Initiative: San Francisco]]<br>
    [[United Kingdom/Central Initiative]]<br>
    [[Washington Initiative]]<br>


    ===T.R.I.B.E. and the "Hero Initiative" Split===
    ===Defunct/Inactive===
    Due to ongoing internal tension, the NYI separated itself from [[The Initiative Collective]] as a whole - and from superhero-style imagery altogether - in 2013, and began using the name "[[T.R.I.B.E.]]". The resulting schism drove the remaining branches to adopt the name "Hero Initiative", and NYI member [[Spectre]] to assume management of the New York branch. After nearly two years, amends with Zero were made in late 2015, leading all branches to reunite under the original "Initiative" banner while Zero went on to pursue other projects.
    [[Australia Initiative]]<br>
    [[Arizona Initiative]]<br>
    [[California Initiative: Los Angeles]]<br>
    [[California Initiative: Oakland-East Bay]]<br>
    [[California Initiative: SoCal]]<br>
    [[Colorado Initiative]]<br>
    [[Illinois Initiative]]<br>
    [[Kansas Initiative]]<br>
    [[Louisiana Initiative]]<br>
    [[North Carolina Initiative]]<br>
    [[Tennessee Memphis Initiative]]<br>
    [[United Kingdom Initiative: Liverpool]]<br>
    [[United Kingdom Initiative: London]]<br>
    [[Virginia Initiative]]<br>


    ===BMI===
    ===Former Members===
    The [[Boston-Massachusetts Initiative]] was founded in April of 2016 by [[Olde School]]<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/BMInitiative/about/</ref>, leaving the TMI in the hands of [[Sweetie Pie]].
    [[New York Initiative]]<br>
     
    ===The Ronin===
    In April of 2016, on-and-off-again NYI member [[Dark Guardian]] left to start his own team, the [[New York Ronin]], which eventually branched out into several satellite groups around the United States.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/NewYorkInitiativeNYI/posts/565555263618213</ref><ref>https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-york-citys-real-life-superhero-civil-war</ref>
     
    ===AZI Returns===
    On July 19, 2016, the [[Arizona Initiative]] is re-activated by [[Corveus]] and [[Luscinia]],<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/AZInitiative/about/</ref> focusing the group on self-defense and personal safety.
     
    ===UKI/Central===
    Based in the Midlands, the villainous [[Lord Mole]] founded the [[United Kingdom/Central Initiative]] as the second UK-based branch in September of 2016.
     
    ===CAI: Oakland/East Bay===
    [[NightBug]] and [[Rock N Roll]] opened the [[California Initiative: East Bay]] on June 11, 2017, making it the third California-based Initiative branch. They left the original SF branch in the hands of [[Shadarko]].
     
    ===AUI===
    Brisbane-based [[Storm Dragon]] founded the [[Australia Initiative]] on April 15, 2017.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/AUInitiative/about/</ref>
     
    ===CAI: SoCal===
    [[Doctor Mystery]] founded the [[California Initiative: SoCal]] on August 22, 2017<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/CAISoCal/about/</ref>, making it the fourth branch to be founded in California.
     
    ===UKI Liverpool===
    Established UK RLSH [[Knight Warrior]] founded the [[United Kingdom Initiative: Liverpool]] on May 18, 2018.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/UKInitiativeLiverpool/about/</ref>
     
    ===KSI===
    Wichita-based [[Sky Knight]] founded the [[Kansas Initiative]] on October 3, 2019.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/pg/KSInitiative/about/</ref>


    ==Gallery==
    ==Gallery==
    Line 92: Line 80:
    ==References==
    ==References==
    <references/>
    <references/>


    ==External Links==
    ==External Links==
     
    {{Website|http://initiativecollective.com/}} (UNAVAILABLE 03/25/2024)
    [http://initiativecollective.com/ Web page]
    {{Facebook|https://www.facebook.com/InitiativeCollective}}
     
    {{Instagram|https://www.instagram.com/initiativecollective/}}
    [https://www.facebook.com/InitiativeCollective Facebook]
     
    [https://www.instagram.com/initiativecollective/ Instagram]


    [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Initiative_Collective Wikipedia entry]
    [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Initiative_Collective Wikipedia entry]


    [[Category:RLSH Groups]]
    [[Category:RLSH Groups]]
    [[Category:RLSH Groups in America]]
    [[Category:RLSH Groups in the United States]]
    [[Category:RLSH Groups in the United Kingdom]]
    [[Category:RLSH Groups in the United Kingdom]]
    [[Category:RLSH Groups in Australia]]
    [[Category:RLSH Groups in Australia]]

    Latest revision as of 20:51, 29 May 2024

    The Initiative Collective
    File:Initiative.jpg
    Seal of the Initiative Collective
    Team Statistics
    Group The Initiative Collective
    Category Public Service
    Headquarters (by branch) 39° 12' 50.01" N, 79° 38' 13.60" W
    Status Active
    Team Activity
    Leader (by branch)
    Members * BMI
    * CAI: SF
    * UKI Central
    * WAI
    Allies Legacy Initiative, Xtreme Justice League, United Earth Hopeforce
    Foes Apathy, Crime
    Actions Neighborhood watch, humanitarian outreach, safety education, volunteer services
    For other uses of Initiative, see Initiative (disambiguation)


    The Initiative Collective (often referred to as "The Initiative," "The ][C," or simply "The ][") is a coalition of several teams of Real Life Superheroes, based in different regions of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The founding chapter was the New York Initiative, after which different branches or "Initiatives" were established.

    The Initiative Collective describes their mission as such:

    "The Initiative is a grassroots group of volunteers who have banded together across states – and countries – to help empower people in their communities by any creative means necessary."[1]

    Many members of the Initiative do not employ superhero-style gimmicks when on street patrol, and some employ them only online or at special events. Notable exceptions include the San Francisco, Oakland, SoCal, Illinois, and UKI Liverpool branches.

    History

    Founding and First National Expansion

    The Initiative was first founded in New York on October 3, 2009 by heroes Z, Lucid, Zimmer and TSAF. They operated as a standalone throughout 2010, and were featured in the 2011 documentary "Superheroes" by Michael Barnett.[2]. This documentary appearance attracted numerous new members to the New York team; as well as inspiring the formation of other Initiative teams in other areas under the shared banner of the Initiative Collective.

    2011 saw the formation of the Virginia Initiative in June and California Initiative: San Francisco in August. 2012 saw the addition of Washington Initiative in February, California Initiative: Los Angeles in April, Louisiana Initiative in June, and Arizona Initiative and Colorado Initiative in July. By November of the same year, the Colorado and Louisiana branches had folded, with the latter being quickly reformed and relaunched under different leadership.

    2013 saw the introduction of the Illinois Initiative in February. April brought the United Kingdom Initiative: London, the first international team to join the collective. In July, the Tennessee Memphis Initiative was founded by former San Francisco team member Olde School. Also in July, members of the New York, California, and Washington branch embarked on a cross country trip to film the docu-series 'Taking Initiative: Nation of Heroes'[3]. Around this time, the Louisiana branch quietly folded for the second time.

    Fractures and Reformation

    By early 2014, disagreements began to arise amongst branches, leading to Z and the New York team severing ties from the greater Initiative Collective in January of that year. This rift led to the collective rebranding itself as the “Hero Initiative”, and the creation of a new New York branch headed by Spectre and Dark Guardian. The original NYI would continue on for several months before eventually changing names in June to become T.R.I.B.E.. This rift would lead to leadership changes amongst many Hero Initiative branches, with some members aligning themselves with T.R.I.B.E. as it expanded into other cities. 2014 also saw the dissolution of the Arizona Initiative.

    In July of 2015, CAI:LA leader Sakura married Virginia Initiative leader Ira Ui'Raghallaigh, which would ultimately lead to the end of the Los Angeles branch. Later that year, T.R.I.B.E. and Hero Initiative would make amends and unite under the Initiative Collective banner once again. In April of 2016, Olde School would once again relocate from Tennessee to Massachusetts, leading to the formation of Boston-Massachusetts Initiative. That same month would see Spectre step down from his leadership role in the NYI and Rover named as the new leader. This move caused disagreement between the Collective and NYI member Dark Guardian, who subsequently left the team to found the New York Ronin. The Ronin, much like T.R.I.B.E. before it, quickly expanded into a national network of teams as an alternative to the Initiative Collective.

    Second National Expansion

    2016 also saw the Collective enter into another period of growth, with the Arizona Initiative being relaunched in July, followed in September by the UK Initiative: Central. In April 2017, the Australia Initiative joined the collective, and June saw the creation of the California Initiative: Oakland-East Bay run by former San Francisco team leaders Rock N Roll and NightBug. August saw the Virginia Initiative go on hiatus and quietly fold, as well as the addition of the California Initiative: SoCal team.

    2018 would bring the addition of the United Kingdom Initiative: Liverpool in May, followed not long after by the dissolution of the London team in October of the same year. One year later, the Kansas Initiative would join the collective.

    Covid-19 Pandemic and Modern Era

    2020 began a period of decline for the collective, due in no small part to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. In April, the Liverpool team ceased operations. July would see the launching of the North Carolina Initiative, which quietly folded in August of the same year. In November, the New York Initiative, which had become largely dormant under the leadership of Rover, was relaunched with a new roster. 2021 would see even more upheaval, with the Illinois and Australia teams ceasing activity in February and April, respectively. October of that year the Kansas team would also become inactive, while the SoCal branch came under the leadership of Spectral Hawk.

    2022 a dispute with other collective members led to Sweetie Pie withdrawing from the collective, thus ending the Tennessee Memphis Initiative. 2023 saw even more departures, as the New York Initiative severed ties with the greater collective to become an independent team once again. Spectral Hawk also left the collective at this time, causing the SoCal team to end. Some time at the end of 2023, the Oakland-East Bay team removed their social media presence; followed shortly after by the Initiative Collective website going offline. The status of the four remaining branches is currently unclear.

    Branches

    Active

    Boston-Massachusetts Initiative
    California Initiative: San Francisco
    United Kingdom/Central Initiative
    Washington Initiative

    Defunct/Inactive

    Australia Initiative
    Arizona Initiative
    California Initiative: Los Angeles
    California Initiative: Oakland-East Bay
    California Initiative: SoCal
    Colorado Initiative
    Illinois Initiative
    Kansas Initiative
    Louisiana Initiative
    North Carolina Initiative
    Tennessee Memphis Initiative
    United Kingdom Initiative: Liverpool
    United Kingdom Initiative: London
    Virginia Initiative

    Former Members

    New York Initiative

    Gallery

    References

    External Links

    Website (UNAVAILABLE 03/25/2024) Facebook Instagram

    Wikipedia entry