The Initiative Collective
Anti-gay violence prevention initiative
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Initiative Collective (sometimes truncated to simply "The Initiative") is a group of organizations located in cities throughout the United States and internationally .Their goal is to promote personal safety through neighborhood watch activities, self-defense classes, and other forms of outreach.[1][2] They are a part of the Real-life superhero movement.
| Formation | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Location(s) |
Founded in New York City in 2009 by "Zero," "Tsaf," "Lucid," and Zimmer Barnes, the group's initial goal was to patrol the streets of Greenwich Village to stem a rising tide of anti-gay violence.[3][4][5] The New York Initiative (NYI) members started by taking on superhero-like personae to attract attention when talking to the media (though not on the streets),[6] patrolling on longboards and donning bulletproof vests as part of their activities.[3] They were profiled in the HBO documentary, Superheroes.[6][7]
Since 2009, additional Initiative "branches" have been formed across the United States, including California,[8][9][10][11] Washington,[1] Virginia,[12] Illinois,[13] Tennessee, Massachusetts, the central United Kingdom, and Australia.[14]