Monday, October 20, 2008

Free the dark knight!


Well, he is free, on $250 bail, but Walsh Ian Nichols, who likes to dress up like Batman and hang around clubs in Ybor City was arrested last week.
He was charged with "wearing hood on street" and not having a valid motorcycle license. Wearing a hood in public has been a law on the books in Tampa since 1951, initially designed to thwart members of the Ku Klux Klan from sporting their regalia in public. Similar to Elliott Ness finally nailing Al Capone on tax evasion, Tampa's untouchables defeated racism once and for all by legislating hats. It's still in effect today and is usually used against criminals who wear masks while committing felonies like armed robbery.
As far as Batman goes, Nichols resembles Adam West more than Christian Bale. He just doesn't look like the relentless, grim vigilante who's committed his life to the eradication of evil. But he also doesn't look like a threat to public safety either. Why does Nichols feel the need to dress up like Batman and patrol the streets of Ybor? Who cares. The point is, do we want to live in a city...a world, where there can't be a Batman? There are plenty of warped individuals out there who follow their dark, twisted obsessions intent on doing us harm. Can't we have just one who follows his with the intent of serving the public good, even if that just means high-fiving and posing for photos with tourists?

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