Bank robbers and gay ghosts, and I’m still not done unpacking
I’m back! (I’m sure you didn’t know I was gone)
I moved to a new building on Friday, leaving behind the supposed haunted Pacific Electric Lofts, and moved a mile down the street to the National City Bank building. So I had to leave GhostTheory’s other editor, Joe Ruiz, to pick up the slack. Thanks Joe!
The new building (National City Tower) used to be the Los Angeles National City Bank. The building, bank and vault was completed in 1924. Being located in Spring street, it quickly became more and more popular amongst other financial institutions in and around the same street, earning the nickname “The Wall street of the west”.
The other day, while trying to look for the recreation room and gym, I found the old bank vault.
Now this is strange. The vault is located in the basement of the building. In a maze of hallways and other chambers that seem to be fortified with 2 feet of cement. In this maze like bastion, I got the feeling of being watched or followed.
Of course I was aware that it was my over-active imagination or the Electromagnetic fields from the two chamber electrical room that looks like it can power the whole downtown area.
As I opened the gate that leads to the basement, a strong gush of wind comes up through the stairs and pushes me back. Humid and stale, the air smells like money and cement. It’s dark down there, the construction is still not complete. No time to be paranoid now. Following the hallways and going through about 4 to 5 doors, I found the old vault. Flawlessly built, it’s an impressive sight. Sturdy and looking brand new. A worthy challenge to any robber for sure.
The vault at National City Tower Lofts (old National City Bank)
I start to wonder how many bank robberies took place here. How many of those were successful? how many failed? I’m sure if there was such a thing as residual hauntings or residual memory this would be an impressive picture. I have not had the time to really investigate the history of this building, but I will. As soon as I get settled in. I left the basement quickly when I heard a door close down the hallway. Knowing that I was the only one down there (since there are about 10 other tenants in this new building) I got freaked out. Ghosts robbers or not, I don’t want to find out.
Why don’t I want to investigate my building?
I’ve gotten comments on GhostTheory about how we should go investigate this place, or take EVPs of some other place and so on. Let me just state that this is not the purpose of GhostTheory. We really do not like the way modern paranormal investigations are heading. More and more we see TV shows coming up with a reality show that some how involves the paranormal. As if this was a fad or a joke.
Recently we were asked to appear on a new show that is being filmed in L.A. I won’t name the show but the premise of it is a group of “beautiful” young girls spend a night at a haunted place. Their misadventures are recored in a blair witch type of camera angle. Now the producer that contacted us wanted a paranormal researcher/ historian to talk about the haunted place and walk the girls through the building. Explaining the haunting to the girls and the cameras.
Of course we had to decline. Although the publicity could have been great for GhostTheory, we feel that it would not have been a wise decision for two reasons. One, GhostTheory is a debunking site and we approach the paranormal with logic. Two, we cannot betray our readers. Most of GhostTheory’s readers are well informed individuals who seek the truth. Not cheap thrills. Like us, our readers believe in the possibility of ghosts and hauntings, but are not easily fooled with all these TV shows out there, as well as a lot of these so called “Ghost hunters”.
Take for example this group I came across. Queer Paranormal.
No, I’m not prejudice against a person’s sexual orientation; but you tell me what is the point of a ghost hunting group that seeks to find gay ghosts? This is irrelevant. And quite shameful if I may say.
Say there is such a thing as ghosts. What scientific advantage would we gain to find out a ghost’s sexual preference? I’ve read cases of people being practical jokers in life, and when they died, their ghost was said to have continued playing pranks on people. If a person was a joker in life, most likely they will be a joker in the afterlife. If a person was gay in life, most likely will have the same feelings in the afterlife.
Breaking stories of hauntings in which a ghost is said to “unzip the pants of male employees” in a local pub is detrimental to the serious researchers and parapsychology itself. I’m sure the people running this Queer Paranormal are not really serious on what they do. Why do people form “ghost hunting” groups like it’s no big deal? as if it’s something to do as a past time?
I believe this is why there is no real funding for parapsychology out there. Most people think of it as a joke. When we start segregating the ghosts and hauntings by the sexual preference of the ghost, then we start to dismantle the seriousness of the paranormal. Gay ghosts, angry ghosts, joker ghosts are all in the same boat right now. No one knows for sure if they exist. No money is being given to serious researchers for studies. I think it’s important to remember the paranormal for what it is, a theory made up of claims we cannot verify. As far as science goes, if it cannot be proven, then it’s a theory. A Ghost Theory.
Written by Javier Ortega - javier@ghosttheory.com
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Good for you guys! Principles tend to fly out the window whenever money becomes involved – or fame. The exposure is a double-edged sword. Done properly, it can show that paranormal interest and belief are not the exclusive province of spacy psycics or over-excited teenagers. The “everyone else has a hit paranormal show and we need one too” cheapens the field and puts it right back in the realm of carival side-show. Too bad that was the type of show you were offered. Sensational beats sane, as usual.
Great site, BTW. Found you last week (thanks, Our Stange World!) and have enjoyed scrolling through your archives. Keep up the good work!
Marie,
Thanks for the comment.
Yea, exposure could be tricky I assume. We always try to keep a leveled head when reporting on stories or news. Most of the time we find that a logical explanation fits best. Then there are those times that no matter which way you look at the evidence, you know science cannot explain it. And that’s what makes it more exciting.
Enjoy the site!
To answer the question of why have a site entitled “Queer Paranormal” and address it at all, I respond with a simple “because it hasn’t been touched by other investigators.” People can concentrate on railroad ghosts, haunted ships, and regional haunts (as I did in northeastern Ohio for over a decade previously) and no one bats an eyelash. Yet bring up sexuality and the question of different sexual orientations in ghosts and hauntings and it ruffles a few feathers. All I had ever heard of with gay and lesbian ghosts prior to doing research was crude jokes and disbelief. So, I decided to delve into it further. Not everyone just says “so what?”
I disagree that stating experienced phenomena at haunted locations, however odd or unusual, is “detrimental” to paranormal investigating. The same goes with the assumption that I’m “not serious about what [I] do” or some crackpot “team” organized ad hoc overnight. I’ve belonged to numerous groups over the last 13 years, including my own at one point, and conducted hundreds (if not thousands) of investigations, as well as lectured on the truth and reality behind legends, investigating, etc. Yes, there are hundreds of “ghost hunters” across the globe who seriously need both a reality check and less “orb photos”, but there are some like myself who don’t believe every speck of dust is a spook, every cold breeze or thump is a haunting.
The whole point of my leap into a radically different ghost topic was to break outside the unspoken understanding that ghosts are somehow inherently straight. To compile tales, legends, and hauntings brushed aside and ignored. It’s not some vehement attempt at badgering people into believing or disbelieving, just informing people of the stories. I’m a firm believer in letting people decide for themselves what they believe true or false. And there’s absolutely no harm in that.
Ken Summers,
Thanks for writing in.
I still stand by my statement. What is the purpose and scientific advancement of creating a ghost hunting group that reports homosexual ghost activity? For example in your site you have reports of homosexual ghosts that “unzip the pants of male employees”. Referring to a haunted business.
Does that not reinforce the stereotype that gays are sexually uncontrollable? When ignorant, straight men do not want to be in a room with a gay male because they think that they will be sexually violated.
I see it all the time, people treat homosexuals like the way lepers are treated.
So why report on things like “queer ghosts” that unzip male employees pants? Because the subject is not talked about? really? You do not see what is detrimental about this when it comes to scientific research? Or even to the gay community?
Granted, it’s a clever niche to go into. In a predominately large gay community, this might work. I do not have anything against you, I just question the way you approach the paranormal. And again, this is just my opinion (of course)
Javier,
For starters, it’s not a “ghost hunting group”; just like the Haunted Cuyahoga portion of the site, it’s meant as an informative site telling of reportedly haunted locations. In both cases, I try to emphasize public locations or places people can visit. The reason for this is simple: viewers can go to them and see for themselves if there is any truth to the haunting and form their own opinion.
As far as stereotypes and reinforcing them, that particular tale is one of approximately 50 places I’ve researched (not all of which are on the site). As with any stereotypes, there are bound to be cases where they are confirmed. But this doesn’t mean that all the rest reinforce any stereotype. It would be wrong of me to eliminate stories which could be viewed as stereotypical to censor or “polish” the appearance of any segment of society. I researched a local case of an Irish ghost who owned a tavern. Does that mean to imply that all Irishmen are drunkards, as is the common stereotype? Not at all. It’s just a part of history which happens to coincide with a stereotype.
Yes, I do see how such tales can be viewed as “detrimental” by some people, yet the sad fact of history is that we often overlook anything viewed as “improper” or unflattering. We sterilize history and turn it into what we want to believe. I like to lay the cards out on the table as they’re dealt. I report on the facts or information as it has been relayed, not only the things which have a positive light. This is also true of other stories on the site, including a theater in Florida allegedly haunted by a former manager murdered in a hate crime robbery. I don’t look at the stories through rose-colored glasses; each is a tale of humanity, or the lack thereof. And it is sometimes shocking or controversial.
But ghosts (whether they exist or not), just like living people, come in all forms. Some are rotten to the core. Some are happy-go-lucky or have a sense of humor. The human race is not all good. Why deny something unpleasant when it’s real? (By that I mean human behavior, not the paranormal.) For every positive story, there is a negative one. They go hand-in-hand.
One story out of 50 coinciding with a stereotypical view doesn’t automatically make that stereotype true of all people. Will it upset some people? Probably. But reality does have a way of upsetting people. I’m just telling ghost stories as I find them. Some are cheerful while others are sinister, depressing, despicable, or grotesque. But that’s true with all stories, fiction or non-fiction. And the stories on my website are just that: stories. They are free of agenda. People can take from them what they wish (everyone interprets everything differently anyway). I’m not here to promote the gay community in a crisp, ultra-clean light. I’m not here to badger people into believing or disbelieving in the paranormal. I just take on the role of storyteller and reporter.
I have my own opinions… boy, do I have my own opinions… but I do my best to be as neutral as possible on the site. I save the humor and opinions for my blog. And even there, I’m an equal-opportunity annoyer. But I do believe that anywhere we look, there is humor to be found in humanity…
Ken Summers,
I think I can finally understand were you are coming from.
I do not want you or anyone to think that we like to “polish” any media here at GhostTheory. As you can see, we question everything!
Taking a step back, I can say that I was wrong to cast judgment on your site. I still cannot fathom how tracking “gay ghosts” can help the paranormal, but if I really think about it, maybe I can.
Every aspect in this field needs to be analyzed, regardless of how silly it sounds. There is not enough information known about the paranormal to be a single focused research.
To me, your research seemed like an attempt at capitalizing on some gay community.
Let me apologize if I offended you.
Honestly I should know better about being more open minded when it comes to the type of research that is done.
looking back at it, you say that you only report on these cases and show the evidence to the readers so that they can form an opinion. That’s what GhostTheory is all about. So why not do it with reports on gay ghosts?
Ken, thank you for writing in and letting us know what you are about.
I wish you luck and hope we can do something in the future!
-Javier
WELL I GOTTA SAY THIS IS PRETTY FUNNY…WEATHER YOU LIKE GIRLS GUYS HORSES,PIGS,GOATS,DOGS….TRYING TO FIND A GAY GHOST IS PROBALLY IS LIKE FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK…..UNLESS YOUR AT LEBERACHIES HOUSE….I CAN HEAR THE E.V.P. NOW,OF SHOW TUNES BEING SUNG.I WOUNDER IF GAY GHOSTS BEDAZZLE THERE JEANS ON THE OTHERSIDE THIS IS JOHNIE.D BRING TO YOU ALL THE “BROOKLYNS” POINT OF VEIW…FEEL FREE TO WRITE ME…..OHH AND WHATS UP JAVIER
OHHH I ALMOST FOR GOT THAT WAS DIRECTORS LOG 5R6J3D68DFU6DJ6GWED5R8F98
JOHNIE.D,
Thanks for the shout out!
I think finding a “gay ghost” might be more difficult than anything, you’re right.
It doesn’t hurt to try though…..
oh yea, “director’s log” LOL.