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artistic
April 2008 
Paranoia in Boston, again
Posted on Sep 21st, 2007
by 
Risto
Risto
OK, this convinces to *never* go to Boston. Sorry Bostonians, but the gov't/police there is just out of touch.
I remember just this past January (2007) when Cartoon Network did some creative marketing for their program "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", and Boston officials again panicked. Other major cities that had the same marketing unknowingly placed in those cities said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia. But none overreacted as Boston did.
So, my conservative Bostonians, I will not come there and spend my $$, due to the local gov't that over-reacts to artistic expressions using harmless electronic components.
here's the link to the story below::: AP news
CNN news
By GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago
BOSTON - An MIT student wearing what turned out to be a fake bomb was arrested at gunpoint Friday at Logan International Airport and later claimed it was artwork, officials said.
Star Simpson, 19, had a computer circuit board and wiring in plain view over a black hooded sweatshirt she was wearing, said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the commanding officer at the airport.
"She said that it was a piece of art and she wanted to stand out on career day," Pare said at a news conference. "She claims that it was just art, and that she was proud of the art and she wanted to display it."
Simpson was charged with disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device. A not guilty plea was entered for her and she was released on $750 bail.
During the hearing, Simpson smiled as she entered wearing a T-shirt and sandals. After she posted bail, she left in a taxi with a man who identified himself as her boyfriend, but neither would answer more questions from reporters.
Prosecutor Wayne Margolis had requested $5,000 bail, saying Simpson showed a total disregard for the situation she was in — an airport after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Ross Schreiber, who was appointed to represent Simpson, said she was not a risk to flee, was a good student with no prior convictions and she cooperated with authorities.
He said she had gone to the airport to meet her boyfriend. "She was there for legitimate purposes," Schreiber said.
Simpson was "extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used," Pare said. "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue."
Simpson is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology sophomore from Hawaii, officials said.
The battery-powered rectangular device had nine flashing lights, and Simpson had Play-Doh in her hands, Pare said.
The phrases "Socket to me" and "Course VI" were written on the back of her sweatshirt, which authorities displayed to the media. Course VI appears to refer to MIT's major of electrical engineering and computer science.
Simpson was a member of MIT's swimming and diving team in 2006, according to the team's Web site, which lists her hometown as Kihei, Hawaii. MIT spokeswoman Patti Richards said aside from confirming she was a student, the school did not have any comment.
She was arrested about 8 a.m. outside Terminal C, home to United Airlines, Jet Blue and other carriers.
A Massachusetts Port Authority staffer manning an information booth in the terminal became suspicious when Simpson — wearing the device — approached to ask about an incoming flight, Pare said. Simpson then walked outside, and the staffer notified a nearby trooper.
The trooper, joined by others with submachine guns, confronted her at a traffic island in front of the terminal.
"She was immediately told to stop, to raise her hands and not to make any movement, so we could observe all her movements to see if she was trying to trip any type of device," Pare said. "Had she not followed the protocol, we might have used deadly force."
Pare said Simpson took a subway to the airport, but he was not sure if she had the device on at that time.
The major praised the booth attendant, but said the incident is a reminder of the terrorism threat confronting the civil aviation system. Two of the four passenger jets hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, took off from Logan.
The city was the focus of a major security scare Jan. 31 when dozens of battery-powered devices were discovered in various locations. Bomb squads were deployed and some transportation links were closed temporarily. They turned out to be a promotion for the Cartoon Network.
___
Associated Press writers Mark Jewell and Rodrique Ngowi contributed to this report.
I remember just this past January (2007) when Cartoon Network did some creative marketing for their program "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", and Boston officials again panicked. Other major cities that had the same marketing unknowingly placed in those cities said the devices have been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia. But none overreacted as Boston did.
So, my conservative Bostonians, I will not come there and spend my $$, due to the local gov't that over-reacts to artistic expressions using harmless electronic components.
here's the link to the story below::: AP news
CNN news
By GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago
BOSTON - An MIT student wearing what turned out to be a fake bomb was arrested at gunpoint Friday at Logan International Airport and later claimed it was artwork, officials said.
Star Simpson, 19, had a computer circuit board and wiring in plain view over a black hooded sweatshirt she was wearing, said State Police Maj. Scott Pare, the commanding officer at the airport.
"She said that it was a piece of art and she wanted to stand out on career day," Pare said at a news conference. "She claims that it was just art, and that she was proud of the art and she wanted to display it."
Simpson was charged with disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device. A not guilty plea was entered for her and she was released on $750 bail.
During the hearing, Simpson smiled as she entered wearing a T-shirt and sandals. After she posted bail, she left in a taxi with a man who identified himself as her boyfriend, but neither would answer more questions from reporters.
Prosecutor Wayne Margolis had requested $5,000 bail, saying Simpson showed a total disregard for the situation she was in — an airport after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
Ross Schreiber, who was appointed to represent Simpson, said she was not a risk to flee, was a good student with no prior convictions and she cooperated with authorities.
He said she had gone to the airport to meet her boyfriend. "She was there for legitimate purposes," Schreiber said.
Simpson was "extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used," Pare said. "She's lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue."
Simpson is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology sophomore from Hawaii, officials said.
The battery-powered rectangular device had nine flashing lights, and Simpson had Play-Doh in her hands, Pare said.
The phrases "Socket to me" and "Course VI" were written on the back of her sweatshirt, which authorities displayed to the media. Course VI appears to refer to MIT's major of electrical engineering and computer science.
Simpson was a member of MIT's swimming and diving team in 2006, according to the team's Web site, which lists her hometown as Kihei, Hawaii. MIT spokeswoman Patti Richards said aside from confirming she was a student, the school did not have any comment.
She was arrested about 8 a.m. outside Terminal C, home to United Airlines, Jet Blue and other carriers.
A Massachusetts Port Authority staffer manning an information booth in the terminal became suspicious when Simpson — wearing the device — approached to ask about an incoming flight, Pare said. Simpson then walked outside, and the staffer notified a nearby trooper.
The trooper, joined by others with submachine guns, confronted her at a traffic island in front of the terminal.
"She was immediately told to stop, to raise her hands and not to make any movement, so we could observe all her movements to see if she was trying to trip any type of device," Pare said. "Had she not followed the protocol, we might have used deadly force."
Pare said Simpson took a subway to the airport, but he was not sure if she had the device on at that time.
The major praised the booth attendant, but said the incident is a reminder of the terrorism threat confronting the civil aviation system. Two of the four passenger jets hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, took off from Logan.
The city was the focus of a major security scare Jan. 31 when dozens of battery-powered devices were discovered in various locations. Bomb squads were deployed and some transportation links were closed temporarily. They turned out to be a promotion for the Cartoon Network.
___
Associated Press writers Mark Jewell and Rodrique Ngowi contributed to this report.
Access: Public
Hi Risto,
I'm interested in learning more about your viewpoint on this issue. In particular, how do you think we can all work together to protect our right to free speach as well as ensure the safety of our fellow human beings? (or is this even possible?) I can certainly see there is a conflict of interest on both sides of this issue.
On one hand, we have artitsts and free speach advocates who are looking to make a statement and express themselves.
On the other hand, we have a local law enforcement agency that is still feeling the pain and responsibility 6 years after 4 planes were hijacked resulting in the deaths of over 3000 people.
I recently read some interesting articles posted by a former Zaadzter claiming that these hijackings were staged and that the planes did not actually crash. I'm not here to debate the reality of what happened on 9/11. My point is that it we can always choose to look at issues and events from a different perspective and to go against the grain. I admire those people who have the ability to stand up and question what is 'normal'. I admire your courage to voice your opinion.
What I'd like to focus on is to see if we can identify a common goal that we can all work towards. Do we have to have an 'us against them' mentality? (I'm looking for an honest answer on this). I'm generally a 'glass is half full' person. I can see the value in being the pessimist and not always going with the mainstream way of thinking.
Is there a common goal that both the artists and the law enforcement agencies are reaching for? Freedom? Wellbeing? Safety?
Do we want to stay in an 'us against them' mentailty? Or do we want to find a way to work together to make our world a better place?
I'll send you an invite to be a friend on Zaadz. I do appreciate your viewpoint and I'm sincerely interested in what your thoughts are. Thanks again for sharing and voicing your opinion.
John
Just re-read my comments and boy, do I feel like a donkey for misspelling “speech” twice!
You ask how freedom of speech can be protected while also maintaining a safe setting for our people. The MIT student was approached by law enforcement with sub-machine guns and was commanded to stop, etc etc, and taken into police custody just for wearing some computer parts, LED lights, and the Play Doh putty in her hands.
From the information-booth attendants’ and the troopers perspective, yes, those items resembled potentially dangerous articles. But after she was taken into custody and questioned, she was still charged with disturbing the peace and possessing a hoax device. But those charges are rediculous, because her intent was not at all malicious. Ok, she could be lying about her pride of her art work, but the officials reaction and charges are over the top.
Furthermore, in the news conference held after her apprehension, State Police maj. Scott Pare confidently boasted: Simpson was “extremely lucky she followed the instructions or deadly force would have been used,” Pare said. “She’s lucky to be in a cell as opposed to the morgue.”
Sadly, if that (Simpson being killed) had been the outcome, the police force would have been justified to their own satisfaction as reasonable. Which outrages me, because that is absolutely an overreaction.
Yes we are in a “post 9/11” era, but the paranoia displayed is becoming common in the law enforcement field. Come on, her entire story checks out, I’m sure the FBI did a thorough background check on her, and they surely questioned her boyfriend, contacted her parents, school administrators, etc. to see if she really is who she said she was.
Then they slapped those charges on her in the (futile) attempt to save face.
I have lost trust in law enforcement because they seem to justify their actions and I don’t see accountability for their wrongdoings. No, nothing personally has occured to me or those I know, but I observe the (corporate owned) media and independent media, and then I make my decisions.
I don’t feel it’s ‘us against them,’ because law enforcement does provide public safety and the city in which I reside is safe, due to good police presence and good police work. This issue is a difficult one, especially because it did take place in an airport. But it wasn’t even beyond the security checkpoints, nor were any aircraft close to being any kind of target from her, nor was anybody in any danger (aside from Simpson herself).
What I’m expressing is that caution and sound judgement be used by law enforcement, but when it is established that no threat is present, release her without charges, with an apology, and continue on. The charges were added (in my opinion) to make an example, and to justify the police actions taken.
Counterpointing my own position::: law enforcement was exercising caution (for the public) by swiftly apprehending Simpson and the whole story that follows would be the proper protocol, because if she *had* been carrying a destructive device and she hadn’t been quickly apprehended, where would the fingers have pointed? The security cameras would have revealed the info-booth attendant did nothing when asked about a flight. So this response by law enforcement may have been appropriate.
So maybe I should be more perturbed with the media in exploiting this minor event into a big hullabaloo.
I think I’m more confused now that I examined both perspectives, so I don’t even know what to suggest a better response would have been.
Peace & One Love,
Risto =)