Aqua Teen Art 'Terrorist' Describes His Ordeal 212
destinyland writes "Boston police arrested artist 'Zebbler' for installing L.E.D. devices that promoted Aqua Teen Hunger Force (after police mistook them for bombs). He's finally shared the real behind-the-scenes story about his arrest and release. He describes his interrogation ('My interrogator gave me nothing but carrots to eat') and remembers a surreal exchange with a police officer. ('My daughter is a huge fan of you ... So, did you really mean to blow up Boston?') Now his latest project is a cool high-definition/surround sound installation for an event called RIP.MIX.BURN.BAM.PFA."
What are the police really like? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:What are the police really like? (Score:2, Interesting)
Now, realize that this is a TV show and that they're putting the best possible spin on the way the cops behave. Watch the tactics they use. Realize that these are fictional tactics, spun in the best way possible.
It's really quite scary. Americans EXPECT their police to act that way! They glorify it in their media!
Another fun, more recent example was some video I saw of a bunch of Boston police officers. It was night, and there was a large line of police officers in riot gear. Some were on horses. I was trying to figure out what was happening in Boston that would justify such a police response.
The answer? The local baseball team had won the baseball championship. The police response was against fans, celebrating the victory in the streets. The Boston response to people celebrating a sporting victory is to call out the riot police. According to the reporter, the last time something like this happened, the Boston police actually killed a fan, using a "less than lethal" weapon that proved not to live up to its name.
This was just after the incident where the Boston police were asking to be praised for their restraint in not immediately killing the MIT student with the LEDs on her shirt. Seriously, they held press conferences where they were saying what a great thing it was that they didn't just shoot her immediately.
The more I learn about Boston, the more I learn I never want to go anywhere near it.
Re:What are the police really like? (Score:5, Interesting)
I used to have a lot of respect for the police. Then I actually had to try to reason with one. Now, I share that exact same assessment.
Good to see.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyway, that was a bit of a rant but my point is, I liked the way this guy handled the media way back (because the media, frankly, deserves that...I appreciate what they do, but every now and then they need to be reminded that they aren't the ones in control but the ones who document and their emotional manipulation and constant spinning deserves to be checked). But on this interview two quotes in particular made me realize he is separate:
I'll wade into the lion's mouth (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:seriously? (Score:3, Interesting)
I doubt that a bomb squad was involved for more than a couple of minutes and it is likely that their opinions were ignored.
Re:Hmm... (Score:5, Interesting)
The cleaning staff for the computer/engineering building saw some creepy guy going through the building at 5:30am, way earlier than people normally show up in the morning. They didn't really think anything of it, until they got to the third floor.
On the third floor, displayed in the window of one of the offices, was a timer. And it was counting. Up.
Wires could be seen coming off of it, but nobody could tell where they went.
Campus security was called, the police were called, bomb-sniffing dogs were called in, the building was shut down.
It turned out (of course) to be just a diagnostic display. The "wires" leading away from the device went up to a curtain rod. They were holding it up.
The funny thing was, it had been there for weeks. The cleaning crew must have seen it, but they didn't remember it being there. And why was it counting UP and not DOWN? We've all seen 24, we know which way timers are supposed to go.
But in an outbreak of common sense, nobody was charged with a "hoax", nobody was arrested, and nobody is in jail. The cleaning crew made a mistake (and apologized later!), and that was the end of that.
And thank goodness, because that creepy guy was ME!
I Wash My TV in Fear (Score:3, Interesting)
Oh, come now. Ordeal? (Score:5, Interesting)
The cops may well have believed it was all a misunderstanding, but their job is to gather evidence of any possible crime. After you've been Mirandized, it's a game in which they try to get as much information out of you as possible without overstepping their constitutional limitations. If they act hostile towards you, it doesn't mean they are actually hostile, any more than a friendly act means you can trust them.
Good cop or bad cop, it doesn't matter, once they've brought you in for something they're going to try to get you to give them evidence of a crime, or if they have solid evidence of a small crime, to get you to give them evidence of a bigger crime. In this case, by the time these guys were being interrogated the cops knew the devices weren't bombs. The cops were trying to get the guy to say something like this, "We weren't planting bombs! We just thought if we could close the subways down we'd get a lot of free publicity for our movie!" Bingo, they've just promoted a case of advertising without the proper permits into the intentional creation of a public nuisance. Armed with this, they throw the small fry back in order to get the genius behind the stunt, which is good police work. The corollary of this is that when there is no larger crime, the small fry endure some tough and threatening sounding talk.
While normally I think cops should be polite and deferential to citizens, this one process is inherently ugly and manipulative, which is why you want a lawyer present in a police interrogation, even if your conscience is clear. You don't want to admit to a crime greater than the cops have evidence for, just because they are threatening to pin an even larger crime on you. Without a lawyer present, the system is inherently unfair and dangerous to the innocent.
Re:seriously? (Score:5, Interesting)
If you read the timeline [bpdnews.com] of that day you'll see that the police did determine pretty quickly that is wasn't a bomb. The main issue during the day was that the streets had to be be closed so investigators could safely access the devices - even if the authorities didn't think it was a bomb, the street would still have to be closed to workers could safely remove them. There was also the issue that a real pipe bomb turned up at New England Medical Center during that ordeal.
As I wrote before [slashdot.org], the biggest mistake those guys made was hanging the devices off of public property - even before 9/11, doing something like that is just guaranteed to get the bomb squad out there (and contrary to popular opinion, the device that was first called in to the police had only been there for less than 24 hours). Some of the other devices on storefronts though had been there longer.
IMHO the police reaction in this one instance was reasonable - up to the arrest & prosecution part. There were no mass evacuations, no arrests of Middle-eastern people for being Middle-Eastern. They closed the roads, investigated the devices, and reopened the roads. The arrests and press releases after that though were clearly CYA.
On the other hand, the arrest of Star Simpson was a fucking travesty, and my alma mater's response to the incident [mit.edu] ("reckless"? WTF? Is wearing a blinking tie to the airport also reckless?) has ended my participation in their alumni fundraising activities.
Re:avoiding admitting their exaggerations (Score:3, Interesting)
I believe her lawyer was wise to pick a bench trial as the local press continues to hype the event, constantly referring to her as a prankster [bostonherald.com] and dressing like a suicide bomber [bostonherald.com] and the average joe on the street sure seems to think she should burn at the stake.
My understanding is that the state will need to prove intent on her part and that there was absolutely no intent as she basically wore the same clothes two days in a row. So as long as the judge decides to follow the law, rather than succumb to some inane urge to "send a message" she should come out all right.
PS -- anyone else read ATHF as Alcohol, Tobacco, Humor and Firearms?
Re:What are the police really like? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Uncle Sam wants you! (Score:2, Interesting)
Contrast this with the TV promo I saw a few years back, on Detroit's Fox affiliate, which announced that the Detroit Police Department was hiring, and a high school diploma was (I kid you not) a plus.
Who protects us from these people?
- RG>
Re:Hmm... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:seriously? (Score:3, Interesting)
Because he wasn't doing it safely. You want to hang off the side of a highway and get yourself or someone else killed hanging an electric sign for an advertiser, go ahead. But if the city or state agency sends an employee to do that without the proper safety precautions [state.ma.us] and that worker (or an innocent bystander) gets killed, that agency will be held [osha.gov] accountable [ntsb.gov].
And unfortunately, accidents do happen. [boston.com]