Do you think the "real" terrorists are paying attention to how EMS and Homeland Security repsond to such events?
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| 2 Men Held on Bond in Boston Hoax Case http://fugitiverecovery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=3058 |
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| Author: | AWOBB [ Wed 07 Feb 2007 18:41 ] |
| Post subject: | 2 Men Held on Bond in Boston Hoax Case |
2 Men Held on Bond in Boston Hoax Case By KEN MAGUIRE Associated Press Writer BOSTON (AP) _ A judge ordered two men held on bond Thursday for allegedly placing electronic advertising devices around the city, stirring fears of terrorism and shutting down parts of Boston. Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, were held on $2,500 cash bond each after they pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct. Officials found 38 blinking electronic signs promoting the Cartoon Network TV show ‘’Aqua Teen Hunger Force'’ on bridges and other high-profile spots across the city Wednesday, prompting the closing of a highway and the deployment of bomb squads. The surreal series is about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball. The network is a division of Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc. The 1-foot tall signs, which were lit up at night, resembled a circuit board, with protruding wires and batteries. Most depicted a boxy, cartoon character giving passersby the finger _ a more obvious sight when darkness fell. ‘’It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme,'’ Mayor Thomas Menino said Wednesday. ‘’I am prepared to take any and all legal action against Turner Broadcasting and its affiliates for any and all expenses incurred during the response to today’s incidents.'’ Berdovsky, an artist, told The Boston Globe he was hired by a marketing company and said he was ‘’kind of freaked out'’ by the furor. ‘’I find it kind of ridiculous that they’re making these statements on TV that we must not be safe from terrorism, because they were up there for three weeks and no one noticed. It’s pretty commonsensical to look at them and say this is a piece of art and installation,'’ he said. While Boston officials were livid, fans of the show mocked authorities for what they called an overreaction. About a dozen fans gathered outside Charlestown District Court on Thursday morning with signs saying ‘’1-31-07 Never Forget'’ and ‘’Free Peter.'’ ‘’We’re the laughing stock,'’ said Tracy O’Connor, 34. ‘’It’s almost too easy to be a terrorist these days,'’ said Jennifer Mason, 26. ‘’You stick a box on a corner and you can shut down a city.'’ O’Connor said there’s nothing wrong with being vigilant, but said she said it was ridiculous to shut down a city ‘’when anyone under the age of 35 knew this was a joke the second they saw it.'’ Authorities vowed to hold Turner accountable for what Menino said was ‘’corporate greed,'’ that led to at least $750,000 in police costs. As soon as Turner realized the Boston problem around 5 p.m., it said, law enforcement officials were told of their locations in 10 cities where it said the devices had been placed for two to three weeks: Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas, San Francisco and Philadelphia. ‘’We apologize to the citizens of Boston that part of a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger,'’ said Phil Kent, chairman of Turner, a division of Time Warner Inc. Kent said the marketing company that placed the signs, Interference Inc., was ordered to remove them immediately. Interference had no comment. A woman who answered the phone at the New York-based firm’s offices Wednesday afternoon said the firm’s CEO was out of town and would not be able to comment until Thursday. Messages seeking additional comment from the Atlanta-based Cartoon Network were left with several publicists. A voice mail box for Berdovsky was full Wednesday night. The Associated Press was unable to find whether Stevens had a lawyer. Authorities are investigating whether Turner or other companies should be criminally charged, Attorney General Martha Coakley said. ‘’We’re not going to let this go without looking at the further roots of how this happened to cause the panic in this city,'’ Coakley said. In Seattle and several suburbs, the removal of the signs was low-key. ‘’We haven’t had any calls to 911 regarding this,'’ Seattle police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said Wednesday. Police in Philadelphia said they believed their city had 56 devices. The New York Police Department removed 41 of the devices _ 38 in Manhattan and three in Brooklyn, according to spokesman Paul Browne. The NYPD had not received any complaints. But when it became aware of the situation, it contacted Cartoon Network, which provided the locations so the devices could be removed. ‘’Aqua Teen Hunger Force'’ is a cartoon with a cultish following that airs as part of a block of programs for adults on the Cartoon Network. A feature length film based on the show is slated for release March 23. |
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| Author: | KARMA [ Wed 07 Feb 2007 18:55 ] |
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After seeing the "devices" on television _ I am in agreement with the following: O’Connor said there’s nothing wrong with being vigilant, but said she said it was ridiculous to shut down a city ‘’when anyone under the age of 35 knew this was a joke the second they saw it.'’ I don't think we have become more vilgiliant but rather maybe a little more paranoid. Kinda odd that the same type of devices were placed in several other large cities and there was no big deal made out of it. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out. |
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| Author: | thebishopp [ Thu 08 Feb 2007 07:11 ] |
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It was the dumbest thing I ever saw... How the mayor and the governor of boston responded that is. Those signs were up in 9 different cities and had been up in Boston for almost TWO WEEKS before someone in Boston freaked out. One of the cities that the signs were up in was New York, and if anyone had a right to flip out it would be them... but they didn't. They are not even "hoax" devices by the legal definittion of the term. Warner (the parent company of the Cartoon Network) will be paying the state of MA & Boston 2 million dollars to cover the cost of the cities response (insane as it was and the cost was not even in the hundred thousand range according to media reports). In exchange MA or Boston will not press "criminal" charges against them (laughable, I would love to see that one go to court). No word yet on the two guys who were hired to place them, supposedly they prosecutors are considering some type of plea deal for them (another example of moronity) if they plead guilty. Ridiculous. |
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| Author: | tsuggs [ Thu 08 Feb 2007 14:06 ] |
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Do you think the "real" terrorists are paying attention to how EMS and Homeland Security repsond to such events?
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| Author: | thebishopp [ Thu 08 Feb 2007 19:11 ] |
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Doubt it. I am willing to bet it got a chuckle out of the "real" terrorist (not to mention they probably have an intelligence network already in place). For one thing it took Boston almost two weeks to even realize there were light bright signs put up. Then, when they finally realized they were there, they panicked and caused city wide panic when they didn't need to. A much better response would have been a logical and more professional one (their police dept. looks like they did a good job, we are talking about the response of the politicians who went insane). |
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| Author: | Kathy [ Fri 09 Feb 2007 00:51 ] |
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I agree that it one person stupidly panicked for whatever personal reason, and made it into something where everyone else followed suit. If it took anyone 2 weeks to even notice the signs, it is obvious that they weren't a scare tactic. Also, the fact that the same signs were posted and basically unnoticed or ignored in other major cities pretty much negates tha "terrorist hoax" factor. It isn't the movie company's fault that someone mistook the signs as some terrorist bomb attack. Nobody else had noticed them, or thought them as such during the previous time they were there. All I can say is that maybe the person who felt threatened knew someone who was affected by 9/11, or knew someone who knew someone affected by it, or was simply traumatized or terrorized by it. That person might see anything as a threat, so their fear is completely unfounded. From what I have read, the most that Boston can expect to recoup is to get a minor fine for posting improper advertising on city property. I equate it to garage sales or other ads that are attached or posted improperly. I am in no way saying that our country is safe from attack, just that we all have to be reasonable and realistic in our accusations. |
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| Author: | thebishopp [ Fri 09 Feb 2007 01:43 ] |
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Well said. |
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