Did Boston overreact to the Aqua Teen terror scare?

[Memnoch]

Well? Discuss.

Did Boston overreact to 'Aqua Teen' ploy? . February 2, 2007 . By ANDREA STONE . USA TODAY . BOSTON — One day after Boston police shut down the city over electronic devices that turned out to be promotional displays for a cartoon series, an argument has ignited over whether the city overreacted. . "I find it hilarious," said Jamie Lowe, 36, a San Antonio waitress and fan of the adult-fare Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon that the devices were promoting. . "It might have been scary looking, but if you look at it close, you can tell it's a cartoon character," she says. . But public safety officials in Boston and elsewhere condemned the campaign in today's post-9/11 world. . "Just a little over a mile away from the placement of the first device, a group of terrorists boarded airplanes and launched an attack on New York City," police Commissioner Edward Davis told the Associated Press. . "The city clearly did not overreact. Had we taken any other steps we would have been endangering the public," he said. . The devices had been in place for two to three weeks in 10 cities. The one-foot tall electronic device resembled a circuit board and had wires and batteries protruding. Each device displayed characters from the Cartoon Network series in which a talking milkshake, box of fries and a "meatwad" hang out together. . Other cities did not react to the devices until Turner Broadcasting, which owns Cartoon Network, called police departments Wednesday to say they were sending people out to retrieve them after the reaction in Boston. . Authorities in Boston responded after a transit worker reported a suspicious device at a subway station. A citywide scramble that snarled traffic and shut down whole neighborhoods ensued as police and bomb squad officers raced to remove the plexiglass light boards from bridges and other high-profile areas. In all they found 38 blinking images of Ignignokt, one of the show's stars. . Seattle officials received no calls about the 20 signs posted around their city, said police spokeswoman Debra Brown. But she said Boston officials "reacted completely appropriately. In this day and age, it's absolutely idiotic to put anything that even remotely resembles a suspicious electronic device or has wires sticking out it, near critical infrastructures." . In Massachusetts it also may be criminal. Two men who placed the signs around Boston for a marketing company pleaded not guilty Thursday on charges of placing "a hoax device" and disorderly conduct. Local artists Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, made jokes when confronted by reporters after their court hearing. . "What we really want to talk about today — it's kind of important to some people — it's haircuts of the 1970s," Berdovsky said. . That left reporters, some of whom came of age in the 1970s, scratching their heads. But as the show's website makes clear: "If you have to ask what Aqua Teen Hunger Force is about, it is probably not a show for you." . Or for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. The mayor was not amused by the marketing scheme and the estimated $750,000 cost of responding to the scare. Menino talked Thursday with Turner chairman Philip Kent and officials at parent company Time Warner about what he said was a need to reimburse the city for the hassle. . Turner spokeswoman Shirley Powell said Thursday that the promotion " was never meant to be a hoax." Asked if Turner wasn't thrilled by the exposure, Powell said, "No one at our company would want this publicity." . Tes Carioscia, 23, a self-employed Chicago pasta-maker and fan, says the ad campaign was in line with the show, which relies on shock appeal. If folks in Beantown didn't get it, she said, it's because "they tend to be older residents there. Seattle is more laid back. They knew right away what it was." . http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...02013/1118/RSS

[Hivetyrant]

LOL! I thought the advertisement was hilarious!

While i'm not a huge ATHF fan, I think interesting little campaigns like this are "old school" and funny

BTW, you can see the devices here

[Memnoch]

You can see the Digg video of their "we only want to talk about hair" press conference after being charged HERE (click on the topic). I personally don't think that either of these two muppets should be charged because they were just carrying out orders from above, but I thought the press conference was a bit OTT. I'm not sure if they won any friends (aside from the rebel-teen-angst-crowd).

[ 02-03-2007, 01:24 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

[PurpleXVI]

I think the press conference was the perfect way to treat it: Like something utterly ridiculous, it shouldn't even be dignified with a serious defense.

The only crime they committed was lacking a permit, how many damn bombs glow like neon? Generally they're meant to be, y'know, hidden, rather than easily spotted and disarmed. Everyone involved in creating this panic, calling it a bomb and etc. should be the ones in court for creating a public disturbance.

[ 02-03-2007, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: PurpleXVI ]

[robertthebard]

Hey, I agree with Purple. Hasn't happened many times on this forum, but nothing is impossible. Then the city has the nerve to request, read demand, compensation for utter stupidity. Get a life.

[Felix The Assassin]

It really saddens me to see how 'the people' react when 'the government' who is responsible for their well being conduct business in order to do their elected duties!

[robertthebard]

In that vein, if I call to report a burglary, are they going to send a squad car, or a SWAT Team? One decently trained officer could have probably seen that the device in question wasn't a bomb, instead of mobilizing the OMFG, the terrorists are here strike force.

Edit: Spelling/grammar

[ 02-03-2007, 05:22 PM: Message edited by: robertthebard ]

[Havock]

The part that I realy find funny is that in the rougher cities, no one batted an eye. You didn't see Manhattan shut down over a few lite brites now did you?

[Memnoch]

You guys don't think that it was better to be safe than possibly sorry?

[PurpleXVI]

Not particularly, I think it was utter overreaction to assume these were bombs. The creators cannot accept any sort of blame for it.

More sensibly, they could have examined one, determined there was no danger and then stood down rather than spending an excess of taxpayer money.

[ 02-03-2007, 10:05 PM: Message edited by: PurpleXVI ]