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Aqua Teen Art 'Terrorist' Describes His Ordeal

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the funny-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder dept.

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."

10 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm... by FF8Jake · · Score: 5, Funny

    Considering the amount of explosions in ATHF, I consider the threat to be completely valid. Remember everyone, terrorists clearly mark the bombs with flashing lights, to be widely apparent to everyone, so that they have a chance to observe the bomb before it explodes.

    1. Re:Hmm... by FredFredrickson · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Just because it alarmed the public, didn't mean he knew it'd happen. I think intent should have a lot to do with things. Anyway, people are just retarded. I was in Boston that day. I wish I had seen it!

      --
      Belief? Hope? Preference?The Existential Vortex
    2. Re:Hmm... by mshomphe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The goal of terrorism is to effect change in a society through fear. Every time you and your fraidy-cat buddies jumps because something reminds you of a crappy episode of 24 you give legitimacy to those tactics. Not only that, you encourage the subversion of the necessary civil liberties inherent to the United States by government forces. Instead of plotzing every time we see some unfamiliar blinkenlightz, we should be thinking about root causes. All the security in the world is not worth the price of my freedom. I'm surprised you don't feel the same way.

      --
      She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue.
  2. A story worthy of Franz Kafka. by Z00L00K · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is so bizarre and still indicates the rigidness of the public service to go so over the edge that it can only be fully described as a work of surrealistic art.

    --
    If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
  3. What are the police really like? by whoever57 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Over the past few years, I have come to consider the police as not-too-intelligent bullies. Actions reported can only be explained by a lack of rational thought (in favor of blindly following rules, or blind over-reaction), yet this extract from the article makes one rethink that assessment:

    I cooperated fully -- since I had nothing to hide -- but at times it was uncanny as to how convincing he was. He made me want to tell him my deepest secrets -- a genuinely weird feeling. I had to snap out of it a few times.
    It is required in the UK for recordings to be made of all interrogations. Why is this not the case in the US? If the police are following the rules, they would have nothing to hide, would they?
    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    1. Re:What are the police really like? by UltimateRobotLover · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not sure if you were joking, but in the UK two tapes are recorded and you are given the opportunity to take one at random, thus avoiding this problem.

    2. Re:What are the police really like? by CarpetShark · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Over the past few years, I have come to consider the police as not-too-intelligent bullies.


      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.
    3. Re:What are the police really like? by Mad-cat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I blame the paramilitary and militaristic mentality in most police forces. In fact, I would go so far as to say I don't even like the term "police force."

      I'm a police officer in Florida. There are several principles I follow which have resulted in my getting only two complaints against me in the past two years.

      1. I'm a peace officer, not a law enforcement officer. My goal is the peaceful resolution of conflict, using the law to do so.
      2. You cannot insult me. I take offense at nothing while on the job.
      3. I will never threaten to arrest someone: I will only warn them that they can be arrested for their actions and will give them several options for peacefully resolving the issue.
      4. I will always explain my reasons behind my actions to anyone who asks, so long as safety permits.
      5. I will never blindly follow the rules.
      6. When in doubt, ask myself if I could talk with my family about what I was about to do to someone without feeling ashamed.

      The military mindset is POISON to the civilian police service. If I could do only one thing to improve police relations with the community and performance levels, I would eliminate everything remotely resembling the military. No sergeants, no lieutenants, no military-looking uniforms. Cops should look, think, and act like the civilians they are.

  4. If it's not an American flag... by mikesum · · Score: 5, Insightful

    it must be a bomb.

  5. Re:seriously? by aussie_a · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Because a bomb squad, who should have handled the dismantling of these devices, should have known in 5 minutes it wasn't a fucking bomb. Now either: 1) they weren't called in so the police are incompetent. 2) they were called in and ignored so the police are incompetent. 3) they were called in and thought it was a bomb so they were incompetent. In any event, someone was incompetent in reacting to these LED sticky thingies. It certainly wasn't the PR company.