02-02-2007, 03:15 PM
In the collegehumor video you posted, the last two signs were put on BU Campus. The very last quite literally 50 feet from my window right now. Like the reports say, they have been up for a few weeks (though one of them was picked up and removed by BU buildings and grounds a few days before the whole 'bomb scare').
With that said, the city by no means 'shut down'. True, traffic was diverted off of Interstate 93 going North Bound for about 35 minutes. But other than that, there was no enormous 'shutting down' of Boston. I walked by Boston Police removing a sign around 11 am. Even by then it was clear these were not bombs (the first Sullivan Square sign was found and detonated at ~10:10am). Boston Police put two cruisers on either side of traffic and removed the sign with very little pomp and circumstance and left.
The big deal was caused by an escalating feedback between the media hyping the 'bomb' aspect, people hearing the media and becoming upset, the upset people calling the police, and the police response fueling more of the media.
The end result is everything was and is still being blown out of proportion (proportioned to the actual fear people may have felt). It makes better news that way.
Cheers,
Munk
With that said, the city by no means 'shut down'. True, traffic was diverted off of Interstate 93 going North Bound for about 35 minutes. But other than that, there was no enormous 'shutting down' of Boston. I walked by Boston Police removing a sign around 11 am. Even by then it was clear these were not bombs (the first Sullivan Square sign was found and detonated at ~10:10am). Boston Police put two cruisers on either side of traffic and removed the sign with very little pomp and circumstance and left.
The big deal was caused by an escalating feedback between the media hyping the 'bomb' aspect, people hearing the media and becoming upset, the upset people calling the police, and the police response fueling more of the media.
The end result is everything was and is still being blown out of proportion (proportioned to the actual fear people may have felt). It makes better news that way.
Cheers,
Munk