June 2, 2008
Boston Proves Unwilling to Jail Its Geeks
Star Simpson, the 20-year-old MIT student who was arrested last September for wearing a sweatshirt adorned with an LED panel to Logan Airport, will not receive jail time. East Boston District Judge Paul Mahoney dismissed the charge of possession of a hoax device, a felony, and assigned Simpson to pre-trial probation for the charge of disorderly conduct, reports the Herald.
Simpson was arrested when airport authorities thought her sweatshirt was a bomb, and the case became a flashpoint on the World Wide Web, where Boston's intolerance of LEDs and the rogues who distribute them is not well-liked. (One person even took a "courageous stand" with Simpson, reassuring her that "idiots run everything," a sentiment that echoed the Herald's assessment of Simpson herself (pictured).)
The charge of possession of a hoax device could not be proven against Simpson, as it requires evidence of "intent to cause anxiety, unrest, fear or personal discomfort," according to the Suffolk County D.A.'s office. If Simpson completes her one-year probation without getting into further trouble, the charge of disorderly conduct will likewise be dropped.
Image from the Herald's notorious coverage of Simpson's September arrest.
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While she may not have had intent, she was grossly negligent. The same world view that informs her casual hijinks at the airport (from which 9-11 terrorists took off), gets her a slap on the wrist. She is REALLY lucky she didn't try this in the deep South or at Ben Gurion Airport. They would have fired a warning shot into her kidneys.
The fact of the matter is this:
The D.A. is an idiot. As is anyone who had anything to do with arresting and prosecuting Star.
Thanks for all the evidence to back up your assertion. I suggest a visit to a Third World country. They just LOVE the free flow of opinions like yours.
I actually got to speak with the head of the State Police detachment at Logan about the incident. This young woman is lucky to be alive today, and only is so because the police followed their procedures to the letter (and the woman followed their instructions during her apprehension and arrest without flinching). Their were a lot of guns pointed at her head that morning, and dozens of ways the whole incident could have ended tragically.