Boston police catfishing indie rockers: Cops pose as punks on the Internet. - Slate Magazine →
songhia:
What is the address for the local music show tonight?
Different city and scene, but I fondly remember the Baltimore warehouse party where a group of four very obvious cops showed up in different disguises — a cowboy, a hippie, a goth, and a grunge rocker — which was especially hilarious given that it was an electronic music event.
They spread out to four different corners of the venue and attempted to blend in. They weren’t terribly successful. The tie-dye-clad hippie was the most off-base of the bunch, as he kept headbanging to house and trance. Every 30 minutes, they’d all meet up and compare notes. Happily the party was never shut down, because nothing illegal was going on!
I also remember another Baltimore warehouse party that was shut down, by about 20 uniformed officers… plus a helicopter… in a city that’s the murder capital of the east coast. No good cause either — the BPD had a longstanding beef with Lonnie Fisher, who they erroneously assumed was promoting the event simply because he was DJing when they showed up.
I really wish cities would stop wasting tax money on shutting down music events. (somewhat related: I also wish I could live in a city where venues like Twilo can coexist with amazing productions like Sleep No More, and where even questionable venues like Limelight didn’t turn into weird crap malls…)
