Men plead not guilty in ad ploy for cartoon
BOSTON – In nine cities across the country, blinking electronic signs displaying a profane, boxy-looking cartoon character caused barely a stir.
But in Boston, the signs – some with protruding wires – sent a wave of panic across the city, bringing out bomb squads and prompting officials to shut down highways, bridges and part of the Charles River.
Something that may have been amusing in other cities was not funny to authorities here, the city that served as the base for the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. Officials defended their reaction Thursday even as two men charged in the case, and some residents, mocked the response as overblown.
Young Bostonians familiar with the unconventional marketing tactics used by many companies tended to see the city’s reaction as unmitigated hysteria.
Tracy O’Connor, 34, a retail manager, called the police response “silly and insane,” contrasting it with that in other cities where no one reported concerns about the devices – an advertising gimmick for the Cartoon Network show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.”
“We’re the laughing stock,” she said.
Public safety officials and a large segment of Boston’s older generation condemned the publicity campaign as unthinkable in today’s post-Sept. 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 said. Officials found 38 blinking electronic signs on bridges, a subway station, a hospital, Fenway Park, and other high-profile spots in and around the city.
In New York, officers went to various locations and found only two of the devices.
Officials have vowed to hold responsible Turner Broadcasting Inc., the parent company of the Cartoon Network, which airs the series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.
Two men who authorities say were paid to place the devices around the city pleaded not guilty Thursday to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct. Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, were released on $2,500 cash bond – apparently amused by the situation, even though they face up to five years in prison.
They met reporters and TV cameras and launched into a nonsensical discussion of hair styles of the 1970s. As they walked off, Berdovsky gave a more serious comment.
“We need some time to really sort things out and, you know, figure out our response to this situation in other ways than talking about hair,” Berdovsky said.
Late Thursday, Berdovsky released a statement through a Boston law firm. It said he “never imagined” the devices would be perceived as dangerous and never intended to do anything to frighten the community.
“I regret that this incident has created such anguish and disruption for the residents and law enforcement officers of this city,” the statement said.
The devices didn’t prompt calls of concern in any of the nine other cities where Turner said the devices were placed. Police in the other cities fanned out to find and remove them after Boston’s scare.
Some enterprising people got to the devices before police: At least seven were for sale Thursday afternoon on the Internet auction site eBay, ranging in price from $500 to $2,100.