MIT student Star Simpson was arrested and charged with possessing a hoax device at Logan International Airport. The hoax device was actually a black hoodie sweatshirt with a pale beige circuit board with green LED lights and wires running to a 9-volt battery. On the back were the words “socket to me” and “Course VI”.
On Simpson’s personal website at MIT, she says she is studying computers and enjoys tinkering in a student-run machine shop.
“In a sentence, I’m an inventor, artist, engineer, and student, I love to build things and I love crazy ideas,” the website says.
Simpson went to the airport and approached an employee inquiring about an incoming flight. The employee asked her about the device on her chest and she simply walked away without response. Authorities caught up with her again just outside the terminal where “She was immediately told to stop, to raise her hands, and not make any movement so we could observe all her movements to see if she was trying to trip any type of device”. Luckily she complied and no further action was required from officers.
Simpson was later released after posting a $750 cash bail and ordered to return to court Oct. 29. She has also made the statement regarding how the device “was a piece of art and she wanted to stand out on career day”. Stand out she will, I am not one to get over sensitive about practical jokes but I am not sure why anyone in todays world would enter an airport with wearing that. Seems to me that it would just be asking for trouble. Of course she wanted to stand out and with the press this received she ended up getting what she wanted.
Read [Boston.com News]
For an intelligent student with excellent grades, she obviously displays no common sense. Only an idiot, would pull that stunt at the airport
First the Aqua Team scare, and now this? How stupid and paranoid are Boston police. Oh, wait, this is a post 9-11 world. Heard it. Over and over. Now I just don't care.
You'd care if they put a few rounds through your hoodie.
Every time I see this silly bint, she's got a shit-eating grin on her face. Leave us hope the judge can contrive a method of wiping it off for her.
I hope she kicks butt in court and doesn't take a "plea" deal. She didn't do anything wrong except dress "fashionably".
Thinking circuit boards, particularly ones with blinking lights, are bombs strikes me as incredibly stupid. Heck, take a look inside a laptop or a cell phone…There's a circuit board! Maybe we're all terrorists!
'detached' is truly a fitting name for you. This chick is just another 'pay-attention-to-me!' idiot, and the people who insist she did nothing wrong are brain dead.
She didn't do anything wrong, huh? The woman at the information booth at the airport asked this 'artist' what the device on her chest was. You know what? The 'artist' DIDN'T ANSWER HER! She just walked off. Why would she do that? Because she's a pathetic attention whore. If she'd told her what it was I guarantee you the situation would've been handled differently. But then the attention whore wouldn't have gotten her face on TV. She needs to be punished for being an idiot so other idiots will think twice before doing something like this (assuming they have a brain at all).
Unlike 'detached', I have a reason to live. So if some moron walks into the airport wearing would could be a bomb, I'd rather police err on the side of caution than shrug it off because they don't want to be paranoid. It's pretty simple really: don't act like a f**king idiot and you won't get arrested.
This doesn't require much thought. The authorities did the right thing are to be commended.
I'm glad they included the picture with the article.
It's hard to imagine anyone trained in law enforcement or airplane safety to mistake that goofy little circuit board for a bomb or anything other than a trinket. If they actually did, then the thousands of dollars us taxpayers spent on training and equipping them was a complete waste. The security staff should be fired for incompetence.
Next we'll see Boston arresting people for talking about football in the security line. "Yeah, did you see when he threw the BOMB in the last seconds of the game?!" Then it will be someone arrested for wearing outdoor clothing made by Bomber Gear. Wait, wait, I have one of those LED lights and a small circuit board on my keychain (for finding the door lock in the dark). Off to lockup with me!
She should contest the charges and smack 'em with a false arrest suit, just to help protect all our freedoms.
There are good arguements for both sides here. BUt the one disturbing thing is Why didn't she answer the attendant instead of just ignoring her and walking away. Trying to be partial that one question runs through my mind over and over.
Why did she not tell the attendant. It took armed officers to stop her.I have to say based on her actions that if they were not armed she would not have stopped then either. It was the fear of possibly being shot for failure to comply that made her stop. Why did she fear being shot. Because she knew that immediately her actions would cause the concern that the unidentified device she had on her was mistaken for a bomb.
Therefor I have to say congrates to the Law inforcment and others. You did the right thing based upon her actions and the circumstances leading up to that moment.
Good grief! Yet another embarrassing show of stupidity by American "security" officials.
It appears that American airport security continues to be kneejerk at best, and totally incompetent at its worst.
Exactly Bob. This is a Rorschach test. Electroniphobes look at that and see a bomb, and it's amazing to anyone with the smallest amount of experience with this kind of thing that it's just a silly little toy with some lights on it. Maybe these people are capable of doing their job in some parts of the world, but in a modern city with a diverse culture where freedom of expression might include wearing something geeky…these people simply aren't prepared to perform in a competent way. This is just an innocent girl who had the misfortune of coming into contact with ignorant people wielding too much power.
Are any of the accusers that this woman was intentionally trying to cause a scare putting up any evidence that Star actually had such a motive? Nope, not at all. They use harsh rhetoric instead of evidence, and just like the awful politicians elected year after year, they think that is good enough…
While I find it perfectly reasonable that an information attendant found the woman suspicious and that security would respond quickly, I see no reason for authorities to charge her with a crime. After questioning the woman it is pretty evident there is no evidence of intent to pull a hoax threat–she should have been released with a stern warning, kept on record. When did the majority of people in the US (as evidenced by comments) throw out a benefit of the doubt, a presumption of innocence. I find the wanton judgment revealed by this incident far more disgusting, and disturbing, than a simple, though stupid, mistake by a 19 year old.
What people fail to think of is that security personnel are assigned to protect the public. A person that is "different", that has some type of electronics attached to them, and does not answer a direct question and walks away sends waaayyy too many flags. I'm quite surprised at the professionalism exhibited by law enforcement. In another country she could have been shot dead for exhibiting stupidity.
I do not know her motive. I'll leave that to the lawyers. But I do expect law enforcement to react for each type of unknown event. Clearly, given the state of terrorist activity – this was an appropriate level response.
Folks – grow up. Make a statement – but do so in appropriate places. Not tense environments such as airports. Get a clue or the next event may cost a life.
The last paragraph is so biased it ruined an otherwise insightful news article.
As to the question of "motive"…I'm assuming that if an MIT student had wanted to create something that looked like a bomb, she could have done a much better job. This was just a silly little circuit with a few LEDs on it. What this girl is guilty of is not understanding that some people don't know the difference between geeky "art" and a bomb. How can we really blame her? If I were security, I would never, ever, ever have made this mistake. It takes someone with absolutely no electronics experience to make a mistake like this. This, much like the flour in the Ikea parking lot incident (in New Haven), is just another misunderstanding. Why is it that innocent Americans are punished when law enforcement makes an embarrassing mistake? To be on the safe side, always assume that today's policeman and other security personnel are complete idiots. I'm serious.
I agree that charging her is a little much, but at the same time I think its acceptable the the security forces acted as they did according to the circumstances. Yes, most of the security efforts are superficial but in this case she was acting suspiciously and there was a response. Which is the way it should happen, but to charge her for something she had no intent or motive for is insane. This is the 9/11 world though, and she should of known better.
This girl, regardless of her own motives, put a LOT of people at risk. If it was just her job fair "performance" art, she should have explained. Walking away when asked a direct question when you're wearing a circuit board AT AN AIRPORT is just plain brain-dead. She's d*nmmed lucky she's only brain-dead.
I fly a lot, and this kind of incident should ALWAYS be taken seriously. I want everyone on my plane following air crew directions, and I don't want to see random "performance art" on strangers whose intentions are unknown like this situation. Law enforcement responded appropriately, thankfully ending this incident without anyone being hurt. Airports are not a place for humour, not when we know there are people out there still trying to penetrate the system in order to make people miserable. Grow up, take responsibility.
common sense — there are a lot of very smart people out there with very high iq's. but common sense is another story.
i'm sure she's back at the dorm telling everyone "and then you should've seen what they did blah blah blah"
a fine of astronomical proportions is very much in order here. possibly some actual jail time. not paris hilton style jail time either
hmm
it's a freeakin ciruit board on a sweatshirt with "Socket to me" written on it!!!
Her intended audience were the folks at the job fair at MIT, not the muggles in the airport.
i'm guessing she put it on to for the job fair, then afterwards went to pick up her boyfriend who was arriving at logan.
Like a lot of tech and science students she did not pay much attention to how muggles perceive what she was wearing.
Here's a thought. if they want to make the airport safer.
Put the bomb detector at the entrance of the airport building instead of having them inside at the departure area.
As it it is the current "safety" measures at airports are there to make you "feel" safer.
In reality it does squat to protect you from having your plane blown up.
FYI
A real bomber would not have a flashing circuit board on their chest and playdough in their hand.
A real bomber would wear nothing that would draw attention.
Dear Miss Simpson
Well you got what you wanted and now its time to pay the piper, you did realize that? There is a price to pay for everything we do in life be it good or bad. Without hesitation you knew the end result.
PS: Become more serious and thoughtful…
I still dont get why people do this stuff. Your gonna go down hard!! I guess they need to prove a point by charging her as they did so others will not follow.
it should be inspected like any other electronic device at the airport
no more, no less
Wow. I think that self expression, or wearing art, isn't any excuse to hassle anyone at the Airport.
Unfortunately, like many science, & tech students, she wasn't ware of how her actions would be perceived by uninformed, or less informed TSA staff, who appear to have no idea of current tech, or even Art.
Shame on them.