Judge Paul K. Leary seemed skeptical of the state's case, telling Grossman that the law requires that people must intend to create a panic to be charged with placing hoax devices.

Exactly. I think this was said in other comments on this topic. The most they can be charged with is the typical charges against vandals, such as trespass and disfiguring public property.

Hooray, indeed.

I'm pretty sure that the whole reason charges were brought was as a misguided attempt by the city to save face. I can't imagine the state has any kind of a case.

I, on the other hand, am of the old-fashioned opinion that you generally shouldn't charge someone with a crime unless you think you can convict them.

Though I think once you're deliberately planting them in an attempt to make the police think they're bombs, you *are* breaking the "hoax device" law in a way that people who think they're running a harmless ad campaign don't have the same intent to be mistaken for bombs. So, even if they don't go to jail, that doesn't save you. :)

True, though I'm skeptical that this particular form of theater was needed to drive the point home.

That said, if they've a yen to mock the police, I trust in their creativity to think of a safer way, and doubt I'd be sorry if they did.

Yeah, someone suggested putting pictures of bombs with the caption "ceci n'est pas une bomb" underneath it, ala Magritte.

Check out the press conference.