See Something, Anything? Call 911!

The London police force clearly has the graphic-design edge (see the post below this one), but the Chicago Police Department matches if not outshines the British bobbies for the ardor and toxic nuttiness with which it propagates anti-terrorist paranoia. Click on the image to read which categories of people are considered suspects now. You might want to duct-tape your jaw to your face first (be careful not to do this in public; I'm sure the cops consider duct tape highly fishy too). Like the London example, this flyer is genuine. You can find it on the City of Chicago's website here.

If terrorists do their dirty work by spreading, well, terror, what should we call public servants who promote fear and unhinged suspicions by telling the public to report note takers, binoculars users, camera enthusiasts, map owners, and motorists who time traffic lights?

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UPDATE: For a fun idea on how to fight this ridiculousness together, see here.

Comments

[Phil Nelson]

Hello, Boing Boing readers.

[Ben]

God, I love my city. The "If you see something, say something" signs and announcements have been up for awhile now. What I like is when a private security firm rides the El trains with muzzled dogs. Still haven't figured out if the dogs are explosive or narcotics specialized but they can really creep you out when the dogs just stare at you behind those muzzles while you are trying to get home.

[Russ]

Nice. Now tourists = suspects. Nothing like trying to kill part of your tax base.

[Kip]

Dang, I'm headed to Chicago to visit relatives, maybe I'll swing downtown and take photos of Buckingham Fountain (They still light it for Christmas, right?) and see if I get arrested.

[Martin Owens]

And let's not forget- everybody knows terrorists are devious and calculating.
What better way to throw the security forces off than by making false reports to lure them away from the real bomb throwers?

So it's obvious that anybody who reports terrorists is a terrorist in disguise himself!

From a cop's point of view, this is even better than bogus traffic stops to make the monthly arrest quota- now they absolutely volunteer for prosecution.

[A Reader]

Nope, I think that a report falls under the 'testing response' category... which you'd think would be tested to ensure a response... but what if not ? or everybody reports all the tourists ? Could that be a fiendish plan ? Of the authorities or the terrorists ? I think I'll pass on Chicago.

[Kevin]

I work in downtown Chicago, and I can tell you that the Fiefdom of Daley has truly descended into paranoia. On all CTA buses and trains you're subjected to recorded announcements reminding one to be afraid, very afraid. Visit Millenium Park and you'll find plazas and archways, paid for by corporations, that look like something from Mussolini's Rome. Private security guards there roam about on foot or on Segways watching for anyone getting out of line, whether by littering, by stepping on the wrong patch of grass, or by "loitering," whatever that means. If I weren't responsible to a wife and kids, I'd walk around the Loop wearing a ski mask in July and see what happens. Of course, far more civilians have been killed by Chicago cops since 9/11 than by "terrorists," but who cares about that?

[Jerry]

This along with the ridiculous over-exposure of the "Click It or Ticket" or "Over the Limit, Under Arrest", I'm just so sick of all these fascist boobs!

[Yossarian]

Fortunately, it appears to me that the populace is sensibly ignoring all of the "See something, say something" injunctions.

[jj]

I've lived in Chicago most of my life, and quite frankly do not give a fig about what the fearmongering politicians seem to be spewing these days. I think I saw that poster on the subway the other day, but the moment I start to read anything telling me to 'increase my vigilance' my eyes immediately glaze over and I promptly quit reading it.

Besides, the two people who got shot on block last year were NOT shot by 'the terrorists' but by disaffected impoverished youth ... where are the signs telling us to be vigilant of gun touting children?

[Peter]

I'm living in Antwerp, Belgium and recently overheard a local travel agent-customer conversation in a local Antwerp mall.

"No", the older couple said, "we won't go through that US security crap, there will always be another year to see the US".

"But the Dollar is dead cheap", the salesperson replied, "and besides, you won't get hassled as you both look like a respectable couple".
"But have you seen on TV what they did to that poor man in Guantanamo?" the woman replied, "I'd feel like visting a war zone".

They soon decided to spend their hard EUROs somewhere else, but not in "that country at war".

The US may currently be really cheap as a holiday destination for Europeans, but for some, reality no longer makes it feel like a "vacation destination".

Sad, very sad.