biosafety lab

Two more free-speech arrests in Boston

By adamg - 6/6/08 - 4:46 pm

Boston Police report arresting two protesters yesterday outside the BU deadly-germ lab under construction on Albany Street:

... On arrival, officers observed several females milling about on the sidewalk in front of the bio-lab. Officers further observed that one of the females had white makeup on her face, with red makeup mixed in to look as if she had blood on her face. The female with the makeup on her face then lay down on the sidewalk. While she was on the ground, a second female drew a chalk outline of her body on the sidewalk. As this was going on, both pedestrians and cars began slowing down to witness what was going on. In short time, traffic began to back up. At this point, officers asked the females if they were in possession of a permit allowing them to occupy the sidewalk. ...

Mary Collela, 21, of Cambridge and Leeanne McHugh, 22, of Dorchester were then arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and damage to property (graffiti).

You may recall the last time Boston Police arrested somebody for failing to have a sidewalk occupancy permit, the Suffolk County DA's office dropped the charges because the guy's actions "did not rise to the level of criminal misconduct." However, in that case, the protester wasn't drawing chalk outlines on the sidewalk.

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Why a panel of scientists is worried about the BU biolab

By adamg - 5/3/08 - 9:45 pm

Read for yourself the National Research Council report on why it thinks more study is needed before BU should be allowed to study deadly pathogens in the South End.

Biolab follies - Phoenix report.

Deadly pathogens still on track to come to the South End

By adamg - 11/30/07 - 12:32 pm

Although David at Blue Mass. Group writes this one's not over yet, folks. Something about federal backers of the plan ignoring pesky scenarios like incredibly painful, mosquito-borned viruses escaping.

Rebel alliance deploys light cannons against evil empire

By adamg - 10/31/06 - 7:01 pm

Boston IMC posts photos of messages opposing BU's biolab "painted" on downtown buildings on Monday with a "light cannon," i.e., a really big projector.

Weekly death march at City Hall

By adamg - 8/9/06 - 3:47 pm

Photos from the latest BU biolab protest outside City Hall - featuring folks who look like they rushed right over from a Somerville zombie parade.

BU has to look at alternatives for its deadly-virus lab

By adamg - 8/6/06 - 9:45 pm

On Blue Mass. Group, David analyzes the court ruling that will make BU look at alternative sites for its planned South End biosafety lab:

... As for the Mayor, his own quote, which I assume was intended to show what a good idea the lab is, says it better than I ever could:

"I'd be a fool to think about putting a lab in the city that would have a catastrophic effect on the community," Menino said in a telephone interview.

You would indeed, Mr. Mayor.

It was just a highly infectious potential bioweapon. No biggie

By adamg - 1/19/05 - 7:48 pm

So Boston University, which keeps telling us Orange Line riders how cute and cuddly its new mega-biolab in the South End will be, sailed through the city regulatory process without publicly disclosing that three BU researchers infected themselves with tularemia, which the CDC calls one of the most infectious pathogenic bacteria known.

As Steve Bailey asks in the Globe: They didn't think we would want to know?

Now, granted, BU says it didn't go public because tularemia can't be spread from person to person. But then it goes and adds that the "researchers had violated procedures intended to protect them from exposure."

Oh, well, no biggie. It's not like researchers at the new facility will be handling some of the most dangerous - and contagious - diseases known to man. Oh, wait, they will.

Ban Bioweapons in Boston
BU Medical Center Biosafety Lab - Be sure to hit reload to see all the pictures of smiling people who can't wait for deadly microbes to be imported into the South End.