Flash Mob attempt fails at Sawgrass Mills

Sun Sentinel ^ | 09/01/03 | Nick Sortal

[Pikamax]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cflash31aug31,0,2574552.story?coll=sfla-news-broward Flash Mob attempt fails at Sawgrass Mills

By Nick Sortal Staff Writer

August 31, 2003

SUNRISE · Sawgrass Mills, which has 26 million visitors a year, apparently had a problem with a crowd of 30 Saturday night.

A group of mostly twentysomethings, who communicated via the Internet, were attempting to pull off South Florida's first "flash mob." The idea: to assemble quickly at a predetermined location, commit a random act of silliness and leave a bewildered crowd behind. Flash mobs sprouted two months ago in New York and the trend has been compared to the harmless fun of streaking in the 1970s and phone booth stuffing in the 1950s.

But police broke up the gathering in front of the Cheesecake Factory in the Oasis portion of the mall. The wife of the organizer was hauled away from the scene and escorted off the mall grounds. No arrests were made.

A Sawgrass Mills official left quickly without commenting, saying he would return. He did not.

The episode -- an attempt at synchronized activity that could rival the bank robbery scene in the movie Ocean's Eleven -- went down this way:

[NeoCaveman]

IF you throw a mob, and no one shows up, is it still a mob?

Just damn.

[mhking]

The fad is officially over.

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[ConservativeMan55]

"I'm deeply saddened. I'm deeply troubled that flash mobs aren't treated fairly like all the other minorities. Deeply saddened..."

[Just another Joe]

The fad is officially over.

Naw, it'll just go underground.

[Petronski]

Naw, it'll just go underground.

How? By holding the flashmobs in private or deserted locations? LOL

[AF68]

Well, that fad has run it's course. It's time for someone to come up with another mindless activity for the terminally bored populace.

[RS]

"Naw, it'll just go underground.

How? By holding the flashmobs in private or deserted locations? LOL "

The problem was handing out the cards - If you give the final instructions on the web, there is no "organizer" to arrest.

and I'm still not sure what they were arrested for -- promoting littering ?

[FreedomCalls]

It won't be long before somebody gets their eye poked out.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

What about real gladitorial combat? The games kept the terminally bored Romans happy.

[Petronski]

and I'm still not sure what they were arrested for -- promoting littering ?

Yeah, I was curious about that too. My best guess was "conspiracy to disturb the peace." Yeah, that'll work. ;o)

[RS]

Just off hand, any freepers get involved in the Promotional Internet "mystery" for the movie " A.I. " when it came out ?

[Petronski]

Not me. I avoided the box office obligations of A.I., and did not want to provide their website with hits either.

Spielberg has lost his balance and together AI & Minority are proof.

[RS]

The movie was a waste, but there was a promotional "stunt" that went on the web for months before -

It was like a mystery that you were involved in that was created in real time by their programming team.

These "flashmobs" with no real point besides having a little fun are another way that the web can be used to add more life to our lives.
The net in still in it's infancy in re-defining the way that people interact, just as Jim R. is to be saluted for his vision in starting FR - and even Drudge gets a nod for his contribution ( even though I think he's losing it )

Its interesting to watch it become more then it was before -

[Zetman]

Wow!! Right down there in my old stomping grounds. My wife and I used to love going to eat at that Cheesecake Factory back when we lived down there. Now our closest Cheesecake Factory is in downtown San Francisco - not nearly as convenient. Either way, I could visualize exactly where all that happened. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!

My biggest fear about these flash mobs is what happens when they stop doing just harmless pranks?? Right now, their methodology is being fine-tuned and perfected. I assume some people out there are learning from these "mistakes". What happens when a less benevolent group, like Hamas, Al Qaida, PETA, ELF, the ACLU, or the DNC starts using these tactics?? This time they were throwing dollar bills. What if someday they throw hand grenades instead?? I know the left-wing liberal Sun Sentinel got a little bent out of shape about it, but I think that mall security, and the Sunrise Police acted appropriately. If one of these people had decided to do something "stupid", the police would have been criticized for not preventing it (especially since it appears that they had advance knowledge that it was happening).

[Just another Joe]

How? By holding the flashmobs in private or deserted locations? LOL

Yeh, next flashmob is at Burning Man. ;^)

[BSunday]

deserted locations

Such as Tigers games.

[RS]

"What happens when a less benevolent group, like Hamas, Al Qaida, PETA, ELF, the ACLU, or the DNC starts using these tactics??"

SHHHH... if we all be werrry, werrry quiet, they won't find out about this....
</sarcasm>


Do you think they don't allready know that they can use the internet to contact their people ?

The cops saw the card that said paperclip a piece of paper to a dollar bill, and you equate that to the organizers handing out hand grenades ?

OK - how about we just call it "performance art" and get a government grant to do it ?

Don't people enjoy anything that causes no harm and makes life just a little bit more intersting anymore ?

BTW - " If one of these people had decided to do something "stupid", "

ALL of these people had decided to do something stupid - that was the whole point !