Logo
ISSUE #32.24 • NEWS • NEWS STORY

This Story Is A Pipe Bomb

Recently in "News"

November 4th, 2009
Murmurs • Lists. A Great Way To Organize The News You Follow.5 comments

November 4th, 2009
Dr. Know1 comment

November 4th, 2009
Letters to the Editor • Inbox1 comment

November 4th, 2009
Not As Simple As 1-2-3 | Oregon’s upcoming census could mean another seat in congress.1 comment

November 4th, 2009
Rogue of the Week • University Of Oregon | Who’s killing Rudolph?3 comments

November 4th, 2009
Gimme A Break | Earl Blumenauer’s bill pays people to ride their bikes to work, but not everyone’s cashing in yet.1 comment

November 4th, 2009
Giving Treebates | Planting a tree may lower your sewer bill. 3 comments

November 4th, 2009
The Daily Show | Can a new publisher reverse the slide at The Oregonian?0 comments

November 4th, 2009
Law Of Averages | As Skipper leaves the sheriff’s office, an investigation into an alleged coverup is part of his legacy.11 comments

November 4th, 2009
Hey, Neighbor! • Hey, Neighbor!0 comments


BY ANGELA VALDEZ | avaldez at wweek dot com

[April 19th, 2006] In this age of metal detectors and terror alert lists, a loophole in national security has been exposed in sleepy Portland on a TriMet bus...if you believe terrorists are kind enough to label their bombs.

At 4:24 pm last Thursday, April 13, a westbound No. 15 bus stopped for Ben Leavitt at the corner of Southeast 38th Avenue and Belmont Street. Leavitt, 25, secured his black 10-speed on the bike rack, then put one foot on the first step of the bus.

Leavitt says the driver yelled, "Get your bike off my bus!" When he asked why, the driver pointed to a sticker on his bike. It bore the name of one of Leavitt's favorite bands, the Florida folk-punk group "This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb."

They argued a little before Leavitt gave up and returned home to file a complaint. TriMet wrote back Friday, saying the driver, whose name was not released, should have called dispatch immediately, "so emergency responders [could] be on the scene and assist in the evaluation of any questionable item or situation."

Leavitt was relieved she hadn't. At Ohio University last month, the discovery of a similar sticker on a locked bike prompted a campus lockdown while a 70-member bomb squad disassembled the bike. The owner was charged with a misdemeanor of inducing panic.












icon Story continues below

advertisement

advertisement

Rate This Story
Be the first to rate this story.

 
read all 5 comments | add your comment
 

RECENT COMMENTS ON “This Story Is A Pipe Bomb”

2

This Story Is A Pipe BombThe only thing blowing about Ben is his good looks -- MIND BLOWING... ohhhhh—k.c

Story Forum Archive, Apr 19th, 2006 12:00am
3

This Story Is A Pipe BombI love the fact that those charged with protecting the United States have no clue what they're looking at, or about the sub-cultures that exist within this country. The...

Story Forum Archive, Apr 24th, 2006 12:00am
4

Uh, one can't really expect Joe Bus Driver or Jane Emergency Response Person to know the name of every subculture band in the US. That's a pretty absurd expectation, and is about as reasonable as the ...

Archdukechocula, Sep 6th, 2006 11:24am
5

Archdukechocula, you're overreacting/overanlayzing. He didn't put the sticker on his bike to get attention, he put it on because he liked the band. Whether the name would cause panic or not was prob...

Pwnr, Sep 11th, 2006 4:36am
 
 
 





Recently in Willamette Week
December 31st 1969Washington State | The Canada of Oregon has it all—a Stonehenge replica, a longboarder's concrete wet dream and dark, damp underground lava caves. Vive les rocks.
December 31st 1969Oregon's Outer Edges | Crater Lake. Hell's Canyon. Wallowa and Steens mountain ranges. Hell, yeah.
December 31st 1969Central Oregon/High Desert | No rain, plenty of snow, obsidian flows and great local beer. The folks from the real eastside know how to unbend outside.
December 31st 1969Great Cascades/Columbia Gorge | With plenty of room to roam—and hot springs for your weary feet—it's the place to ramble and relax for the weekend.
December 31st 1969Willamette Valley | Monks, tracks, tubing and wine make the fertile strip a virile place to play.
December 31st 1969Stumptown | Tons of public parks, an extinct volcano and nude beach volleyball to keep you jolly. Get out and collect those merit badges, without leaving the city.
December 31st 1969The Coast | The beaches are public. You own them. Go play—hike in the old-growth forests.
December 31st 1969Cycle Tour 101: Your on-bike guide to Highway 101 | To ride the greatest bike route in Oregon, you need to get out of Portland.
December 31st 1969Doggin' It | What happens when a Portland running club jogs with pooches from the pound?
December 31st 1969Over the Edge | Sam Drevo will paddle yr ass.