NYPD Frees "I Love NY" Bomber

The New York City Police Department held fast to its “see something, say something” mantra last weekend after Brooklyn residents reported LED-lit “I Love New York” bags hanging from trees, all connected by wires to a suspicious looking power box. The bags were actually the handiwork of 50-year-old artist and Rafael Vinoly designer Takeshi Miyakawa, who has said that he “just wanted to bring a piece of art to the streets.”

But locals called in a potential bomb threat to 311 on Saturday night and police ordered an evacuation of the area that lasted about two hours. Miyakawa was caught stringing up one of the bags to a lamp post around 2 am and was arrested on several counts of reckless endangerment and criminal nuisance.

More than 3,600 users joined the “Free Takeshi Miyakawa” Facebook page, and another 2,000 supporters signed a petition calling for his release. Now, after originally being ordered to 30 days in jail, officials released Miyakawa yesterday, May 23, 2012. A judge has ordered that the artist still undergo a psychiatric evaluation and return to court late next month on charges of reckless endangerment and planting fake bombs.

Good luck to Miyakawa; one can only hope the forces of law and order come to their senses. Do they realize how many plastic bags are hanging from the city’s trees?

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