Hang onto your badges!
Boston, with its history of protest going back to the Boston Tea Party, promises to live up to its reputation, if the press reports are to be believed. At least one group, Biodevastation to Biojustice, has announced a week-long event to coincide with BIO. The Boston press has gotten locals all worked up at the prospect of disruptions to traffic and commerce, though if past conventions are any measure, this might all be much ado about nothing.
We’ll see. In the meantime, BIO is coordinating with local, state and federal officials in monitoring the internet for possible threats and preparing contingency plans should disruptions occur, according to Jeff Joseph, BIO’s vice president of communications. Joseph points out that what makes Boston an attractive site for the convention -- the high concentration of research universities as well as biotech companies -- also makes it an attractive target for protests. Same was true, of course, in San Francisco in 2004, where the security guards outnumbered the protestors (Joseph admits they overestimated the threat that year).
Biojustice 2007 will be sponsoring panel discussions, a “Wake up the Earth” rally, and a puppet parade. You can find a complete listing of events if any of you want to meet the loyal opposition.
And of course, badges will be required at all times to enter the convention center and other official BIO venues.
