What is wrong about this is not that the police are on social media (I expect them to be), but they are assuming a crime will be committed before the fact. Playing music in your house with a few friends over is not illegal. If there are too many friends or the music is too loud, then shut it down after a crime has been committed.
I am no huge fan of the BPD, and I don't deny that their tactics here were silly. But there is real history behind this issue, and it's a legitimate safety concern. It was only a few years ago that the Station fire happened less than fifty miles away from Boston; a hundred people died that night, and people haven't forgotten it, nor should they. This is an area that has a ton of old buildings that aren't coded for large numbers of people. It's a very real risk to pack people in.
And - fires happen fast. Between the moment a fire starts and the moment when people start dying, there generally isn't time for a neighbor to call the police and complain.
This isn't a noise issue; it's a fire hazard issue.
Thanks for the history. It certainly seems to explain the political and community motivation beyond the assumed "let's get those punks."
However, while there may be some similarities I don't see it as the same situation as the Station any more than enforcing the fire code for any other gathering. if I remember correctly it was a valid nightclub and the permits they did not have involved the pyrotechnics not the show or venue. Doors were locked when they shouldn't have been, place was beyond capacity, etc ... a horrific tragedy.
if this is really a purely motivated by enforcing occupancy laws (and therefore fire codes) they should be cracking down on family reunions and Superbowl parties posted on social networks too.
We're not talking about some kind of loitering with intent crap; these people had a clear, premeditated intention to break the law. If you announce publicly that you're going to commit a crime at a given time and place, don't be surprised if the police turn up to that place at that time and arrest you.
Did they say things would get unruly? Did they say minors would be drinking? Did they say the neighbors would complain because the music is too loud? Did they say they would be breaking fire codes? What crime did they publicly announce? The police are making a lot of assumptions (right or wrong) before the fact.
