Los Angeles Artist Finds Interchange Confusing, Makes Own Sign
Caltrans, the organization that oversees California's extensive roadway
systems, was chagrined this week to learn that a directional sign that has
been in place for nine months alongside Los Angeles' Harbor Freeway is not
one of their own. The sign, painstakingly crafted in Caltrans' style by
local artist Richard Ankrom, was hung in order to help motorists better
find their way through what Ankrom thought was a poorly marked interchange.
Ankrom, an artist and sometimes sign-painter, hung the sign himself last
year dressed in a hard-hat and orange vest, and had friends videotape the
event. Caltrans has opted to leave the helpful sign in place for the time
being. (Thanks to Doug for this story.)
Tunnel Used for Drugs
United States federal agents were dismayed last month to find an
85-foot-long tunnel underneath a US Customs parking lot in Nogales, AZ. The
tunnel began in Mexico and ended underneath a parking lot just past the
Customs lot. The tunnel, which was braced with wood and wired with
electricity tapped from the Customs lot, was discovered when a security
guard noticed a depression in the ground over which the tunnel ran. The
tunnel, most likely used for drugs, was the ninth of its kind found at the
Nogales entry point in the past seven years.
Tunnel Used for Loot
New York City police discovered buried treasure this week when they
raided an underground maze of tunnels beneath lower Manhattan shops and
recovered piles of CDs, DVDs, incredible amounts of counterfeit watches,
and other items worth more than $100 million US. The tunnel raid was the
result of a three-month investigation.
Men Break into Camp Pendleton Fridge, Throw Food
Four Los Angeles area men pleaded guilty to trespassing charges this
week after breaking into the U.S. military's Camp Pendleton and having a
bitchin' food fight. The men drove into Camp Pendleton on April 4 and
presented an expired Marine Corps badge to a guard. Once inside the camp,
the men headed for the dining hall and picked a lock on a refrigerator,
proceeding to eat and throw about 400 pounds of food at one another. The
men told police that they broke into the fridge and videotaped the food
fight because they wanted to show how lax the base's security was.
Ambulance Chaser Gets Comeuppance, Loses Rights
Stephen Ferry, a freelance photographer in New York City, admitted to the
New York Supreme Court this week that he impersonated a firefighter on
September 11 in order to gain entry to Ground Zero. Ferry admitted to
boarding a rescue truck and donning "certain rescue gear only in order to
protect myself without permission to do so." Charged with criminal
impersonation, Ferry was ultimately only required to plead guilty to
criminal possession of a forged instrument - the forged New York State
driver's license he presented when stopped at the same scene a few days
later. As part of a plea bargain, Ferry was not given prison time but
instead stripped of all rights to the hundreds of photographs he took on
September 11 and September 13, 2001.
Call for Infilnews Submissions
As always, Infilnews welcomes and encourages your contributions. Please
forward any articles of interest in the areas of exploration, construction,
infrastructure, infiltration, and so forth, to liz@infiltration.org.
Call for Zine Submissions
Infiltration is encouraging submissions for our upcoming Secret
Societies, Churches, and Minneapolis issues. If you've got any good letters
or tales relating to any of those subjects, please please email them to
ninj@infiltration.org and/or liz@infiltration.org. Thank you!
NEW ISSUE!
We are pleased to announce that Infiltration #18, the "Where are They
Now?" issue, is somewhat warm off the presses. Released just at the tail
end of April, issue 18 revisits many of the sites poked and prodded in
earlier issues, including the Royal York Hotel, Toronto Union Station, and
Saint Michael's Hospital. The issue takes a look not only at what changes
these institutions have undergone on their own, but the possible effects
that urban exploration (and the publicity given to such exploration) has
had on security and infrastructure at these sites. You can get a copy by
sending $2 (US/CDN) cash to PO Box 13, Station E, Toronto, ON M6H 4E1,
Canada.
Thank you for reading Infilnews. Please visit our friends at Urban
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