Boston police going undercover to fight DIY punk shows

Slate is reporting on a new operation from The Boston Police Department which has police using fake social media accounts to crack down on DIY house shows. Motivated by a new law focused on "nuisances" the police have been posing as fans, but have been frequently caught for simple things like calling a show a "concert," asking for the "address for the local music show" or professing a love for green beer.

The article describes one flag-raising profile:

Details like that are among the typical warning signs you might find when dealing with an online scam--it's a recently created account with very few friends, almost no interaction with anyone, and generic-looking pictures. Her cover photos include a snapshot of the No. 66 bus in Allston (so you know she's repping Allston hard), and a generic Boston skyline photo, you know, like most twentysomething girls into the punk scene will always post on their walls. In this light, her "I love the pit!" photo of a mosh pit, obviously taken from an Internet thumbnail, looks like one of the saddest feints ever.

Check out the report here.