Hacker News Reader

Comment by wavewash | Hacker News Reader

I'm so glad this story is not true.

I'm a little confused about which elements here are true actually. Did he piece together pieces of factual history to create a plausible scenario? And if so, was there ever a flash mob that resulted in a riot which lead to 23 deaths?

So far as I can tell it's entirely fictional.

The point is that, individually, there are precedents for each part of the story, not that they have all been tied together before. One of the graphics near the end illustrates this.

The 23 deaths part is a huge stretch though. There's been a few noted injuries at such mobs when turned riot but I can't even find an example of a single death from a flash mob type gathering.

There have definitely been riots however which have lead to deaths. Flash Mob -> Riot has happened, Riot --> Deaths have happened. Flash Mob -> Riot -> Deaths not yet.

Sure, it's definitely a stretch. He was a bit hyperbolic (as with the getting lost due to having no 3G bit). I can't think of any riot with more than a handful of deaths in a western country over the last 20 years (?)

In all, 53 people died during the riots and thousands more were injured.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots

(Just a history lesson. I agree with you that it's a huge stretch)

I'd say the "getting lost due to having no 3G bit" was one of the /least/ hyperbolic things - I can imagine that happening to me pretty easily nowadays.

If you pause it at 4:59 he cites (on screen) the partial events which could be combined to the single event

Upload to live news < 24 Hours - Epic Beard Man

Short Notice Flash Mob - Mass Moonwalk 2009

Personal Details Leak - Alex Wuori 2007

Flash Mob to Riot - Gallery Mall Mob 2010

Indeed. The 'they don't know where to go, as they can't get to Google Maps' also doesn't ring true - if the police are arriving, I suggest most people would move away from the police, whether they can get to Google maps or not.

Odds on the police would use "kettle" tactics, so there would be nowhere to go away from them.

It's not true, it hasn't happened.

Yet.

I believe the Met. are using that much less now, since the whole fiasco with the G20 protests in 2009.

Its a flash mob, not a protest. The police would likely ask the mob to forest the area, as

I could definitely imagine something like this happening. It's awfully scary how technology can be used for unintended, malevolent purposes.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com