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36 • Touchline • Issue 16
he crowd was thick and densely packed around the
finishing line. This was a just a normal day, friends
and families cheering on the runners. The festival
atmosphere was fostered by the kind of goodwill
that can often be found at sporting events. The runners passed
the line, sweaty, their legs burning but feeling a genuine sense
of achievement.
They had no idea their lives were about to be torn apart.
On April 15th at 2.49pm, two explosions -160 metres apart-
rocked through the crowd. Suddenly the happy atmosphere was
shattered, replaced by blinding pain and disbelief. Three people
were killed immediately, but such was the density of the crowd
and the spacing of the bombs that 264 others were injured.
Many had limbs torn from the bodies by the force of the blasts,
while some had to be amputated later at the hospital. The
carnage was horrifying.
The bombers themselves, Dzhokar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were
on hand, perhaps wanting to see firsthand how their bombs
would destroy the lives of hundreds. Later, in an attempt to
flee, the brothers hijacked a car, but were involved in a shoot
out with the police. One officer was killed and another injured.
In the fire fight, Tamerlan was killed. Dzhokhar drove through
the police but was later caught hiding in a boat in a backyard.
In this new age of terrorism, sporting events are an obvious
target. Huge amounts of people clustered together enable
the terrorist to cause maximum damage. Despite there being
security at big matches, most of their concern is about violence
within the crowd, rather than violence targeted towards the
crowd. Add to that the media coverage on hand, and you have a
perfect target for terrorists. This tragedy has much to teach us
about the danger posed to the sporting public.
Shortly after the attack, the police initiated a “shelter-in-place”
order. Lock-downs occur often at schools or businesses when
there is a natural catastrophe or some other danger. But the
authorities of Boston took a step that is unprecedented in
American history. They shut down the whole city.
There has been terrorism in America for years, but the
September 11 attacks changed the way it is seen and handled.
Many Americans are worried about how their civil liberties are
being impinged through moves to track and capture terrorists.
How the lock-down worked and what its ramifications could
be in the future are occupying the dialogue on both sides.
Will other cities shut down when there is a terrorist move
at a sporting event? Is a lock-down an extreme yet cautious
method to save lives? Or is it an infringement on liberty?
The police and authorities acted quickly and decisively after
the explosions. They gained praise from President Obama.
“After a vicious attack on their city, Bostonians responded with
resolve and determination,” he said in an address to the nation.
Other experts said the lock-down was justified. Frank Cilluffo,
T
BOSTON’S SHUT DOWN:
THE
BLOWBACK
BY TIMOTHY MOTTRAM