Justice
A World Without Trash Cans?
Early reports suggest at least one of the bombs used in yesterday's Boston Marathon attack was hidden in a garbage can. There's a case to be made for removing them all.
In May 2001, the State Department issued a memo on homemade bombs and IEDs. "IEDs can be contained in almost anything," the pamphlet warns, including "trash cans, dumpsters, mailboxes, bushes, storage areas, and parked vehicles." The warning became painfully relevant once again on Monday — early reports suggest that at least one of the explosive devices used in the attack at the Boston Marathon was hidden in a garbage can.
In the modern terror era, major cities are all too aware of the ways attackers can use a piece of existing infrastructure to hide a weapon. Given this reality, what does a safe city look like now?