Say "flash mob" in Minneapolis these days and people might think you're talking about a mugging. That's because a police sergeant revealed in court paperwork this week that a series of attacks on pedestrians and bicyclists along Nicollet Mall over the past few weeks have been coordinated by groups acting like flash mobs.
To some hipster kids, that just hurts. And they're not talking about the crime, but the use of their phrase. The term "flash mob" originated with folks who use social media to get a mess of people together to do something odd or attention grabbing (or better - both!) in public, like a silent disco, or singing Handel's Messiah in a shopping mall. You know, FUN.
For others, we learned this week, a flash mob's just a terrific way to steal somebody's phone.
For the purists, a group of Edison High School kids will go old school with the flash mob idea and perform a dance routine at the Crystal Court on Friday at 12 noon. The "Yung Madness Steppers" lead by Ms. Denise Clarke promote non-violence and peace, according to the Minneapolis Police Department, which is promoting this flash mob.
Police officer Gary Duren, who is posted at Edison as the school's resource officer, gets credit for the group's creation, too, the department reports.
