Reader: Movie theater is no place to wear a "Joker" mask

Hint: If you're going to a movie in Boulder, do not wear a "Joker" mask in the theater. Officials with the Boulder Police Department reported Sunday night that they had arrested a seventeen-year-old male (he's a part-time University of Colorado student whose name is not being released because he's a...

By Patricia Calhoun

November 13, 2012

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Hint: If you're going to a movie in Boulder, do not wear a "Joker" mask in the theater. Officials with the Boulder Police Department reported Sunday night that they had arrested a seventeen-year-old male (he's a part-time University of Colorado student whose name is not being released because he's a minor) and charged him with menacing after "five people...felt imminent fear for their personal safety and ran from the theater because of their fear."

Four months after James Holmes was charged with a midnight massacre at a screening of The Dark Knight at the Aurora Century 16, this teen went to the Century Boulder Theater and reportedly donned a clown hat and a "Joker" mask.

Stupid, yes. But reason for arrest? See also: - Joker mask causes freak-out at Boulder movie theater, teen facing charges - Photos: James Holmes ultra-realistic Halloween mask listed for $500 on eBay

Says matchu:

It is illegal to yell "fire" in a crowded place, the concept is the same. He could have gotten someone killed by causing a mass scare and someone could have been trampled to death or he could have been shot. He wasn't charged for anything he didn't do, he was charged according to what he did, and that was being a menace.

Do you think he should have been arrested? Are you wary when you go to a movie theater at night? Do you avoid movie theaters altogether? Post your thoughts below, or join the conversation already under way here.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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