"There was no theft, no property damage, no vandalism," says police spokes- person Deanna Nollette. But just in case the hoax was otherwise illegal, the cops are investigating.
The anonymous creators of the paper have been hush-hush about their top-secret mission. However, they did agree to a covert e-mail interview. Though it's unclear how many people worked on it, the editors said it was a team effort. And it was printed outside of Seattle "for a variety of logistical and security reasons," they said.
"The mainstream media... do not cover these issues adequately." said the Crimes' editors. "If they cover them at all, they do so with a bias, one that is very often racist. And the best way to call out racist media seemed to be to go right into their turf."
The Crimes went into that turf with its own bias: The editors say there is police brutality and institutional racism at the Seattle Police Department. And they think the message got across to those who read the paper.
"People seem to love it! Some of us have sat on buses or in restaurants or at our jobs watching people crack up as they read it. That's pretty cool," the editors wrote. "We've also watched people start up some pretty dope conversations about racism, police brutality, and related issues. Everybody should be talking to each other about these issues."
