Art and Bioterror

Steve Kurtz, an art professor at SUNY-Buffalo--and a radical activist of sorts through his "Critical Art Ensemble" collective--is being investigated by a grand jury after his wife died of a heart attack on May 11 and police came by and were disturbed by some chemistry set apparatus around the house. That triggered a thorough FBI and Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force scouring of his house with a full hazmat team and a two-day interrogation in a hotel room they took him to after declaring his home off-limits.

The FBI took a bunch of computers and equipment which it has not yet returned. Nothing immediately hazardous was found, and Kurtz was permitted to reoccupy his home. However, some of Kurtz's friends and associates have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury on June 15, so an investigation is continuing though no charges have yet been filed.

An earlier Hit and Run notice on this here. A Washington Post account here; a defense-fund plea here. From the defense fund plea:

[Kurtz] makes art which addresses the politics of biotechnology. "Free Range Grains," CAE's latest project, included a mobile DNA extraction laboratory for testing food products for possible transgenic contamination. It was this equipment which triggered the Kafkaesque chain of events.

FBI field and laboratory tests have shown that Kurtz's equipment was not used for any illegal purpose. In fact, it is not even possible to use this equipment for the production or weaponization of dangerous germs. Furthermore, any person in the US may legally obtain and possess such equipment.

Comments

[Mark S.]

I don't agree with Kurtz's anti-biotech paranoia, owning lab equipment does not a terror suspect make.

(Although, it is sort of ironic once you think about it. Kurtz's left-wing fear of genetic engineering prompts him to go poking and prodding private business for non-existant threats. He gets similar treatment in the name of a right-wing cause. But I digress...)

I have a collection of beakers and test tubes for mixing paints and epoxies for my modeling projects, does that make ME a terror suspect?

[The FBI]

Mark S.

We have traced your IP address and will be calling on you shortly to explain your possession of potentially dangerous equipment.

[CIA]

"The FBI", we have obtained your IP by secret subpoena and will charge you with impersonating a law enforcement officer (after a game of naked pyramid at gitmo).

[Steve Kurtz]

As an occasional writer for Reason, I must state that I am not the Steve Kurtz referred to in this article.

Steve Kurtz

PS Nor am I Steve Kurtz, the former manager of Christina Aguilera.

[Neb Okla]

Did they ever iron out the ban against mailing model airplane fuel and model rocket engines?

I think they were harassing people over that earlier.

[grylliade]

Ever notice that the Einsteins and Paulings, scientist world leaders of the early and middle of the past century, have now been replaced by Shaq and Janet Jackson on both the statement and income scales.

When did Einstein or Pauling ever make the kind of money Shaq or Janet Jackson make? Seriously. I don't remember Einstein being an extremely wealthy man. I'd imagine he was well enough off after the Nobel, but he wasn't ever in the range of probably even a B-list celebrity. Same for most of the intellectuals of the early years of the century, unless they had inherited wealth.

Just thought I'd point that out.

[howdt]

Possession of chemicals and chemistry equipment is now a homeland security crime. Ever notice that the Einsteins and Paulings, scientist world leaders of the early and middle of the past century, have now been replaced by Shaq and Janet Jackson on both the statement and income scales. Hmmm

[Larry A]

Well, you see, we have this SWAT team sitting around, and they aren't doing anything, and they're getting bored. So...