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121:. The city struggled to attract the public to the area prior to the incident. The slide itself was installed in November 2022 as part of a $ 70 million renovation, and was intended for children between the ages of 5 and 12 and was labeled as such. Adults had been using the slide since its installation, with one woman sending a letter of complaint to the city after sustaining a "baseball" sized injury on her head but being dismissed when officials determined the city was not liable.
145:. Visits to the site increased significantly, with many adults using the slide. On August 3, one Twitter user claimed there was "a 45-minute wait to use the cop slide," a claim repeated by multiple media outlets. The city received several complaints of injuries. News of the video was reported by major outlets including
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user that barricades had been placed by Boston property management department to block off the slide, as well as two smaller slides next to it, and that the site was being patrolled by "people who hate fun". A spokesperson for Wu later stated that the attention received by adult visitors to the slide
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to determine the reason. Theories that the difference depended on the weight of the user were contradicted by the fact that despite greater mass leading to greater gravitational force, objects with greater mass speed up more slowly than lighter objects.
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Social media users and news outlets noted that some slide users were able to use the slide normally, while other users including the police officer ended up upside down. Several theories formed as to why this took place, with media outlets such as
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between his synthetic fabric uniform and the metal of the slide, as well as its curved design which one injury biomechanics expert said could cause passengers to swoop up its side, similar to the movement of a
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On an undetermined date in the summer of 2023, a Boston police officer slid down the slide and was filmed emerging from the end of the slide at high speed. He sustained a minor head injury and was treated by
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stated that "we want all of our public spaces to be beloved and if it looks like we need to make sure that there’s more signage that this is for children or something, we can do that too"
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in August 2023, causing an influx of visitors using the slide and prompting enforcement of restrictions on its use by the city, as well as scientific analysis of the initial incident.
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at night had made the barriers necessary as a temporary measure, and that the barriers were no longer used at night. On August 24, a journalist for
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user @ryanwhitney6 on August 2; it was later taken down but was recirculated by various other accounts on the site. It then became viral on
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tried the slide and noted that he was "the only childless adult on the premises" and that "the kids have reclaimed their playscape."
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527:"Adults have been riding the City Hall 'cop slide' seen in a viral video. Results have varied"
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632:"Adults in Boston Are Forming a 45-Minute Line for the Cop Slide in the Middle of a Work Day"
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using his own medical insurance. He did not miss work time nor face any disciplinary action.
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Some scientists instead argued that the police officer's fast descent was caused by the low
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caused by a video of a police officer tumbling down a childrens' slide in the playground of
372:"I-Team: Video shows Boston Police officer get hurt on children's slide at City Hall Plaza"
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456:"No one can stop grown ass adults in Boston from hurling themselves down that big slide"
732:"Boston's infamous 'Cop Slide' video featured on John Oliver's show - The Boston Globe"
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816:"Why The Boston Cop Went Down The Slide So Fast, According To A Physicist"
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665:"People gather in droves to go down viral "Cop Slide" in Boston"
339:"The Boston cop slide fail has become an instant meme | indy100"
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The slide was situated in the $ 95 million plaza outside
701:"A cop, a slide and a fleeting moment of viral joy"
137:The video of the incident was originally posted by
772:"How the Playground Slide Defeated the Boston Cop"
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454:Tangalakis-Lippert, Katherine (August 16, 2023).
859:Internet memes introduced from the United States
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416:"Boston officials have "arrested the cop slide""
228:On the night of August 10, it was noticed by a
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197:", though the listing was later taken down.
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599:"Gravity Takes Down Boston Police Officer"
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189:. The slide was labeled "Cop Slide" on
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561:DiGiammerino, Thea (August 2, 2023).
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206:in its first episode following the
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730:Sweeney, Emily (October 2, 2023).
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203:Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
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699:Howard, Miles (August 24, 2023).
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132:Boston Emergency Medical Services
814:Redden, Molly (August 3, 2023).
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117:designed by architecture firm
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101:. The video became viral on
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262:and physicists including
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272:coefficient of friction
99:Boston City Hall Plaza
68:42.36121°N 71.05818°W
869:Playground equipment
303:The Daily Telegraph
243:Scientific analysis
73:42.36121; -71.05818
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322:December 7,
258:recruiting
223:Michelle Wu
191:Google Maps
71: /
46:Coordinates
848:Categories
568:NBC Boston
283:References
172:Daily Mail
109:Background
59:71°03′29″W
56:42°21′40″N
786:1091-2339
312:0307-1235
87:Cop slide
24:Cop slide
826:Archived
790:Archived
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709:Archived
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642:Archived
609:Archived
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537:Archived
504:Archived
466:Archived
426:Archived
382:Archived
377:CBS News
349:Archived
316:Archived
250:HuffPost
180:NBC News
160:CBS News
154:HuffPost
670:Dexerto
637:Jezebel
604:Vulture
344:Indy100
139:Twitter
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230:Tumblr
193:as a "
183:, and
169:, the
163:, the
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119:Sasaki
103:TikTok
777:Slate
255:Slate
834:2023
798:2023
782:ISSN
750:2023
717:2023
705:WBUR
683:2023
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617:2023
581:2023
545:2023
512:2023
474:2023
434:2023
390:2023
357:2023
324:2023
308:ISSN
277:luge
252:and
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