Last week the Carts of Brooklyn Racing Association (COBRA) held a press conference outside CBS headquarters in New York City. The group, which is responsible for organizing the Idiotarod shopping cart race, is protesting the episode “Obsession,” which features their race in one it’s storylines.

COBRA objects, among other things, to CBS’ use of the name “Idiotarod” without permission in their marketing materials. In the show, the race is referred to as the “Idiot Run.”

COBRA member “Number Six” expressed disappointment with the CSI:NY episode on a number of levels. First, the organization is disappointed because they offered to work with the show to help them “create a ground breaking hour of television.” Second, COBRA is upset by the way the media continues to portray shopping cart racing in a negative light. Third, according to Number Six, “CSI:NY is just not a good show. I used to like Gary Sinise. I even liked him in Ransom. What happened to him? You know when you’d rather watch David Caruso something has gone seriously seriously wrong.”

COBRA’s Oscar Owens has this to say: “This is yet another example of the lack of respect with which the media treats the ‘craft of the speeding trolley.’ For years shopping cart racers have faced uninformed and distorted images of themselves. Now they want to paint us as thieves and murders? It would be one thing if CSI:NY weren’t so bad, but this Gary Sinise-led monstrosity is beyond the pale. Do you hear us, Les Moonves? We demand satisfaction.”

For a highly entertaining read, head over to Gothamist.

Discuss this news item at Talk CSI!
 Add CSI Files RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a Desperate Housewives fan? Then visit GetDesperate.com!