Pointing imaginary guns and roughing up “Iraqi civilians”, a group of antiwar veterans brought the realities of the Iraq debacle to Manhattan, in a Memorial Day protest that briefly turned the streets of the city into a combat zone. In “Operation First Casualty,” a half-dozen members of Iraq Veterans Against the War employed the tactics of street theater to stage mini-dramas in Times Square, Union Square and the World Trade Center site, simulating sniper fire and staging mock arrests of fellow protesters who portrayed Iraqis. The group plans to take Operation First Casualty to the streets of Chicago June 17.
Astra TaylorAstra Taylor is cofounder of the Debt Collective and the director of the documentary films What Is Democracy? Zizek! and Examined Life. She has written for The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Baffler, n+1 and other outlets. She is the author of The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age and Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone (Metropolitan Books)
Laura Hanna Laura Hanna is a filmmaker who, with Astra Taylor, produces short-form documentaries for The Nation. Their New York-based production company, Hidden Driver, specializes in feature-length and short-form films focusing on intellectual, cultural and political issues A California native, she has worked in all stages of production, as an editor, producer, sound recordist, post-production sound editor, mixer and designer. She is currently directing the documentary feature Megapolis.