Scenes from the city: The revolution will be streamed

It’s a sparkling day.

Brilliant blue skies, tufts of white clouds, two hulking armoured trucks lined with armed immigration agents in full military fatigues trundle through the downtown fashion district toward a clothing wholesaler.

Screaming alarms and sirens, lights thrashing red and blue. The sides of the trucks are lined with agents wearing helmets and green camouflage, assault weapons and riot shields. They carry no identification save for American flag patches velcroed to their uniforms.

They leap off the trucks and stride towards a dozen peaceful protestors seated on the road outside the wholesaler, arms linked. They’re all wearing white t-shirts, the international symbol of protestors around the world. The universal colour of peace and enlightenment.

The agents create a wall of riot shields, thumping the heavy perspex as they surge toward the protestors. Military helicopters blade overhead. A pre-recorded voice over a loudspeaker warns the protestors not to resist arrest, not to violate the rights of the approaching agents.

Flash-bang grenades are tossed into the crowd. People are screaming. A thousand onlookers have taken out their phones and are filming, streaming in real-time. One has an American flag caped around his shoulders. Another is a stunned businessman who has never seen anything like this before.

More agents pour out of the back of the trucks. Most of them are carrying tear gas launchers, locked and loaded. They’re wearing balaclavas under their helmets. Eyes glazed, tense.

The first tear gas grenade is fired. It explodes and skitters across the road toward the protestors, plumes of toxic hate in its wake.

A thousand onlookers film it all. If each film is seen by a thousand viewers, it will reach a million people. If they each send it to a thousand people, it will reach a billion people.

The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will be streamed.