by Linda Sutton
Monday, Jun. 04, 2007 at 7:23 PM
Iraq Vets Against the War took over the streets of Santa Monica today in "Operation First Casualty." Real Iraq vets and volunteer detainees presented what a typical day in Baghdad would be.
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The staging area was adjacent to Arlington West, on the beach north of the pier. Red crosses now form a stripe within the white rows. Each red stands for 10 dead. They've run out of space for all.
At the first stop, the Armed Forces Recruiting Center, soldiers took their first detainees. Women screamed as they plastic cuffs were put on their hands. The men were blindfolded as one kept yelling he didn't understand the language.
At the second stop, in the 3rd St Promenade, a soldier was "shot." Comrades cared for him with medical equipment, and then evacuated him.
The final scene, in the market, was a very realistic confrontation between the group of soldiers and a large crowd. It turned violent quickly as "Ali" was being taken away from the group. The entire group was put on the street and cuffed as a large crowd of shoppers stopped and watched.
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ivaw.org
