”Hard Hat Riot” Foreshadows The Splintering of America

On May 8, 1970, “the Hard Hat Riot” erupted in lower Manhattan. At midday, construction workers, including those building the World Trade Center, violently clashed with students demonstrating against the Vietnam War.

 

Workmen saw the protesting students as privileged “draft dodgers” disparaging the country and those who fought for it. On the other side, many student activists saw the workers as pawns, unwilling to see the changes that America needed. 

 

On this episode, host Michael Azevedo speaks with Marc Levin, the director of "Hard Hat Riot," a new documentary that will broadcast on PBS’ American Experience on September 30 and be available online thereafter. 

 

"Hard Hat Riot" tells the story of a struggling metropolis (NYC), a flailing president (Nixon), a divided people, and a bloody juncture when the nation violently diverged ― culminating in a new political and cultural landscape that radically redefined American politics and foreshadowed the future.

 

Marc Levin is an award-winning, independent filmmaker dedicated to telling powerful, real stories in a unique, authentic style.

 

He has won four Emmys, four duPont-Columbia Awards, the Peabody Award, the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, and the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Highlights include: Slam, his breakout festival hit; Brick City, the groundbreaking docu-series about Newark, New Jersey’s charismatic Mayor Cory Booker; Gang War: Bangin’ in Little Rock; Emmy-winning Thug Life in DC for HBO; Chicagoland, a docu-series for CNN and Robert Redford’s Sundance Productions, nominated for a 2014 IDA Award for Best Limited Series.

 

Making Media Now is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.

About the host: www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 

Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead