Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
I Scream, You Scream, Anarchists Scream for Ice Cream
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 11, 2008
Modified Sep 11, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 11, 2008
Modified Sep 11, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Photos courtesy Creative Time.
Creative Time and the Center for Tactical Magic are jumping on the ice cream truck bandwagon this weekend, but their jingle's going to be a bit more radical than your local Kool Man's "Pop Goes the Weasel." Their anarchist ice cream truck and mobile “protest karaoke station” will travel to parks in both Brooklyn and Queens "to engage local communities and hopefully stimulate people to think broadly about interaction with politics."
The Tactical Ice Cream Unit's (TICU) main mission is to disribute free frosty treats along with progressive literature, but the truck is also stocked with "gas masks and sunscreen in case of civil uprising." And miscreants be warned: it's hooked up with a 12-camera video surveillance system, so no funny stuff.
Combining a number of successful activist strategies into one mobile ice cream truck, the TICU is the alter ego of the police force's mobile command center. Although the TICU appears to be a mild-mannered vending vehicle, it harbors a host of high-tech surveillance devices including a 12-camera video surveillance system, acoustic amplifiers, GPS, satellite internet, and a media transmission studio capable of disseminating live audio/video and of course, ice cream.
This is all part of Creative Time's Democracy in America: The National Campaign, which also features the family-favorite Coney Island's Waterboard Thrill Ride.
Tagged
Center for Tactical Magic
creative time
ice cream truck
Tactical Ice Cream Unit
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
On HBO's “The Gilded Age,” Ben Ahlers is New York high society’s man of the hour
The actor plays Jack Trotter, a fictional inventor of an impressive alarm clock. He’s developed an enthusiastic following.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Nov 5, 2026
Bowling, burgers and civilian housing: Life on the Fort Hamilton Army installation
We went behind the gates to see what's happening on the leafy plot beneath the Verrazzano Bridge.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Bowling, burgers and civilian housing: Life on the Fort Hamilton Army installation
We went behind the gates to see what's happening on the leafy plot beneath the Verrazzano Bridge.
By
James Ramsay
When turning back the clock means going under an NYC sidewalk
By
Hannah Frishberg
Yes, Stevie Wonder is playing MSG. No, you can't afford tickets. See these shows instead.
By
Hank Shteamer
'The Muppets Take Manhattan' in Queens and more November films in NYC
By
Emma Stefansky
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .