Riotsville, U.S.A., a new documentary by filmmaker Sierra Pettengill, is a surrealist look at the dawn of police militarization in America.
"Riotsville was a series of fake towns that look like low-budget film sets constructed on military bases in the late '60s for training in civil disturbance control," Pettengill explained to Reason. "People ranging from FBI agents, governors, rank and file police officers, and police chiefs were all brought in for this course. Riotsville was a sort of day-long stage reenactment."
