A Futurist's Look at SF Under Siege

What if President Trump had ordered troops into San Francisco first, instead of Los Angeles? Or what if we're the next target? Earlier this year—before the events in LA—San Francisco based futurist and speculative designer Jason Tester created an immersive what-if scenario that explores both a prolonged military presence in our city and the potential forms of local resistance. Join us as Jason presents the vivid scenario with commentary on his process of making the potential come to life through "artifacts-from-the-future," why such works of civic imagination are exactly what democracy needs right now to anticipate new threats and explore better alternatives, and what San Francisco can do to prepare for the possibility of federalized troops being deployed here.

Jason Tester is a strategic futurist and speculative designer whose work explores the human consequences of political, technological, and social transformation. For over twenty years, he has used visual and immersive storytelling to make abstract future possibilities more understandable and accessible. For a decade, he worked as a Research Director at the renowned Palo Alto-based think tank Institute for the Future. Based in San Francisco for over two decades and deeply rooted in the city's LGBTQ+ community, his work often reflects the realities and resilience of groups that sit outside centers of power. Tester holds degrees from Stanford University and the Interaction Design Institute in Ivrea, Italy.

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