Lament for the Death of Civil Rights was a Participatory Performance. This piece supported the Wild Strawberries Student Movement. The student-initiated protest condemned police violence. The students demanded the ouster of the then Head of National Police Agency and Head of National Security Bureau, an apology from the national administration, the right to public assembly, and freedom of speech.

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In November 2008, pro-democracy groups contested a visit by the Chinese envoy, Chen Yunlin. The protesters believed that the meeting between Chen and the Ma government would compromise Taiwan's independence. In turn, the Ma administration suppressed the demonstrations with police control. Conflicts broke out, and some protestors were beaten. The government also banned the display of Taiwan's national flag. Additionally, policemen stopped a record store from playing a song associated with Taiwanese identity. Shocked and infuriated by these authoritarian actions, students around Taiwan began sit-in protests. These students dubbed themselves "wild strawberries," thus giving name to the movement. Many "wild strawberries" gathered at Liberty Square. They held meetings, gave speeches, an sough counsel from professors and political activists. Other citizens came to encourage and donate food and resources. Liberty Square soon became the organizing base for the island-wide coalition.

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At the invitation of the student protest organizers, I facilitated Lament for the Death of Civil Rights. This piece was part of a day-long protest arts festival at Liberty Square, Taipei, Taiwan. By November 22, the protesting students had camped at Liberty Square for two weeks. I joined them by sleeping in a tent that night. In the dark, I asked the university students to lie on the ground in various positions. They then traced each other's body contours with chalks. The human-shaped outlines symbolized casualties of police violence. Civil rights seemed to have died. 

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On November 23, 2008, about 200 people gathered at Liberty Square. Through a megaphone, I explained the purpose of this protest performance. I then invited those present to lie inside the pre-drawn human shapes. To accommodate the high turnout, student assistants traced additional body contours. In three minutes of silence, the collective mourned for "the death of civil rights." Following the silent lament and at my urging, all chanted in unison, "Liberty and Democracy! Give Back Human Rights!" Individuals rested on the ground for as long as they wished. I encouraged them to write their thoughts inside the contours they occupied. People wrote in Mandarin and in English. This indicated the intended audience included both local and international. 

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Lament for the Death of Civil Rights, like the Wild Strawberries Student Movement, was unique due to its participants. Citizens of all ages, socio-economic backgrounds, and political leanings united to defend their civil rights. This participatory performance-protest highlights Jürgen Habermas's theory of the public. A public, according to Harbemas, is the gathering of private individuals who have disregarded status or rank to discuss issues of “common concern.” (Harbemas, “Social Structures of the Public Sphere.”) Lament lsoillustrates acts of citizenship. Engin F. Isin and Greg M. Nielson describe them as “collective or individual deeds that rupture social-historical patterns.” Lament and the Wild Strawberries Student Movement were “forms of struggle that involve encounters between social groups and state authorities.” (Isin and Greg, Acts of Citizenship) 

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