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| Musicians/Journalists: Jazz Funeral Procession New Orleans Jazz Funeral Procession. This is a call to musicians who cannot stand another minute of watching people being left to starve and die and be shot at by police, without acting to stop it…. 100+ horns (and woodwinds, drums and…) to march in a procession through the streets of NYC on Sunday, September 11, The World Can’t Wait, Drive out the Bush Regime is calling for this procession in the style and spirit of the New Orleans jazz funeral processions, led by the musicians. The vision is a dramatic public manifesto that people can no longer tolerate this regime that is committing mass murder down there, whether by incompetence or design. We demand people be rescued, that police stop shooting people who are trying to meet basic needs, and stop demonizing Black people (people on the ground are now reporting that Black men have to be off the street by 5 or risk arrest or worse). We are calling for a massive movement to politically drive out the illegitimate Bush regime. Last Sunday, with about 8 hours notice, The World Can’t Wait, Drive Out the Bush Regime pulled together a jazz funeral march (with musicians, black umbrellas, coffins, signs) that snaked through Manhattan for hours and was covered on 6 TV stations that evening. We parted 2 lanes of Broadway as buses and cars gladly gave way, many thumbs up. This time, the vision is: A stunningly large, beautiful and together gathering of musicians. Horns will blow with sadness, anger and determination to stop the suffering and death caused by this regime. We are acting quickly because we can and must — everyone has seen the footage, people wading through toxic water in New Orleans or warehoused in “superdomes” and gruesome shelters all over the south. To be blunt, they need a lot more than our sympathy and money. Efforts must be intensified to rescue people and stop treating them as criminals. And the debate needs to intensify about the nature of America that was revealed in the wake of Katrina and about a regime that shows such utter disregard for peoples’ lives. A regime that does this must be driven from power. And if we don’t act now, the tide will shift, and they will get away with murder. “How can we be refugees in our home state? My family has been here since slavery days, ” a man from Kenner said. “And now I’m supposed to be a refugee?” “We’re not angry. We’re way past angry.” Musicians who want to join in can call trumpet player Alicia Rau (917-721-7686), who played at last Sunday’s funeral march. Or Connie Julian 917-449-9064. Musicians are already answering the call… Slide Hampton, Mike Wimberly, many others. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |