[members-announce] This Sunday - NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FUNERAL PROCESSION in New York

[Lourdes Delgado]

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
.

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FUNERAL PROCESSION


100+ horns (and woodwinds, drums and
) to march in a
procession through the streets of NYC on Sunday,
September 11, gathering at 3pm
South side of Washington Square Park (in front of
Judson Church, 239 Thompson St).

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.

www.worldcantwait.org