You're invited! Calling all musicians, buskers, artists, circus clowns, flag corps, mimes, puppeteers, regular folks, irregular folks, cats, dogs, baboons, dancers, lovers of music, Every-Damned-Body!

Sunday, May 5th at 6pm, we will show our support for all the good folks that make New Orleans great!

The Free The Music parade will bring free music to the streets of the Jazz Fest neighborhood to raise awareness about the city's ridiculous crackdown on live music venues and musicians.

You don't need to buy a ticket.

You don't need a corporate sponsor.

Just come out Sunday, May 5, 6pm and be ready to play music and dance in the streets.

Costumes encouraged.

The Bywater Rising Protest/ Second Line in support of live music venues, musicians, buskers, artists, DJs was great. We decided we wouldn't stop there.

RSVP on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/232432533555103/

NOTE: This has nothing to do with Jon Bon Jovi.

The second week of Justice Fest will last from Thursday, May 2 - Sunday, May 5.

2013 Celebrate justice and music at the location formerly known as the Sacred Shrine of Jon Bon Jovi.

Justice is not dead. Lady Justice has merely been taken hostage. And when there is no justice, there will be no peace.

We do not support the fact that Shell Oil is a corporate sponsor of Jazz Fest. We love NOLA music and culture but not Shell Oil.

We do not support Mayor Landrieu’s crackdown on live music venues, musicians, buskers, artists, and performers. We will resist the ridiculous citations residents living near Jazz Fest have received for having Yard Sales or "transient vending."

We do not forget Guadalupe.

And we hate Clean Zones!

We welcome you to bring info related to Social Justice Issues to this location during Jazz Fest.

In addition to Free Aqua Net Hairspray, the shrine will offer information about different Social Justice issues in New Orleans.

Please feel free to stop by during festival hours and be ready for some creative demonstrations.

Justice Fest Events - You can RSVP on the individual Facebook event pages if you like!

We might add more events or have spontaneous events. Some activities are ongoing, so stop by any time during Jazz Fest.

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Friday May 3 DIY Stencil Party 2:00pm until 8:00pm

https://www.facebook.com/events/374830725968708/

Let's stencil! We have some great stencils and spray paint and will stencil anything you bring! Or, bring your own stencils and we can swap designs.

Want to learn how to make stencils? Have stencil skills to share? The more the merrier! We have spray paint! If you can, bring your own exacto blade!

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Saturday May 4 9:00 to 11 pm
Let’s send 100 postcards to political prisoners - Mail to the Jail

https://www.facebook.com/events/158326777669320/

Let's get 100 postcards to send to political prisoners. Bring an original handmade postcard (handmade is ideal, but if you want to bring one you didn't make, that's okay), or come and make a postcard at Justice Fest.

We'd love to get a photo gallery of all the postcards and then mail them to political prisoners.

We'll have addresses and info on political prisoners so you can learn about their different circumstances, but check out Op Pen Pal http://oppenpal.wordpress.com/mailing-list/  and Mail to the Jail if you have a specific political prisoner you know you'd like to write to. http://mailtothejail.org/ 

We'll also have fun prizes for original hand made postcards!

You can just drop off your postcard on the way to Jazz Fest, or spend some time making postcards and learning about different political prisoners!

We'll be showing short films about various prisoners on the porch!
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May 4 - May 5 Chalk Party
https://www.facebook.com/events/543195785731834/

Let's make the sidewalks and streets around the Jazz Fest area beautiful before Sunday's Free The Music Parade!

Feel free to stop by Justice Fest for chalk ideas and some chalk, or just get out there and CHALK THE WORLD!

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May 5 Sunday - Face Painting Party 2pm - 5:30pm

https://www.facebook.com/events/118444485020416/

Come get your face painted in time to march in the Free The Music Parade! HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/232432533555103/

We have face paint, and if you have your own face painting kit and skills, feel free to come by, set up, and accept donations.

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Free The Music Parade 6- 8pm May 5
https://www.facebook.com/events/232432533555103/

Calling all musicians, buskers, artists, circus clowns, flag corps, dancers, lovers of music!

Free The Music parade will bring free music to the streets of the Jazz Fest neighborhood.

You don't need to buy a ticket.

You don't need a corporate sponsor.

Just come out Sunday, May 5, 6pm and be ready to play music and dance in the streets.

Costumes encouraged.

The Bywater Rising Protest/ Second Line in support of live music venues, musicians, buskers, artists, DJs was great. We decided we wouldn't stop there.

DISCLAIMER
NOTE: These events are not sponsored by Shell Oil or Jon Bon Jovi, Bon Jovi, or in any way connected to them except some of them will be taking place at a location that holds the remnants of a Shrine devoted to Jon Bon Jovi that small affair made years ago.

We'll be participating in  Tent City United Day of Action April 1, 2013 in solidarity with Occupy Austin, Occupy Wall Street NY, Occupy Oakland, and all homeless people, occupiers, and people who value public space.

Working groups will meet TBA to plan creative, strategic actions. Since this is a solidarity event, we are sharing the link to the Tent City United Facebook Event and encourage people to follow Twitter hashtag #TentCity and account @TentCityUnited

Plans can include:

• March of the Tentmonsters
• Make and place Tiny Tents in strategic places.
• Pitch tents in strategic public spaces
• Parade with tents in front of surveillance cameras

Details TBA!

NOTE: The Occupy NOLA GA reached unanimous consensus to participate in this action when it convened on February 19.

We had the pleasure of spending a few days with Radical Resistance Tour when they stopped in New Orleans over the summer.

The Radical Resistance Tour is an autonomous project by a group of Occupy Wall Street organizers.

Learn more about them HERE!

We thank them for the lovely job they did editing their footage of Occupy The Stage! Please consider supporting their work!

WHAT: Deep democracy training with Dr. Riki Ott entitled ‘’Rethinking Democracy and Organizing for Change’’

 

WHEN: A two-day strategic training retreat on Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, from noon to 6:00 PM and Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

 

WHERE: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 5212 South Claiborne Avenue, Sanctuary

 

DEEP DEMOCRACY TRAINING: Participants learn how corporations captured our democracy; share and practice skills for campaign building and rights-based community organizing, and design campaigns for their community and state to reclaim (or create) local self-governance – rule by the people. As part of the local rights-based campaigns, Riki will introduce template municipal ordinances and resolutions for banning toxic chemicals, currently used in oil disaster response.

 

WHY ATTEND: The presidential election is behind us, and it wasn’t very satisfying. Two corporate candidates split the vote, and neither discussed the crucial issues we face: environmental degradation, climate change, infrastructure decline, over-militarization, exorbitant imprisonment, corporate control of politics, and so many more. In some counts, the popular vote went to one candidate and the electoral vote to the other.

 

The Gulf  States People’s Convention took place October 27 and organized itself around the principle of people’s needs, not around political parties (http://www.occupythestage.net/1/category/gulf%20coast%20peoples%20convention736c147e23/1.html

 ). Dr. Ott’s ‘’Rethinking Democracy and Organizing for Change’’ is her surprise offering to South Louisiana on this same subject, particularly as it applies to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. At the end of Dr. Ott’s training, she will present a new film about the disaster, ‘’Dirty Energy’’, hopefully with its director, who is stopping in New Orleans on his way to Amsterdam Film Festival (http://www.dirtyenergymovie.com/about.html ).  

Dr. Ott’s presence and the screening of the film were offered only this past week, so its late announcement may preclude your participation, but if you are able to attend you are welcome. Light snacks and coffee will be served.

We know the BP disaster isn’t over. BP has left a legacy of lies, leaking oil, injured workers, sick families, mounting debts, and collapsed fisheries. We would like to share information and skills so together, we can make it right. For real. Ourselves.

You are invited – on very short notice! – to a deep democracy training and strategic retreat. As part of the training, Riki Ott will share templates for municipal ordinances and resolutions to ban toxic chemicals, including Corexit, as part of a national action.

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012, from noon to 6:00 PM
Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Dirty Energy movie screening
Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, from 7:00 to 9:30 PM

Overnight accommodations are available at the church for out-of-town guests. $40 per night, including kitchen facilities for cooking meals. Contact Deanna Vandiver, director@celsjr.org
Cell: 504.333.2718

Office: 504.866.4170

For more information please contact Lisa Marie Jacobs at amend@rikiott.com