July 26th Weekly Update!
Date: Thu, Jul. 26, 2007
Hi, everyone...
It has been frustrating, over the past two weeks, to watch the thedegeneration of an issue that should be perfectly unifying, if
tragically so, into a political squabble. In the public discussion
about the workings of the District Attorney's office and the criminal
justice system, there can be no two sides: There is no pro-violence,
pro-destruction position to be taken here. Different members of our
community might disagree about the manner in which criminal justice
can best achieve safety and justice for the families of New Orleans,
but we must not lose sight of the commonality of that goal: safety and
justice. We call upon all voices in the current debate over Eddie
Jordan and his career to refocus on the primary issue of true criminal
justice: Holding the DA's office accountable for our safety, and not
the particular political fate of Eddie Jordan, must remain our
fundamental concern. We must also remember to concentrate on what we can do as citizens
to pursue our own safety. Addressing the root causes of violence
within our neighborhoods will help to build a community less
vulnerable to the intrusion of violent crime in the lives of our young
people. This week, SilenceIsViolence continues two of our outreach
programs targeting these root causes: 1. City Walks: We have a regular City Walk today, Thursday, July 26.
The route will be the same as the one planned for the last walk, which
was rained out! We will meet just before 7pm at Rue de la Course in
the Garden District (3121 Magazine St.). Unfortunately, Tee Eva will
not be available this week to serve us snowballs, so we will stock up
on iced coffee before leaving Rue de la Course. We will depart at 7pm
and will walk along Constance and Coliseum Streets through the Irish
Channel and Uptown, to the King Pin on (1307 Lyons St.). There, we
will be entertained by the all-female Pinettes Brass Band, a new
SilenceIsViolence music partner. Transportation is provided back to
the starting point. Please join us, and remember the 7pm departure
time! Call 504-948-0917 for more info. 2. Youth Music Clinics: Our summer Youth Music Clinics are ongoing,
with the final clinic taking place next Tuesday, July 31. This series
of clinics has been a wonderful success, thanks to the talents of the
Free Agents Brass Band and their generous musical coaching of kids
from throughout New Orleans. Call Nakita (235-2084) for more info on
the summer series, and come to Sound Cafe (2700 Chartres St.) next
Tuesday at 6pm to see the strides these kids have made! We will host
a fall semester series of Youth Music Clinics in October and November. Check out our ever-evolving website (www.silenceisviolence.org) for
information on other SilenceIsViolence programs, and help us to keep
the focus on that which unifies us in the struggle against the
violence in our city.
Ken and Baty
