Silence Is Violence

ABOUT THE STRIKE

WEAR RED ON JANUARY 22!

Living in New Orleans means a lifestyle with cultural richness, physical beauty, and spiritual energy. Living in New Orleans also means coping with the fear and sadness that accompany the rampant crime and violence that continue to rack our city.

What would happen if the fear and sadness we all live with were to shut down our participation in the amazing energy of New Orleans? What if every business that feels threatened by crime were to close, and every frightened citizen to stay home? We pose these questions by “striking” against crime each January, in rememberance of those lost to violence and to mark the anniversary of the SilenceIsViolence movement, launched on January 11, 2007.

Striking means refusing to go through the motions of normalcy. It means expressing the economic importance and power of individual citizens and businesses. We are not asking that citizens necessarily stay home from work on Friday—that would be too detrimental to many families and small businesses. But we are asking that you find some way to step outside your normal daily routine, to express the toll violence takes on your individual life, the lives of your family and neighbors, and your jobs and businesses.

For three years now, SilenceIsViolence has sought to work toward greater peace in our city, through collaborations with any and all willing to work with us. City government might seem like the best place to affect change. But in three years, we have found far greater energy, greater will, and greater power to change within the neighborhoods of our city than in City Hall. This Friday, citizens across the city will think about what each of us can do in the face of the violence.

Crime Happened Here, a public-awareness campaign begun a year ago, continues January 18-22, when individuals and neighborhood groups take crime reporting into their own hands. Through “Crime Happened Here” yard signs, we communicate to each other and to our police department where we are feeling crime most. Crime Happened Here signs and posts are available for pick-up at Sound Cafe, 2700 Chartres Street, every day between 7am and 7pm.

Please contact us with your plans for January 22 and we will add them to our growing list of Events and Actions.

THE 5% PLEDGE (pdf)

Retail businesses pledging 5% donations to public safety organizations on January 22, 2010:

• Galerie Porche West (3201 Burgundy Street)
• Goody's Restaurant (3200 St. Claude Avenue)
• The Kingpin (1307 Lyons Street)
• Sound Cafe (2700 Chartres Street)
• Beth’s Books (2700 Chartres Street)
• Wild Lotus Yoga (4842 Perrier Street)
• ele shoes and accessories (3316 Magazine Street)
• Spring Boutique (5525 Magazine Street)
• Ah-Ha (3129 Magazine Street)

Pledge the support of your business for community-led public safety! Click HERE to pledge a 5% contribution of your sales on Friday, January 9. Each business will decide where to direct your own donation. Suggested local recipient organizations include:

• STAIR: Children’s literacy organization providing reading tutors to public school second-grader students.
• Louisiana SPCA Humane Education Program: Animal protection and safety education, in schools and communities, including summer programs
• Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools: student-generated models for rebuilding and improving our public school.
• Liberty’s Kitchen: Professional youth training in the food service's industry
• New Orleans Outreach: in-school enrichment programming.
• Afterschool Partnership: resource organization for after-school youth programs.
• New Orleans Family Justice Center: A comprehensive one-stop center for victims of family violence and their children.
• Soccer in the Streets: Community-based youth soccer resource.