Last week a couple hundred local musicians, artists, neighborhood residents and live music supporters rallied to host a peaceful protest against recent City of New Orleans crack-downs on small business live music permits, street performance and noise ordinances and other related music policy enforcement inconsistencies. It was conducted NOLA-style, in the form of a Second Line, of course, and was held on what is often considered “opening day” of New Orleans’ Jazz Fest week through the popular Bywater and Marigny neighborhoods, even reaching the edge of French Quarter.
Read about the first music policy protest Second Line here.
Members of the organizations Bywater Rising and Occupy the Stage subsequently created “Justice Fest” shrines on their porches and lawns at homes that immediately surround the official Jazz Fest fairgrounds perimeter using images of popular music stars performing at Jazz Fest as part of their public service announcement messages expressing their objections to the current administration’s methods of formalizing the cultural economy in New Orleans. These “shrines” have been built with the goal of informing the thousands of Jazz Fest patrons from out of town about the recent struggles of the New Orleans musicians they love and travel into town to see.
The buzz drawn for the initial Second Line and the “Justice Fest Shrines” has inspired the groups to organize another protest Second Line to take place during weekend two of Jazz Fest this weekend.
DETAILS BELOW:
Occupy the Stage is a branch of Occupy NOLA that is dedicated to artists and artisans. We are committed to the belief that the arts and skilled trades are sacred. They belong to the people and are immune to censorship, gentrification, taxation or corporate consolidation. These are the basic necessities for civilization and are considered incorruptible.
Occupy the Stage has partnered with Bywater Rising (the group that hosted the first protest second line on April 25) and other local groups to host “Justice Fest” and a second “Free the Music Parade” scheduled for Sunday, May 5 at 6:00pm – when the Jazz Fest gates will be flooding out with thousands of Jazz Fest visitors out into the surrounding neighborhood.
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.
Meeting place: 2943 Maurepas St.
RSVP on Facebook here.
More Info: www.occupythestage.net
NOTE: This has nothing to do with Jon Bon Jovi, or Billy Joel.
