Jazz Funeral bfor Democracy - New Orleans, January 20, 2004

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Jazz Funeral bfor Democracy - New Orleans, January 20, 2005
photos @ 2005 Annie Spell

As George Bush placed his left hand on a bible to purger* himself on the steps of our nation's capital, fifteen hundred mourners took to the streets of New Orleans in upbeat defiance in the Jazz Funeral for Democracy: "A Wake for Peace".

Coming from all walks of life, the participants, some of whom traveled from across America to participate, rejected the tactics of anger and frustration and set out to celebrate in a gathering of the tribes in opposition to the Bush agenda. The common bond which held this spiritual coalition together as one was the resistance to the invasion of Iraq, government sponsored torture and the degradation of the Bill of Rights.

The funeral dirge proceeded through the heart of the city's commercial/corporate installations before entering the historic French Quarter. On the banks of the Mississippi River, in the shadows of St. Louis Cathedral a speakers' rally inspired the tribes and set an agenda for the establishment of a Southern Front of resistance to the Bush agenda. Speakers included Kathy Kelly, Steve Bacchus, and thirteen year old Avery Friend who stole the show by demanding that Mr. Bush count the children who have died in Iraq and confess his sins to the world. A copy of the Patriot Act was buried in the river at the conclusion of the rally.

Following the rally, this new coalition for positive change celebrated by second lining throughout the French Quarter led by the Treme Brass band. A second, ad-hoc jazz group, the Constitution Brass band, provided even more life blood to the festivities. We danced in the street in recognition of the potential of a new movement which was born in New Orleans on this day. Contact: Buddy Spell at 2spells@bellsouth.net And see Jazz Funeral for Democracy website - with more photos.

*(No, this isn't a typo - it's used with poetic license. We mention this as we had a complaint about a spelling error from a reader.)

VVAW and VFP represented at Jazz Funeral. See article and speech by Ward Reilly and article by Dennis Kyne.

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