Looking into the future the Pelican feeding its young from a self-induced wound in its own breast (as depicted, mysteriously, on the state flag of Louisiana) is accepted as an appropriate symbol of both self-sacrifice and rebirth. Through his selfless efforts, man is raised from the slavery of ignorance to the condition of freedom conferred by wisdom. Given the current state of affairs in Louisiana, one hopes that the understanding of the Pelican as a symbol shall point the way towards a new consciousness of ourselves as a whole, and lead us to face our futures with strength, grace, wisdom and faith, to learn from our mistakes and carry our successes and zest for living to future generations.

---

"A Wake For Peace" Jazz Funeral For Democracy New Orleans, Louisiana

1. Congo Square
2. January 20, 2005 @ 10:00 A.M.

PARADE MARSHALS NEEDED:

We need volunteers to act as marshals during the funeral march. Ward will organize and instruct volunteers. Please contact Ward directly at wardpeace@yahoo.com. This is very important and we urge all of you to pitch in.

PERMITS:

Our permits have been approved and paid for. We are now street legal. The New Orleans Police Department has been most gracious and we can expect excellent security during the event. Many thanks to NOPD.

ROUTE:

Because interest in the march has grown well beyond our initial expectations, we have had to make some minor adjustments in our route. We will leave Congo Square (Louis Armstrong Park) at exactly 11:00 PM. A dignified procession will leave Congo Square and slowly proceed down Rampart to Canal. At Canal, we will turn towards the river and slowly make our way through the old commercial district until we reach Decatur at which point we will turn and head to our speakers' rally venue at Jackson Square.

We will arrive at Jackson Square between noon and 12:30 PM. The speakers should be on stage for approximately one and one half hours. Upon the conclusion of the rally, we will Second Line out of Jackson Square and back on to Decatur headed down river. At Turtle Bay, 1119 Decatur Street, the procession will stop, time permitting for a brief street party outside the club. By 3:30 PM, in accordance with our agreement with NOPD, we must be in the 500 block of Frenchmen Street where the march will disperse.

INAUGURAL BALLS:

Our "official" inaugural ball will begin at The Blue Nile, 532 Frenchmen Street, immediately upon the conclusion of the march. Live music and cash bar. Both floors will be open with the live music downstairs. In the event of an overflow crowd, Checkpoint Charley's just down the street is prepared to handle a large crowd.

A second, more sedate, gathering will take place at Turtle Bay with acoustic music and far less weirdness than that which is expected to occur on Frenchmen Street. It is anticipated that some will opt to end their march at this venue, approximately six city blocks before the end of the march. Any overflow crowd can be accommodated several doors down at Molly's On The Market or, if tourist traps strike your fancy, across the street at Jimmy Buffet's Margarittaville.

SAFETY:

As noted above, we will have more than adequate police protection. However, it is STRONGLY SUGGESTED that you not respond to any counter demonstrators along the funeral route. DO NOT ALLOW NUT JOBS ALONG THE ROUTE TO ELICIT ANY RESPONSE WHATSOEVER FROM YOU. Do not play into their hands. They will be there but they are not your problem. They are NOPD's problem. Establish and maintain a civil, if not friendly, association with the police officers in you vicinity and everything will go smoothly despite any attempts by fascists, rednecks, or idiots to disrupt your freedom of expression.

Cameras and video/digital recorders are great deterents to knuckleheads. Bring 'em if ya got 'em.

FINANCES:

We are skimming by on the money thing. Every time an unexpected expense arises, the money somehow seems to appear. My staff advises me that we have raised $400.00 in the last two days. We have been advised that additional funds are in the mail. We still haven't raised all we need, but we have guarantors who have agreed to dig deep in their pockets to insure that everything is paid for and that the event goes forward as planned. But, if you are planning to kick in a few bucks and just haven't gotten around to it yet, now is the time. Our guarantors are on the hook for a pile of money. See the web page for donation instructions. Michael and I will post a full accounting on the web page after the smoke clears.

CALENDAR

SUNDAY 12:00 PM:

New Orleans Bayou Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club 2nd Annual 2nd Line Parade Sunday, January 16th Start Time: 12 pm sharp

Parade Route:

START: Purple Rain, Washington and S. Saratoga. Proceed on Washington to LaSalle. Right on LaSalle and STOP at New Look. Proceed down LaSalle to Simon Bolivar to Martin Luther King. Turn right on MLK to Oretha Castle Haley. Turn left on Oretha Castle Haley to O’Keefe. Brief Stop for club and band refreshment under the overpass. Proceed down O’Keefe to University Pl. Left on Common St. and right onto N. Rampart St. Proceed down N. Rampart to Donna’s Bar and Grill. STOP at Donna’s (St. Ann and Rampart). Proceed down N. Rampart to Barracks. Turn left on Barracks to Li’l People’s Place STOP ( Barracks nearTreme). Proceed down Barracks and turn left on Marais; proceed on Marais to Ursuline Ave. Turn right on Ursuline to N. Robertson. Proceed on N. Robertson and STOP at Dumaine St. Gang. Turn left on Dumaine St. and proceed to N. Villere. Turn left on N. Villere and proceed to Esplanade. Turn left on Esplanade. Proceed on Esplanade to N. Claiborne. Turn right on Claiborne. Proceed on N. Claiborne to Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-In-Law Lounge (1500 N. Claiborne). DISBAND/ ALL HATS OFF!

SUNDAY 6:30 PM:

Flyer Distribution at Turtle Bay, 1119 Decatur Street. Christi has generously donated 4,000 flyers promoting the Jazz Funeral for Democracy. Kenny, Annie, Sarah and others will be at Turtle Bay from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM to distribute flyers in bulk for posting around the city and for distribution at the MLK march. Volunteers with staple guns and tape needed to post flyers in and around Tulane, Xavier, Loyola, UNO, SUNO, Delgado, Magazine Street (Uptown and Downtown), Maple Street (Uptown), Oak Street (Uptown), and near music clubs throughout the area Sunday night. Anyone from Baton Rouge who wants to help can get flyers posted around LSU, especially on Chimes Street.

MONDAY:

Join 3C and represent for the J20C at the MLK march in New Orleans. I have forwarded the details in recent days and will do so again Sunday evening. Mourning free protest practice. Be there.

WEDNESDAY:

(6:00 pm) Our direct action will officially begin with a "wake" and reception for our out of town guests and local activists at Turtle Bay, 1119 Decatur Street. Live music and cash bar. There's no telling who you might get to meet at this one. Potential opportunity to network with fellow travelers, chat with speakers, and discover new resistance opportunities.

THURSDAY:

(10:00 AM) STAND AND BE COUNTED!

DAILY REPORTS FROM HERE ON OUT

I'm sure that you still have questions. Take a run through the web page to see if the answers are there. If not, we probably do not yet have the answers. Things are falling together quickly now, and I will strive to get out a daily report each day through Tuesday. Keep your eye on the web site's message board for up to the moment developments on music, parade formations, etc

Peace,

Buddy Spell