Justice Fest replaced the Sacred Shrine of Jon Bon Jovi located near the entrance of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival this year, but the neighborhood was not lacking in shrines.
Devoted to Billy Joel, the first shrine to pop up on Maurepas Street in 2013 made its debut on April 26, 2013 across the street from Justice Fest! The “We Didn’t Start The Fire Shrine” survived the first weekend’s rain and lasted the duration of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Meanwhile, at the Fortin Street Stage, The Shrine of the Holy Triad (located on the 3000 block of Fortin Street) invited pedestrians to “Stop & light a josh stick & share the Jazz Love.”
Next came the Fleetwood Mac “Don’t Stop Dreams” Shrine near Sauvage, created by the residents who made the Cyndi Lauper Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Shrine in 2011 and The Bruce Springsteen Shrine to the Common Man in 2012.
However, the Fleetwood Mac Shrine was not able to occupy the doorway of what was for years an abandoned storefront. The building on the corner of Sauvage and Maurepas was perfect for stuffing a couple of ATMs in the wall during the first weekend, despite the gaping hole in what was once a window.
During the second weekend of Jazz Fest, an art gallery replaced the ATMs, which was much nicer. This building is owned by Mark Landrieu, brother of Mayor Landrieu.
The abandoned phone booth that remains attached to the building once housed the 2012 Jazz Fest Shrine to Saint Clare. Saint Clare is the patron saint of telephones, and the phone booth shrine served as a reminder to drivers to be more careful when leaving Jazz Fest.
It was created in loving memory of Guadalupe, the curator of the Bon Jovi Shrine’s Chihuahua, who was killed by a speeding car in 2011.
The shrines of 2012 were decidedly more serious, including a shrine to MCA Adam Yauch of The Beastie Boys after his death.
Other shrines that have appeared since the Bon Jovi Shrine’s spontaneous eruption in 2009 include The Fortin Street Stage’s Shrine of Sun Ra Shrine in 2011 and the 2011 Richie Sambora Recovery Grotto.
During Friday’s stencil party, we invited the neighborhood to stencil “Shell Hell” images.
Saturday’s main event focused on sending mail to political prisoners, and a friend of justice donated vintage Jazz Fest postcards, which people stopped to write.
Both Saturday and Sunday included DIY Rainbow Crossing Chalk parties. DIY Rainbow Crossings are chalk rainbows drawn globally to show solidarity with the removal of a rainbow pedestrian crossing in the heart of Sydney Australia’s gay and lesbian district.
We soon drew chalk rainbows all over the neighborhood, so people could follow the rainbows to Justice Fest.
Musicians stopped by to play music or ask about the Free The Music Parade scheduled for Sunday.
We first planned this parade when two musicians came to Justice Fest and asked if we could have a march similar to the Bywater Rising march that took place on April 25.
Musicians planning to play in the streets surrounding Jazz Fest felt Sunday evening would be the best time to play, and the two marches book-ended Jazz Fest nicely.
On Sunday, as we prepared for the parade, we got word that the Seahorse Saloon on Gentilly Boulevard was being barred from having lie music pending a Mayorality Permit. After confirming this, we decided the Free The Music Parade should end at the Seahorse.
Advocates for Jimmy’s Music Club, a long-time New Orleans institution that has been denied an alcohol permit, arrived for the Free The Music parade with a "Bring Back Jimmy's Music Club" banner.
Local businessman Jimmy Anselmo was ready to march to protest the city's denying him the opportunity to operate his local live music venue. Read more here.
We were delighted that Skinz N Bonez participated. Although they’d been playing at Jazz Fest for hours, they rested for a few minutes and were ready to march!
Supporters
of live music venues and musicians gathered for a rally at which Justin
Warren and Jimmy Anselmo spoke about city crack-down on live music
venues, buskers, artists, and the gentrification that's threatening our
very culture.
We then marched with our Shell Hell flag, instruments, banners, bikes, and signs, those of us without instruments blowing whistles and singing “Free The Music” and “Free Jimmy’s!”
We paraded down Fortin and the Coco Robicheaux Shrine, wound through the neighborhood, and ended at the Seahorse Saloon.
The idea behind “Free The Music” and “Bywater Rising” did not end with the march.
As Justin Warren said “This fight will not end with this demonstration; this fight must be taken to City Hall. Public officials need to start feeling the same pressure that they have made us feel. Tomorrow, we will roll up our sleeves, put our heads together, and start making some changes. We will get online, gauge our desires, and start holding community meetings to discuss what needs to be done to stop this attack on our livelihoods. But today we dance.”
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