Silence Is Violence News
April 18, 2008
Many of you will have heard by now that Guy McEwen, one of the
witnesses for the prosecution in Dinerral Shavers’s murder case, was
himself murdered yesterday evening. Guy was in the car when Dinerral
was shot and he took the stand during trial, although he did not
identify the shooter specifically. We have been extremely concerned
that the Not Guilty verdict in this case would result in a heightening
of tensions surrounding everyone involved. At this time, however, we
do not actually know whether Guy’s murder is related to his
participation in Dinerral’s case.
What we do know is that, given the suggestive timing of Guy’s death
and the implications for discussions surrounding witness intimidation,
the NOPD has an added responsibility to conduct a thorough
investigation of this latest tragedy. The DA’s witness assistance
division has a responsibility to reach out to all witnesses who
participated in the trial, many of whom must be terrified. And we as
the public have the right to learn what happened here, how and why,
and who is going to take responsibility for this young man’s death,
which many felt was predictable.
We can only hope that a strengthened criminal justice system is in a
better position to pursue and secure real and transparent justice in
this case.
This week, fittingly, is National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
SilenceIsViolence will participate in a federally-sponsored event on
Tulane’s campus to honor and commemorate victims of violent crime, to
be held between 1:30 and 4pm in the Kendall-Cram Room of the new Lavin-
Bernick Center on McAlister Drive. Tomorrow evening, we will hold a
City Walk in the Uptown area in conjunction with this event. We
encourage all of you to join us. Here is the route:
Uptown City Walk
SilenceisViolence
Walk for Peace
Saturday April 19th, 2008, 5PM
Start: Green Charter School
(2319 Valence Street, New Orleans, LA 70115)
-From Green Charter, North on Valence to Magnolia St.
-West on Magnolia St. to Jefferson Ave
-South on Jefferson Avenue to South Robertson St.
-West on South Robertson St. to State St.
-South on State St. To Freret St.
-East on Freret St to Joseph St.
-South on Joseph St. to LaSalle St.
-East on LaSalle St. to Valence St.
End at Samuel J. Green Charter School
Total Distance: 1.67 Miles
www.silenceisviolence.org
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April 10, 2008
For many months now, we have found the motivation for an entire public
awareness movement in one case that has meant a lot to us personally.
Dinerral Shavers was our friend and our brother. His murder on
December 28, 2006 inspired us to call on our leaders and our fellow
citizens to do more for each other and for our city. For over a year
now, Dinerral’s murder case has been the focus of our efforts to
demand more from our criminal justice system in particular. During
this time, we have seen a new Violent Offenders Unit formed at the
office of the District Attrorney, and more experienced prosecutors
take over murder cases. We have seen an ineffective District Attorney
forced from office through public pressure. We have seen new levels
of cooperation between police officers and prosecutors begin to slow
the notorious revolving door at Orleans Parish Prison, in both
directions.
This evening, we also had to watch as Dinerral’s murder case ended in
what we must accept as justice, but can hardly embrace as resolution.
The defendant in Dinerral’s case was found not guilty by a jury
today. So ends the case that has focused us, inspired us, and
channeled our energies for over a year.
But the end of Dinerral’s case cannot mark the end of our movement, or
of the determination of all New Orleans citizens to raise our voices
when we see injustice, inaction, and silence in the face of violence.
We will continue to engage with our neighbors and our leaders: to hold
our government accountable, but also, as Judge Jerome Winsberg wisely
counseled at the conclusion of today’s proceedings, to look inside
ourselves and hold ourselves responsible for the chaotic societal
circumstances that are breeding violent crime, and which caused
Dinerral’s death.
In his closing comments, Judge Winsberg expressed “shock” at what he
witnessed during the trial. The way these children are living is not
okay, he said, comparing inner-city New Orleans unfavorably with
Baghdad. “It is appalling…it is shocking…” over and over said a judge
who has presided over scores of criminal cases. The world our young
people are living in came to terrifying light through the fearful
testimony of witnesses, justifiably afraid; through the defendant’s
assertion that he sells drugs in order “to help my family” (this
forming part of the defense in this trial); through the repeated
references to petty but clearly deadly turf wars being fought by
children too young to drive from one neighborhood to another.
We should all heed Judge Winsberg’s call for citizen outrage at these
situations, and at many other realities that were rendered more stark
than ever over the course of this case:
* That brazen intimidation of witnesses is such an ingrained part of
the system that witnesses can be threatened while on the stand–and the
juror who points out the threats removed.
* That police investigations lack the rigor and thoroughness that can
stand up in court.
* That our standards for education and family are so low that our
young people believe that living without parents, taking care of other
people’s babies, and dropping out of school are normal modes of youth.
We are not satisfied to be leaving Dinerral’s case behind without a
cleaner resolution. But at least we have seen real energy, real
attention, and real concern directed toward an inner-city murder
case. This, at least, we can take as a step forward–so long as our
system commits to treating every murder case with this level of
sincerity and seriousness.
“This is our system,” said Judge Winsberg today. “It’s the system we
must live by.” We are asking each of you, on behalf of these confused
young people, to get to know this system better so we can understand
how to fix it. As painful as it is, go watch a murder trial. As
reluctant as they may seem, reach out to a troubled young person in
your neighborhood. As busy as you may be, take the time to attend a
City Council meeting. Clearly, we citizens must continue the hard
work of repairing our own city and creating a world for our children
that makes some kind of sense.
Our anti-violence movement has been motivated by Dinerral Shavers’s
death; many of our programs are influenced by the way Dinerral lived
his life. One of these programs, our Youth Music Clinics, will have a
final meeting for the spring this coming Tuesday evening, from 6 to
8pm at Sound Cafe. You are all invited to join us. Come show support
for and solidarity with these young aspiring musicians as they try to
find a positive path through the societal chaos around them.
www.silenceisviolence.org
February 25, 2008
Hi, everyone–
We are very excited to be writing to tell you that our
SilenceIsViolence programs are starting up again for the spring,
beginning with our Youth Music Clinics, which will begin tomorrow,
Tuesday, February 26.
Those of you who attended our Youth Music Clinics in the fall know how
great they were. Under the leadership of Music Director Shamarr
Allen, we were able to reach dozens of children through the power of
music, bringing together youth from diverse musical, educational, and
economic backgrounds. These kids learned fundamental musical skills
on the donated instruments we provided; they worked one-on-one and
performed each week with some of the premier professional musicians in
New Orleans; and they had the opportunity to participate in public
(paid!) gigs upon completion of the series.
This semester, we look forward to the continued success of the
clinics. We rely upon the community’s support to carry these events
off, so please do contact us through our website, www.silenceisviolence.org,
if you can contribute money or instruments to the effort. We can
already thank the New Orleans Radical Faeries for an early donation
toward the clinics. Also, our main sponsors, the Threadheads, a group
of Jazz Fest enthusiasts who have adopted the Youth Music Clinics as
their major philanthropy this year, have pledged continued support.
The Threadheads will be bringing our kids from the fall and spring
series to Jazz Fest, and showcasing our young musicians at their
annual Jazz Fest party this year!
We invite anyone who wants to spend a postive, music-filled evening to
join us on upcoming Tuesdays.
Here are the details:
WHAT: SilenceIsViolence Spring 2008 Youth Music Clinics
WHEN: Tuesdays, February 26-April 15, 6-8pm
WHERE: Sound Cafe, 2700 Chartres St. in the Marigny
COST: Free
You will be hearing from us more frequently again, with updates on our
activities related to criminal justice, law enforcement, and
neighborhood-based safety. But as we all know, there is no more
important element in the development of long-term public safety than
the nurturing of young New Orleanians and the inclusion of young
people in productive societal and cultural activities. So it is
fitting that we start up our spring activities with our program most
focused on those young people, and we hope to see many of you at our
Youth Music Clinics in the coming weeks–
Ken and Baty
www.silenceisviolence.org
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January 15, 2008
Hi, everyone—
To mark the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today, several dozen of us gathered at the memorial to Dr. King at the intersection of MLK Boulevard and Claiborne Ave. Mayor Nagin laid a wreath in Dr. King’s memory, and Reverend Joseph Recasner spoke passionately about his legacy.
Tragically, just two blocks away, a young man was shot at the very moment these events were taking place.
We have just come through a weekend of hope and of renewed commitment on the part of SilenceIsViolence and of citizens around New Orleans to continue working to make our city safer. On Friday, SilenceIsViolence held a press conference and memorial, during which members of the NOPD, FBI, and Department of Justice stood together with victims, clergy, and ordinary citizens to memorialize victims and demonstrate our unity in the fight against violent crime. On Friday night, all of the brass bands in town played in memory of Dinerral Shavers and in a spirit of anti-violence at the Howlin’ Wolf: We raised $6,000 for the Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund to benefit Dinerral Jr’s education and the Rabouin High School Marching Band.
Then, on Saturday, Big Tank Entertainment put on a major anti-violence rally MC’d by Wild Wayne of Q-93FM and featuring all non-violent rap. The rally was held in the Upper Ninth Ward on the 25th birthday of Chivas Doyle, murdered last January 13, 2007.
On Friday and Saturday, we felt the energy of this city coming together in unity and determination and could sense a shifting of the violent crisis that has gripped our streets for so many months. Yet on Saturday night, we lost 16-year-old Gervais Nicolas, a student at Cohen High School, and just a few hours ago we lost another young man even as we honored this nation’s greatest voice for anti-violence, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is still so much work to do. These past few days have shown us both the urgency of this work and the strong resources we as a community possess to bring to the task. We will continue working together until we feel that tide turn.
Ken and Baty
www.silenceisviolence.org
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January 8, 2008
Hi, everyone—
This Friday, January 11, we will mark the one-year anniversary of the
March for Survival to City Hall that so many of you participated in
last year, and which founded the organization SilenceIsViolence. In
the spirit of reserving a day for citizens’ voices, a day when we
speak and our leaders listen, SilenceIsViolence will hold a press
conference in front of City Hall at noon on Friday. We will be
addressing where we have come in terms of public safety and criminal
justice over the past year, as well as remembering those whom we have
lost to the violence of our city. Anyone who would like to
memorialize a loved one, a neighbor, or other fellow New Orleanians is
particularly invited to attend. We will renew our commitment to
victims of violence through a memorial reading of the names of those
who have been murdered in the year since January 11, 2007.
On Friday evening, starting at 9pm, there will be a SilenceIsViolence
one-year anniversary concert at the Howlin’ Wolf, featuring the Hot 8
Brass Band, Soul Rebels Brass Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Shamarr Allen,
and the Rabouin Marching Band. Tickets cost $15 and will benefit the
Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund.
Here are the details in brief:
Friday, January 11, 2008: One-year anniversary of SilenceIsViolence,
a campaign for peace in New Orleans: Citizens Speak on Public Safety
12 noon: Memorial and press conference, steps of City Hall, 1300 Perdido St.
9pm: Benefit Concert, Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters St.
It is our hope and intention that this anniversary of our
anti-violence organization will mark a new phase in citizen engagement
in public safety. On Friday, SilenceIsViolence will set forth our
plans for community action going forward, both independently and in
collaboration with other organizations and entities.
Please contact us with any questions, and join us for Friday’s events
if you can.
Baty, Ken, and Nakita
www.silenceisviolence.org
