NEW ORLEANS -- January 14 -- While George W. Bush is taking the oath of office to begin his second term as president on January 20, a “Jazz Funeral for Democracy/Wake for Peace” will parade through the streets of downtown New Orleans to mourn the occasion.

The march will begin at 11:00 a.m. Central Standard Time to coincide with the noon Eastern Time swearing-in of Bush. Those who wish to participate are asked to assemble in Congo Square between 10 and 11 a.m. Participants will march from Congo Square in Louis Armstrong Park down North Rampart Street to Canal Street. They will then proceed toward the Mississippi River along Canal, then turn on North Peters Street toward Jackson Square.

A rally will be held in Jackson Square where a copy of the Patriot Act will be symbolically destroyed. Several prominent speakers will address the rally, including Howard Zinn, World War II veteran and award-winning author of A People’s History of the United States; peace activist and war tax resister Kathy Kelly of Chicago; Louisiana State Senator Arthur Morrell; Desert Storm veteran and author Dennis Kyne; and noted writer Steve Backus.

Following the Jackson Square rally, the march will then proceed up Decatur to Frenchmen Street where more speeches and live music will cap the day’s events. Several live music clubs on Frenchmen Street have offered to host events. The public is invited to participate.

According to local criminal defense lawyer, Buddy Spell, one of the event’s organizers, “While the rest of the country will be focused on the beginning of Bush’s second term, our objective is to show the world that we are not in support of a continued war in Iraq, record inflation, flagrant disregard for the constitutional rights of all citizens and four more years of rule by a small group of wealthy elite. This will be a time to remind the president that he has a sworn obligation to represent and respect the rights and wishes of all Americans, including the 56 million people who voted against him.”

A horse-drawn hearse will carry a mock coffin containing copies of the Patriot Act and the U.S. Constitution through the streets of New Orleans. The Treme Brass Band will lead the procession, followed by marchers wearing traditional mourning clothes and black armbands, symbolizing the tragedy of the Iraqi war effort.

Spell continued, "We hope that this event will result in the establishment of a Southern front for resistance to the occupation of Iraq. We are staging this peaceful event for one simple reason . . . because we can. Because the Bill of Rights, at least for now, guarantees that we can. Ours will be a defiantly upbeat gathering of the tribes; an opportunity to prepare for many months of resistance to come."

For more information call (985) 795-9500 or log onto http://www.jazzfuneralfordemocracy.com/

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Spokespersons for the January 20 coalition will be available to speak to the media at 10 a.m. in Congo Square or earlier. Call the number listed above to make arrangements.

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