Social Aid and Pleasure Club Task Force Sponsors Ceasefire March

From our friends at the New Orleans Social Aid and Pleasure Club Task Force:

New Orleans Social Aid and Pleasure Club Task Force and SilenceIsViolence are hosting the first of this season's Peace Walks, undertaken through a partnership between the two organizations and coordinated by Ms. Tamara Jackson.

The proposed Peace Walk will be held today and is a direct response to the recent shootings at the intersection of St. Bernard and St. Claude avenues, following the Black Men of Labor annual parade. The walk will mobilize the social aid and pleasure club community and is being termed a "ceasefire march."

The Social Aid and Pleasure Club Task Force and SilenceIsViolence intend to send a message of support to the Black Men of Labor as well as the family of the deceased through this Ceasefire March. The assault on our community and our culture will not be tolerated by the club memberships.

The route for this walk will begin and end at the intersection of St. Bernard and St. Claude avenues, the point where Kaamila Muhammad lost her life in shootings that occurred a little over a week ago on Sunday evening. In the media. these shootings were portrayed as associated with the Black Men of Labor second-line parade that had passed by that point earlier in the day.

Despite media suggestions, violence near second-line parades is rare. Until last Sunday, there had not been a shooting in the vicinity of a parade since 2006. Violence is an evil that hurts us all in New Orleans. This week's walk asks that we not allow cultural differences to impose false divisions among us: The struggle for peace must be unified to be successful. Social Aid and Pleasure Club members participating in this Thursday's walk will wear club attire, and brass band musicians will participate and play music during a portion of the walk, as a reminder that the clubs are dedicated to healing and peace in our communities, and as a show of support for the Black Men of Labor.

Ceasefire March: The Campaign to Stop the Shooting - Route:
Thursday, September 16, 2010, 6:30pm
Start: Sidney Saloon (1200 St. Bernard Ave) at the corner of St. Claude. Turn Left on St. Bernard Ave; proceed out St. Bernard Ave to Galvez St. Turn right on Galvez. Proceed out Galvez to Aubry St. Turn left on Aubry St.
Stop: 2169 Aubry St.( Seals Class Act)- Moment of Silence
Continue out Aubry St to Miro St. Turn left on Miro St. Out Miro to St. Bernard Ave. Turn Left back onto St. Bernard Ave. Continue out St. Bernard Ave. to St. Claude
End: 1200 St. Bernard Ave.( Sidney Saloon)

We invite all concerned New Orleans citizens, government officials, and law enforcement representatives to participate.