The Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club community is deeply saddened by the foolish violence that took place during our annual Mother’s Day’s Parade today. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of the victims of this tragedy and their families. We are with you in your struggle for health, wellness, and justice.
Crime and violence in New Orleans is a systemic problem and we strongly believe that safeguarding our cultural heritage helps to address the roots of violence. We are a cross-generational organization, ages 5 - 70. Our young people grow up in this culture, are fed by it, and feel loved, supported and connected in ways that build real security. That’s crime prevention.
Today’s violence is an outrage to what the Original Big 7 and all of New Orleans secondlining culture represents. Secondlining is about community and celebration, not trauma and violence. Today’s shooting was in no way a product of secondline culture or somehow set in motion by the parade or its route, as some critics may suggest. Our parade brings together different folks from across the city—black, white, latino, the young and the old, and lots of families--to celebrate the best of New Orleans. We feel embarrassed that the world is now viewing our city and our community through a lens of violence. We support a thorough investigation of the shooting and pray the perpetrators will be brought to justice.
In the seventeen years that the Big 7 has been organizing parades and since the first Original Big 7 Mother’s Day Parade in 2001, this is the first act of shooting violence that has occurred, and we pray that it is the last.
Please check our facebook pages for updates and information about upcoming benefits and events: facebook.com/original.bigseven or facebook.com/pages/Original-Big-7-Social-Aid-and-Pleasure-Club-Inc/17851893971.
We host our parade on Mother’s Day to give something back to the women of the world. We are a family, a secondlining family, and we will not let this foolish act disrupt the positive work we are doing in our community.
Date: May 12, 2013
Media Contact: 504-616-1888
This is an insult to our great city, and in no way should we allow these random acts of violence & terrorism to disrupt & dishearten the spirit & enthusiasm of the people who dwell in the heart of our great state. New Orleans is a nation of its own, made up of people from every ethnic & cultural background, visited by people from every corner of the world. How embarrassing that this kind of violence plagues our city. The perpetrators should be brought to swift & severe justice, and made to be an example to the rest of the nation that this sort of violence will not be tolerated.
ReplyDeleteNO is the best city in the world! I've been going to the ciy for the last 17 years and I've never seem any violence!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat people!!
@lazblanco