Posted by The Typist in 504, Crime, New Orleans, NOLA, Remember, Sinn Fein, Toulouse Street, We Are Not OK.
Tags: Dinerral Shavers, Helen Hill, Hot 8 Brass Band, murder, trial
Yesterday a jury acquired the accused killer of music teacher and Hot 8 Brass Band member Dinerral Shavers after the state’s key witness could not identify the accused in court. What, does this kid not watch TV? Its the guy in the suit at the table with the lawyers you don’t know. Jeezus.
I won’t recount the whole sad tale. You can read about it here. The aftermath of Shavers’ shooting as a comedy of errors sandwiched between two tragedies: Shavers’ death and the failure of the N.O.P.D. and district attorney’s office to bring a sense of justice and closure to Shavers’ family and friends.
Shavers’ killing and that of artist and filmmaker Helen Hill galvanized the city in 2007, leading to a crime march by thousands of Orleanians to their City Hall to demand that the police, courts and city find a way to stop the killings.
The judge’s final remarks were a pointed comment on what is going down on the streets of New Orleans:
“This is like Baghdad,” [Judge Jerome] Winsberg told the jury after reading their verdicts aloud.
People are shooting each other over neighborhood alliances, he noted; children are not only raising themselves, but being left to care for toddlers and babies in the 2200 block of Dumaine Street.
Winsberg said he wasn’t commenting on the verdict, just the four days of testimony that preceded it. A subset of New Orleans unfolded in court, the judge said, one in which no one seems to live with their parents, but guns and “beefs” and threats are ever-present.
I will have the sad privilege of seeing the Hot 8 at a private event later today, and telling them how sorry I am for how all this played out. The band will be at French Quarter Fest tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Wollenberg Park. I encourage you to come out and show these guys some love today.
Posted by The Typist in Debrisville, Helen Hill, je me souviens, New Orleans, Rebirth, Recovery, Remember.
Tags: Crime, crime march, Dinerral Shavers, Helen Hill, Ken Foster, New Orleans, NOLA, silence is violence
As I check my blog statistics (visitors, links in, search terms, that sort of thing) late last night, I started to notice people who had come here searching for individuals by name and finding them in the list below.
I don’t want to invade what was almost certainly a private moment of grief by listing them, but I want to say to everyone who came here searching for one of the murder victims in New Orleans, (even if they have come and gone and will never stop by again), or to anyone else who comes here because you found your loved one in the list below: we remember, we remember them all.
Last year, 4,000 Orleanians marched. This year around 40 people stopped by City Hall to hear the speakers–Nakita Shavers, sister of slain drummer and music educator Dinerral Shaves; the brother of slain filmmaker Helen Hill; Ken Foster and Baty Ladis–founders of Silence is Violence.
No, we were not 4,000 yesterday; only 40. But we are tired. All of those terrible but apt marketing slogans, the things we don’t say ourselves–Big Easy, The City That Care Forget–may have once been apt but no longer apply to life here in Debrisville. By the time I’m done arguing with my wife over the latest Sewage & Water Board bill and hauling my children all over town because there are no school buses for the charter schools or waiting for the plumber to come unclog our pipes again because god-only-know-what has backwashed up out of our monstrous sewers, there’s simply few hours left in the day and little energy. Maitri is right: we are all tired.
Forty people standing at City Hall is not enough, but it is a start. Decades ago in my own radical youth I was talking to a Trotskyist about the candidates the Socialist Workers’ Party had run for city office. They had managed several hundred votes and were excited. If I had 400 dedicated comrades, he told me (and he actually used that term), we could begin the revolution tomorrow. Yeah, good luck with that. Still, there was a kernel of truth in what he said. What I learned yesterday on the steps of city hall was there: there is a core of people committed to making this city better, safer.
Those people have not forgotten. Organizer Ken Foster summed it up well: He didn’t know Shavers or Hill personally, he told us. “To survive as a community, we can’t wait until things become personal to us,” the T-P quoted him, and he is right. There is a nucleus of people who care, but if we’re going to make the revolution we need not those 40 or my old comrade’s 400. We need the 4,000 committed and ready, we need 40,000 who will watch the streets and not be afraid to testify, we need 400,000 to stand up and say: enough.
We are not there yet, but the lesson of yesterday’s recital of the names listed below and press conference is this: we have not forgotten. We remember. The Times-Picayune is wrong: this is not just about the high profile cases. We have not surrendered. It may not be enough, not yet, but it is a beginning.
Je me souviens. We remember.
P.S. Hat tip to the bloggers who also came to City Hall and those who also wrote about this on the anniversay: Bart of B.Rox who was a friend of Helen Hill’s, Leigh of Liprap’s Lament, Karen of Northwest Carrollton and Squandered Heritage. Bart and Karen are two warriors in the last battle of New Orleans. Also Maitri and Peter and Ashley and Morwen of Gentilly for remembering. Can’t everybody get off work for stuff like this. I should also mention Brian Denzer, another selfless spear carrier in this campaign, for his work on so many fronts including the New Orleans Citizen’s Crime Watch map site.
Posted by The Typist in 504, Crime, Debrisville, je me souviens, New Orleans, NOLA, We Are Not OK.
Tags: Aaron Allen, Aaron Harvey, Aaron Williams, Adrian Davis, Albert Phillips, Alden Wright, Alejandro Pecina Ruiz, Alexander Williams, Andre Toussaint, Angela Thomas Bryant, Anjelique Vu, Anthony Placide, Anthony Walker, Anthony White, Antoine Williams, Antwon McGee, Archie Solet, Artherine Williams, Arthur Dowell, Arthur Jackson IV, Aubrey Powell, Boon Roopmoh, Brandon Brown, Brandon Snowton, Brett Jason Jacobs, Brian Lee, Byron Love, Cardero Davis, Carl Anthony McLendon, Carlos Miller, Carmen Leona Reese, Carnell Wallis, Cedric Johnson, Cedrick Brooks, Chanell Sanchell, Charles Miller, Charley Zeno, Chauncy Smith, Chivas Doyle, Chrishondolaye Lamothe, Christopher Roberts, Christopher Ruth, Clayton Johnson Jr., Cleveland Daniels, Corey Coleman, Corey Hayes, Cornelius Curry, Corwin Shaffer, Crime, Curtis Brenson, Curtis Helms Jr., Dallas Jerome, Damon Brooks, Damont Jenkins, Daniel Allen, Daniel Baham, Daniel L. Prieto, Darryl Daggons, Darryl Williams, David Bryan Alford Jr., David Cagnalatti, David Crater, Dellshea LeBlanc, Demetrius Gooden, Demond Phillips, Dominic Bell, Don Smith, Donald Gullage, Dwayne Landry, Eddie Bernard, Eddie Spiller, Edward Charles Balser, Edwin Stuart, Eldon Gaddis, Eldridge Ellis, Eligio Bismark Espinoza, Elizabeth Chapman, Emanuel Gardner, Eric Fobbs, Ernest Williams, Frank Whittington, Freddie Davis II, Gary Walls, George Hammond, George Hankton III, Gerald Howard, Glynn Francois Jr., Gregory Hayes, Gregory Singleton, Harrison Miller, Harry Heinzt Jr., Helen Hill, Henry Newman, Herbert Preston, Hilary Campbell Jr., Howard Pickens, Ivan Brooks, James Johnson, James Jones, James McGittigan Jr., Jason Anderson, Jason Snyder, Jason Wynne, Javier Sanchez, Jay Landers, je me souviens, Jealina Brown, Jeffery Santos, Jeffery Tate, Jennifer Williams, Jeremy Tillman, Jermaine Turner, Jerome Banks, Jerrell Jackson, Jesse Jones, John Batiste, John W. Barrow III, Johnny Martin III, Joseph Magee, Josh Rodrigue, Jubbar Scott, Julian Mathins, Julio Benitez-Cruz, Kadeem Wise, Keith Moore, Keith Page, Kevana Price, Kevin Pham, Kevin Underwood, Kevin Williams, Kong Kham Vongvilay, Larry Butler Jr., Larry Gooden, Larry Hawkins, Larry Ramee III, Leon Williams Jr., Lester Denis, Lionel J. Hills, Lionel Ware III, Louis Heim, Luong Nguyen, Mario Anthony Green, Mark Oneal, Matthew Qualls, Michael Combs, Michael Dunbar, Michael Phillips, Mitchell Pierce, Montrell Faulkin, murder, New Orleans, Nia Robertson, Nicholas Smith, NOLA, Pablo Mejia Jr., Paul Burks, Percy Read, Perry L. Oliver, Perry Watts, Persale R. Green, Phillip A. Carmouche Jr., Phillip R. Boykins, Randall Thomas, Remember, Rigoberto Dominguez, Robert Billiot, Robert Dawson, Robin Malta, Ronald Holmes, Ronnie Keelen, Roy Grant, Roy Warner Jr., Samuel Gonzales, Samuel Williams Jr., Sean Robinson, Shana Thomas, Sheldon Dean, silence is violence, Steve Blair, Tamara Gabriel, Tammie Johnson, Terrell Ceazer, Terry Brock, Terry Despenza, Terry Hall, Terry Johnson, Thelonius Dukes, Theodore J. Leach, Thomas Dominick, Thomas Jackson, Toran Landry, Townsend Bennett, Travan Coates, Travis Johnson, Troy Dent, Troy Thomas, Tyrone Andrew Johnson, Tyrone Lanaux Jr., unidentified man, unidentified person, victims, Waldon Howard, Warren Martin, Warren Simpson, Warren Thompson, We Are Not OK, Wendell Millro, Wilford Holmes, Willie Simmons, Wisan Inthamat
Update: Not a day passes that this page isn’t visited by someone searching for the name of a person on the list below. As I suggested here in a more recent post, if you knew one of these people I encourage you to take a minute and leave a memorial comment. Be a part of the dialogue of remembrance.
Silence is Violence will mark the one-year anniversary of the New Orleans March on Crime with a press conference at noon today, Jan. 11 2008, on the steps of City Hall, and an evening concert at the Howlin’ Wolf.
Blogger md filter (formerly da po boy), who tracks issues around crime, lists those who died in needlessly in violence in 2007. The list is below.
Remember. Silence is Violence.
Corey Hayes
Cedric Johnson
Hilary Campbell Jr.
Randall Thomas
Kevin Williams
Helen Hill
Jealina Brown
Steve Blair
Jeffery Santos
Chivas Doyle
Christopher Ruth
Tyrone Andrew Johnson
Ronald Holmes
James McGittigan Jr.
Roy Warner Jr.
Eldon Gaddis
David Crater
Daniel Allen
Chrishondolaye Lamothe
Tamara Gabriel
Robert Dawson
Michael Dunbar
Damon Brooks
Ivan Brooks
Alden Wright
Harrison Miller
Roy Grant
David Cagnalatti
Lionel Ware III
Aaron Allen
Josh Rodrigue
Herbert Preston
Byron Love
Ronnie Keelen
Mitchell Pierce
Kevin Pham
Kevana Price
Warren Thompson
Glynn Francois Jr.
Sean Robinson
Larry Ramee III
Warren Simpson
Antoine Williams
Terry Despenza
Eldridge Ellis
Travis Johnson
Phillip R. Boykins
Charley Zeno
Carl Anthony McLendon
Terry Brock
Cleveland Daniels
Alexander Williams
Terry Hall
Dominic Bell
Gregory Singleton
Damont Jenkins
Troy Thomas
Artherine Williams
Keith Moore
Nicholas Smith
Eligio Bismark Espinoza
Daniel L. Prieto
Curtis Helms Jr.
Troy Dent
Curtis Brenson
Michael Combs
Jay Landers
Mark Oneal
Corey Coleman
Emanuel Gardner
Edward Charles Balser
Arthur Dowell
Montrell Faulkin
Anthony Placide
Ernest Williams
Harry Heinzt Jr.
Robert Billiot
Willie Simmons
Tammie Johnson
Larry Hawkins
Terrell Ceazer
George Hammond
Persale R. Green
Joseph Magee
Albert Phillips
Samuel Gonzales
Darryl Williams
Robin Malta
Jason Wynne
Jerrell Jackson
Christopher Roberts
Samuel Williams Jr.
Jeremy Tillman
Jennifer Williams
Gary Walls
Arthur Jackson IV
Henry Newman
Johnny Martin III
Travan Coates
Jeffery Tate
Jerome Banks
Eric Fobbs
Keith Page
Adrian Davis
Paul Burks
Leon Williams Jr.
Dallas Jerome
James Johnson
Anthony White
Dellshea LeBlanc
John W. Barrow III
Kevin Underwood
Pablo Mejia Jr.
unidentified man
Thomas Jackson
unidentified man
Demond Phillips
Michael Phillips
Luong Nguyen
Anjelique Vu
Terry Johnson
Chauncy Smith
Cornelius Curry
Nia Robertson
Kadeem Wise
Percy Read
Freddie Davis II
Edwin Stuart
Corwin Shaffer
Julio Benitez-Cruz
Wilford Holmes
Perry L. Oliver
Donald Gullage
Kong Kham Vongvilay
Wisan Inthamat
Boon Roopmoh
Louis Heim
Brandon Snowton
Carnell Wallis
Thomas Dominick
Larry Gooden
Gerald Howard
Larry Butler Jr.
Phillip A. Carmouche Jr.
unidentified man
Aaron Harvey
Mario Anthony Green
Jason Snyder
Perry Watts
Lionel J. Hills
Warren Martin
Dwayne Landry
Don Smith
Demetrius Gooden
Townsend Bennett
unidentified man
Thelonius Dukes
Gregory Hayes
Charles Miller
Eddie Bernard
unidentified man
Carmen Leona Reese
Cedrick Brooks
Waldon Howard
unidentified man
Antwon McGee
Jason Anderson
Archie Solet
Shana Thomas
Brian Lee
David Bryan Alford Jr.
Brett Jason Jacobs
Howard Pickens
Darryl Daggons
Matthew Qualls
Aubrey Powell
John Batiste
Toran Landry
Anthony Walker
Lester Denis
Cardero Davis
Javier Sanchez
Julian Mathins
Theodore J. Leach
Daniel Baham
Jubbar Scott
Tyrone Lanaux Jr.
Andre Toussaint
Eddie Spiller
Carlos Miller
Sheldon Dean
Rigoberto Dominguez
Angela Thomas Bryant
Brandon Brown
Jermaine Turner
Alejandro Pecina Ruiz
George Hankton III
Aaron Williams
Frank Whittington
unidentified person
Jesse Jones
Chanell Sanchell
James Jones
Wendell Millro
Elizabeth Chapman
Clayton Johnson Jr.
or at these independent New Orleans bookstores:
Odd Bits of Life in New Orleans 