Tom Morello's Justice Tour in New Orleans
Amnesty International USA teamed up with Sweet Home New Orleans, a musicians' relief organization, in New Orleans to bring education and music to those displaced by hurricane Katrina.
Tom Morello, a guitarist for Nightwatchman, Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, was joined by a number of other musicians who wanted to be a part of this important event, including:
- Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction
- Wayne Kramer of the MC5
- State Radio
The first day, advocates, musicians, and Katrina survivors joined together to rebuild the houses of two local musicians who had been displaced by the hurricane.
Brass band tuba player Jeffrey Hills, displaced from the Lafitte public housing development, gave the group a tour of his pre-Katrina home. They were outraged when Hills pointed out the watermark left below the front steps of his building, indicating that the flood waters never reached the structure. However, Lafitte public housing, like many other housing developments that housed many low-income residents before the hurricane, has been slated for demolition.
The following night, the artists performed a sold-out concert at the House of Blues. Raised funds went to Sweet Home New
Orleans and Amnesty International USA and its campaign for Katrina survivors.
"New Orleans needs to create, rather than demolish, affordable housing," said Morello. "The Justice Tour is proud to be part of that effort." They were joined onstage for the last few songs by musicians whose homes they had visited.
» See more pictures of Morello's Justice Tour in New Orleans
» Read the full story in the next issue of Amnesty Magazine
