A Letter from the Hosts, Alice and Morgan
Dear Stop Mass Incarceration Network,
We would like to share with you the good news from Hadley, Massachusetts this weekend. We, Alice & Morgan, had the joy, honor, and damn-fine time of hosting a delegation from the city as we all threw a rousing fundraiser to STOP stop & frisk.
Jamel, Amaris, DJ Macnificent and his partner Joyce & Debra made the long trek up, and one hour from arriving we were all welcoming upwards of 75 guests. Unable to predict the weather, friends of ours graciously let us light
up their barn, turning their their farm, Next Barn Over Farm, into the best dance hall and community organizing center for miles around! A local artist Maurice Soulfighter Taylor opened the evening and energized the crowd with his spoken word. We held the whole talk that night on a stage built of vegetable bin pallets and store-room floor-mats, set below the bold, large banner that Jamel & Noche had painted with a bunch of kids in Union Square. Besides the free desserts table donated by friends and the clearly powerful talk Jamel gave, the most memorable moment that sticks in our minds is the dozens and dozens of people dancing by the end, to the tunes spun by Macnificent in the farm's vegetable wash room!! We had to open the bay doors that chilly fall night- all the fun was heating up that barn!
In closing, we would like to thank the whole team who came up from New York. The night was a solid success. People were moved and had fun. Financially we did well. And all in all we were just plain happy to share our home with you. We look forward to not having to collectively raise another $10,000 for legal aid, but when the time comes (and certainly this will likely be sooner rather than later!) let us throw another event together at the farm. Thank you and see you in a week.
- Alice & Morgan
P.S. For the event we put up a huge STOP 'stop & frisk' sign by the road at the farm. Our friends have been working there for three/four years. Cop cars always roll by but roll by is all they tend to do. Monday after the event - first work day the sign was up - one after another, cruisers start pulling cars over- stopping them right in front of the sign. In no way am I equating this to the NYPD but the similarity in reaction by power to accountability was striking.
Dear Stop Mass Incarceration Network,
We would like to share with you the good news from Hadley, Massachusetts this weekend. We, Alice & Morgan, had the joy, honor, and damn-fine time of hosting a delegation from the city as we all threw a rousing fundraiser to STOP stop & frisk.
Jamel, Amaris, DJ Macnificent and his partner Joyce & Debra made the long trek up, and one hour from arriving we were all welcoming upwards of 75 guests. Unable to predict the weather, friends of ours graciously let us light
up their barn, turning their their farm, Next Barn Over Farm, into the best dance hall and community organizing center for miles around! A local artist Maurice Soulfighter Taylor opened the evening and energized the crowd with his spoken word. We held the whole talk that night on a stage built of vegetable bin pallets and store-room floor-mats, set below the bold, large banner that Jamel & Noche had painted with a bunch of kids in Union Square. Besides the free desserts table donated by friends and the clearly powerful talk Jamel gave, the most memorable moment that sticks in our minds is the dozens and dozens of people dancing by the end, to the tunes spun by Macnificent in the farm's vegetable wash room!! We had to open the bay doors that chilly fall night- all the fun was heating up that barn!
In closing, we would like to thank the whole team who came up from New York. The night was a solid success. People were moved and had fun. Financially we did well. And all in all we were just plain happy to share our home with you. We look forward to not having to collectively raise another $10,000 for legal aid, but when the time comes (and certainly this will likely be sooner rather than later!) let us throw another event together at the farm. Thank you and see you in a week.
- Alice & Morgan
P.S. For the event we put up a huge STOP 'stop & frisk' sign by the road at the farm. Our friends have been working there for three/four years. Cop cars always roll by but roll by is all they tend to do. Monday after the event - first work day the sign was up - one after another, cruisers start pulling cars over- stopping them right in front of the sign. In no way am I equating this to the NYPD but the similarity in reaction by power to accountability was striking.
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