New Orleans, LA - Legendary New Orleans blues musician Walter Wolfman Washington will join forces to present New Orleans’ Concerts for Indigent Defense March 30, 2022 at 9 pm at d.b.a. on Frenchman Street. The event follows Gideon Day on March 18, the anniversary of the Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel, and is the first in a yearlong, nationwide celebration of the upcoming 60th anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright in 2023. It also recognizes and honors OPD’s continued fight for dignity, justice and hope in New Orleans’ criminal legal system. The concert will also be livestreamed.
This constitutional Right to Counsel was established by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 18, 1963, yet more than half a century later, that right remains threatened by chronic underfunding and disregard for the critical role of public defense. The New Orleans show will kick off additional concerts in cities across the country and serve as the home city for this nationwide celebration.
Walter Wolfman Washington takes pride in his role in this year’s Concert for Indigent Defense: New Orleans. “The criminal justice system is inherently unfair and has affected the lives of so many, unfortunately many of us in the music industry. We have to do better because our community deserves it. I’m just happy to lend my voice to the cause,” said Mr. Washington.
WHAT: CONCERTS FOR INDIGENT DEFENSE: NEW ORLEANS
with Walter Wolfman Washington
WHEN: Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 9pm
WHERE: d.b.a., 618 Frenchman Street
Livestream: www.concertsforindigentdefense.org
WHY: Celebration of the Right to Counsel and OPD’s Fight for Justice
“We consider New Orleans the core location for the nationwide reach of Concerts for Indigent Defense because it remains one of the incarceration capitals of the country, a leader in poverty and disenfranchisement, and victim to a continued crisis in public defense,” said Concerts for Indigent Defense founder Stephen Saloom. “Louisiana’s failure to respect the Right to Counsel and adequately fund its public defenders is as egregious as anywhere else in America. Musicians and communities across the city care deeply about equity and fairness, and recognize this just isn’t happening.” Saloom continued, “Music and musicians are so intertwined with the community– we will always consider New Orleans to be the epicenter of Concerts for Indigent Defense across the country.”
Earlier this month, Concerts for Indigent Defense held a livestream celebration of the pinnacle criminal justice ruling, with participation from OPD Chief Defender Derwyn Bunton and Director of Community Outreach Robert Jones. https://concertsforindigentdefense.org/
“Community is center to everything we do. When we fight for our clients, we are also fighting for the well-being of our community. We’re honored to have their continued support. They understand the importance of an equitably-funded and adequately-resourced public defender. For too long, fairness and justice have been hindered by a lack of funding and resources. It’s time decision makers across Louisiana find the political will to uphold the Sixth Amendment and do what’s right,” said Chief Defender Derwyn Bunton. “Without adequate representation, there is no justice.”
March 18th 2022 was the 59th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, which established it a fundamental Constitutional right for everyone to be represented by an attorney when facing a loss of liberty. For many though, frequently low-income people, this right is too often ignored, despite the Supreme Court’s assertion the Right to Counsel includes people who can’t afford representation.
New Orleans hosted the first Concert for Indigent Defense in 2017, co-produced by the late John Thompson, who narrowly escaped execution after being wrongfully convicted. Mr. Thompson died in 2017, and this year’s events are a resurrection of that part of his fight for justice for all people trying to navigate the legal system.
For more information, the video celebration and concert livestream, visit www.concertsforindigentdefense.org.
