OCTOBER 17, 2015
HOUSE OF BLUES, NEW ORLEANS
NOTHING SHORT OF INCREDIBLE
Our heartfelt thanks as we wrap up our shows for 2015. It’s no secret that we have a blast at JusticeAid, but we never forget that our work and your support have real impacts on the state of civil rights and justice in our nation.

JusticeAid headed south on Saturday, October 17th, for an incredible evening in the French Quarter at New Orleans’ historic House of Blues. As is the tradition for JusticeAid, all ticket sales benefit organizations working to eradicate barriers to opportunity and equality in our justice system and beyond. October’s event at the House of Blues benefited Innocence Project New Orleans and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project.

Local community leaders the Roots of Music opened the evening and fellow New Orleanians Hurray for the Riff Raff showcased their special blend of folk, blues, and country sounds. Folk icon Ani DiFranco calls NOLA home too, and she closed out the night with songs spanning her decades-long career as one of America’s most prolific, prophetic, and insightful songwriters. With three distinct sets from local acts noted nationally for their creativity and commitment to justice, the event surely touched the night’s attendees, beneficiaries, and those they serve.

Combined with the with the proceeds from DC’s historic Lincoln Theatre event, JusticeAid raised approximately $150,000 for beneficiaries Innocence Project New Orleans and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project.

  • Innocence Project New Orleans

    See 2015 event Photo above features exonerated Kia Stewart courtesy of IP-NO. In Louisiana and Mississippi, the two states with the highest incarceration rates [...]

  • The Roots of Music

    The Roots of Music empowers the youth of New Orleans through music education, academic support, and mentoring, while preserving and promoting the unique musical and cultural heritage of the city.  Co-founded in 2007 by Derrick [...]

  • Hurray for the Riff Raff

    Hurray For The Riff Raff is Alynda Lee Segarra, but in many ways, it’s much more than that: it’s a young woman leaving her indelible stamp on the American folk tradition. If you’re listening [...]

The Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP) celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. MAIP is a is a life-saving resource for many residents of the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. MAIP fights injustice by bringing comprehensive legal assistance to regional residents facing wrongful convictions and incarceration. And to create a brighter, more just future for our region, MAIP directly engages our legal, judicial, and law enforcement leaders to educate them and the public of the problems that can lead to these wrongful convictions and incarcerations. To date, MAIP has secured the exoneration or release of 16 innocent men. These men spent a total of 234 years in prison—lost years with their children and families, and as active members of their communities—a massive injury to justice. JusticeAid is thrilled to pattern with MAIP on May 17th at the Lincoln Theatre.

In Louisiana and Mississippi, the two states with the highest incarceration rates in the world, Innocence Project New Orleans (IPNO) is a national leader in the fight for freedom. Their leadership and growth has made them the second-largest non-law school clinic, free-standing innocence project in the nation. They have an international reputation for winning exonerations, both in the minority of cases where DNA testing can prove innocence and in more difficult cases where DNA does not exist or has been destroyed.

As of March 2015, IPNO has won the freedom or exoneration of 25 innocent men who collectively served 525 years behind bars before IPNO cleared their name. IPNO also fights for a better legal justice system for our nation by working to educate our leaders and reform laws to prevent future injustices. Read more about IPNO’s record of success fighting injustice at:

Kia Stewart, 27, speaks to the press after walking out of the Orleans Parish Criminal Courthouse a free man after he spent nearly 10 years of a life sentence behind bars. Click here to watch video.

  • Charles Barber: LBJ, NCIS: New Orleans
  • Rachael Bauer
  • Stephen Bright
  • Kate Butler: LBJ
  • Cynthia Browne
  • Melody Chang
  • Michael Cowen
  • Ashley Crawford
  • John Crawford
  • Sean Cummings
  • Cat Forrester
  • Michael Friedman
  • Brigid Brown & Steven Guidry
  • Kim Haddow
  • Steve Singer & Jancy Hoffel
  • Rob Kerkovich: NCIS: New Orleans
  • Elizabeth Kiefer
  • Charles King
  • Whitney Magendie
  • Michael W. Magner
  • Judy Perry Martinez
  • Madeline Moore
  • Frank X. Neuner, Jr.
  • Lance Nichols: Treme, Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • John A. Nolan
  • Susan Sarandon
  • D. Majeeda Snead
  • Susan Spicer: Chef, Bayona & Mondo
  • Michael Stahl-David: LBJ, Cloverfield
  • Rob Steinberg: LBJ, 12 Years a Slave
  • James R. Swanson
  • M. Lizabeth Talbott
  • Lauren Thom: Fleurty Girl
  • Lance Unglesby
  • Donald W. Washington
  • Jason R. Williams

Many thanks to Stage Sponsor P&N and Exoneree Sponsor Unglesbe & Williams. Backspace Bar graciously donated 20% of their bar sales on the 17th and 18th! Please support Backspace, 139 Chartres Street, NOLA. Also, thanks to the Foundation Room at House of Blues, which donated a portion of the proceeds from the After Glow party to IP-No.