Power to the Peaceful

On Saturday, September 10th 2005, the visionary musician, filmmaker and human rights worker, Michael Franti and his group Spearhead with Guerrilla Management bring you the 7th Annual 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival (PTTP) at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. PTTP has been produced as an annual series of free, outdoor community music and arts festivals since 1999. The PTTP experience blends international musicians, regional and local artists and renowned speakers in a festival atmosphere. The first festival was held in a neighborhood park drawing 6,000 people and over the past seven years has grown to Golden Gate Park to host 50,000. PTTP Festival has been graced with inspirational performances by Michael Franti and Spearhead, Saul Williams, Alice Walker, Ram Das, Talib Kweli, KRS-One, Amy Goodman, The String Cheese Incident, Keller Williams, The Coup, Digital Underground, Woody Harrelson, Lyrics Born, Jello Biafra and Angela Davis among others.

“Bring ‘em Home” is this year’s theme to remind us that the best way to support the troops is to bring them home right now. Michael Franti states, “The Festival began in 1999 as an international day of art and culture in support of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal. The name and date 911 were chosen to call attention to the emergency status of Mumia’s impending execution. We expanded the event in 2000 to show support for all prisoners on death row, and to speak out against the exponential growth of the prison industrial complex. In 2001 the day of September 11th took on a wider significance as a result of the tragic loss of life by the attacks of the day. The 4th and 5th events in 2002-2003 created a space for healing and compassion for ALL the people killed or displaced by terrorism and the war on terrorism. And last year, the 2004 election incited the theme, Stand up and be Counted, encouraging people to get out and vote“.

In addition to the main stage, the festival features an open-air art gallery of visual artists, a healing arts tent offering massage and yoga, guerrilla theater, a DJ tent, green commercial vendors and food booths, an eco village, kid’s zone, bicycle coalition, recycling program and a diverse array of social, environmental and political organizations tabling. New to the festival this year, an action sports area to include an ecologically built half pipe. 2005 will be the fourth year that the event will be broadcast live on PACIFICA radio station KPFA. To accompany the festival, there will be a PTTP social justice forum on Sunday Sept 11, 2005 and a PTTP film festival on September 12 - 13, 2005.

PTTP will be promoted as a Western Regional Mobilization and Concert. Our past events have drawn audiences upwards of 50,000 from around the world. It is a FREE event in a beautiful location in Golden Gate Park. Bring your faith in the power of peace and justice and join us at the 7th Annual 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival, promising to be an enlightening, enraging and inspiring event.