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All-Star Lineup For Arizona Benefit
Organized by Browne and Cooper with Arizona promoter Danny Zelisko, the concert is a fundraiser for the non-profit Community Foundation for Southern Arizona. Proceeds benefit the newly created Fund For Civility, Respect and Understanding which was established by the family of Ron Barber, Giffords’ district director who was injured in the shooting.
The Jan. 8th shooting took place in a Safeway parking lot located in a suburban area north of Tucson where Giffords was meeting with constituents. In addition to injuring Giffords and Barber, the suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, is alleged to have shot and killed six people, including U.S. District Court Judge John Roll, nine-year-old Christina-Taylor Green and Giffords’ community outreach director Gabriel Zimmerman.
“When I was in the ICU, I thought a lot about what it would take to help our community heal and unify,” Barber said in a statement announcing the event. “There was a huge outpouring of goodwill, kindness and compassion after the shooting, such a contrast to what happened that day. My family and I wanted to find a way to harness that goodwill to do meaningful thing in the community. In the short term, we can help those whose lives were affected on Jan. 8. In the long term, we will work toward improving awareness of mental health issues and services and changing the tone of how we interact with each other in our schools, our communities and in public policy discussions.”
Set for March 10, the lineup also includes Sam Moore, Nils Lofgren, Keb’ Mo’, Ozomatli and Calexico with more acts to be announced. Speakers appearing at the event include Giffords’ astronaut husband Mark Kelly, Tucson mayor Bob Walkup, Tucson Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce president Lea Marquez Peterson and Barber.
Tickets go on sale Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. local time. For more information, including details about Fund For Civility, Respect and Understanding, click here for Jackson Browne’s website.