The Westcott community in Syracuse has always been known as a place for progressive thinkers to congregate and make a difference.

In the past, this activism has happened in the form of protests, peaceful demonstrations, and other supportive community events that rally Syracuse residents into joining a meaningful movement. This Saturday night, that activism turned into the “Westcott Trumps Hate” Unity Festival, which dozens attended.

Sponsored and planned by Ben Tupper, a local landlord, the event was designed to promote and support inclusive, liberal thinking, in light of the upcoming presidential election.

“The neighborhood has historically been a place that’s been extremely tolerant and open to discussing and enacting change and putting your politics into action,” Tupper said.

With its own rich history, Westcott Theater was the perfect venue for an event like “Westcott Trumps Hate.”

Access to a “progressive neighborhood and the ending to a heated political season” was all it took for Tupper to be inspired to create the “Westcott Trumps Hate” event.

Tupper happily funded the whole event, with the hopes of showcasing musicians from the community, while raising funds to support different service organizations

“I feel really honored to be in a position to own a business that can bankroll all this and make this all happen,” he said.

All the money made from tickets sold will go to different community service organizations. There were four organizations at the event tabling to sell their merchandise and advertise about how they service the Syracuse community: The Girl Code Movement, The Eastern Farm Workers Association, ArtRage and the Westcott Community Center.

The event kicked off with a performance by Second Line Syracuse, an eight-member New Orleans inspired brass band. The band entered the doors of Westcott Theater like a marching band, and played their first song while proceeding to the front stage.

Marisa Frigoletto | Contributing Photographer

The different instruments worked well together to create an excitement in the room for what would follow during the rest of the performances.

After Second Line Syracuse’s set, Joe Driscoll, a local musician who helped plan the event, took the stage to welcome everyone.

“We’re here tonight to support a better world and draw awareness to the problems within and around our community, by getting all the progressive groups under one roof,” he said.

Driscoll also introduced the organizations in attendance and encouraged attendants to visit each of their tables. There was also a table setup for voter registration in preparation for next month’s election.

After these introductions, Driscoll took the stage. Known for his creative take on music through beatbox-looping funk, folk and hip-hop, there were several attendants who came out to hear his performance.

Sophomore public relations major Julia Trainor said, “I came out tonight because I saw the flyer and it looked like an event for a great purpose. I especially knew I had to come when I saw that there was a folk beat boxer.”

When Driscoll started his set, his performance demanded the attention of everyone in the room. Looping his vocals, beats, guitar riffs and harmonica notes in real time seemed like nothing anyone had ever seen before.

Throughout the event all types of people cycled in and out, from students and music enthusiasts to older adults and social activists.

Published on October 2, 2016 at 7:52 pm

Contact Maxine: mswillia@syr.edu