MAKING MUSIC AND A DIFFERENCE: VANCOUVER DJs RAISE THOUSANDS FOR BAIL FUNDS

A group of Vancouver DJ’s have figured out how to throw a party during a pandemic while fighting systemic racism. 

In hopes of easing some of the pain felt around the world following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, Vancouverite Jason Floetic organized the fundraiser Equality is Key. Performing as DJ Floetic, he and five other DJs played livestream sets on Twitch, raising $12,000 for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

The New York Times recently reported a staggering $90-million has been donated to bail funds in recent weeks, as police continue to arrest protesters demanding justice. Floetic was floored by how much his fundraiser was able to contribute. 

“The goal was to raise two-thousand. The fact that we raised this as a community, I could feel the energy blowing out in the comments. Like wow—we can really do something if we put our minds together,” he says.

A black man who grew up in Surrey, Floetic invited DJ’s from a range of backgrounds—Filipino, Guatemalan, Caribbean and Congonian—to show up for protesters through hip hop. A genre that often comes with an aggressive reputation, Floetic says he wanted to highlight the uplifting side of hip hop.

“We used hip hop to raise money and do good things—it’s not just about ‘F’ this or ‘F’ that. Even though some of what was played was aggressive, it’s based on the same thoughts and emotion we’re seeing over systemic racism.”

Floetic also wanted to create a space where people could escape from the world for a couple hours, while knowing they were contributing to an important cause.

“Everyone’s just so mentally drained with COVID and George Floyd, so the angle I took was to celebrate life. Period,” he says. 

Up to 190 people tuned in to the June 7 show, and Floetic hopes to collaborate with diverse groups to put on more livestream fundraisers.

“I would love to work with [LGBTQ2} and Indigenous people. Equality is for everyone. The situation isn’t just black versus white, It’s just ignorance versus reality. I think 2020 is the time to take the blindfold off.”