For a Few Hours, a Party Drowns Out the Tensions in D.C.
On a sweltering afternoon, thousands of people at Fort Dupont turned out for the annual celebration of local legend Chuck Brown, the creator and godfather of Go-Go music, a variant of funk. The rhythm of congas and guitars filled the air. Families sat in lawn chairs along the small hill next to the stage. Elders clapped softly to the beat as the live band hit its stride. And energetic dancers let the music take them away.
Ronald Meton, founder and chief executive of the Go-Go museum and cafe in Washington, is also a longtime advocate against violence in the city. And he said Saturday's concert was perfect for the moment.
'Right now, what we need in our city is love and order, not necessarily law and order,' he said.
The National Guard was nowhere to be found. There were no tactical vests or armored trucks. Only Park Police, directing traffic, strolling through the crowd and helping organizers.
For one afternoon, Fort Dupont became a haven for music-lovers in the capital: a zone immune to the city's anxieties, a place where sound was not contested but embraced.
Each year, about 8,000 people show up to celebrate throughout the day, according to park officials.
Go-Go has always been about participation, about feeling free, about the rhythm pulling in whoever cares to join, Mr. Meton said.
He said Washington has its share of problems like any other major city. But he stressed that they need to be handled with balance and care, not abrasiveness.
Thennie Freeman, who oversees Washington's Department of Parks and Recreation, walked through the event, greeting families and familiar faces. She looked out at the gathering and spoke of what green space can mean to the city.
Parks, she said, are where agendas fall away, where the city can exhale. On this day, the only purpose was to honor the legacy of Mr. Brown, who died in 2012, whose voice once carried across these very grounds.
'Love is in the atmosphere,' Ms. Freeman said. 'You can feel it walking through.'
As the notes continued to drift into the humid evening, the crowd danced on, reluctant to let the music's spell break.
In one spot at least, Washington, steady and unshaken, moved to its own beat.
Alyce McFadden contributed reporting.
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