Peter Gabriel, Sheryl Crow and Jimmy Cliff to Unite for Benefit Gala

Posted on Nov 11th 2010 10:07PM by Benjy Eisen
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Peter Wafzig, Getty Images

On Thursday, Dec. 2, Peter Gabriel will host a gala event at New York's Roseland Ballroom that will feature performances by Sheryl Crow, Jimmy Cliff and Antibalas as well as a keynote address from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. No, they're not all coming together to talk tweets -- it's WITNESS' Sixth Annual Focus for Change Benefit Dinner and Concert. Duh.

WITNESS was founded in 1992 but really began back in 1988 when Gabriel was on the now-historic Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. Between performing and fraternizing with fellow performers such as Bruce Spingsteen and Sting, Gabriel used a small handheld camcorder to document and capture all the poignant stories and moments from people that he encountered during that tour. Remember that back in 1988, handheld camcorders were not as consumer-assessable, compact or technologically advanced as they are now.

But the experience had Gabriel thinking about the potential use of such devices. When, in 1991, Rodney King's brutal beating by a police officer was captured by a bystander on such a device -- proving the potential camcorders had in aiding human rights efforts -- Gabriel decided to form WITNESS. The non-profit organization's mission statement reads, in part, "WITNESS uses video to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations."

Tickets for the gala are not cheap, but then again, neither is the cost of justice. Click this link to find out more information and/or reserve a table. Note that "festive attire" is kindly requested; no word on whether or not camcorders will be allowed.