Rights Group, City Officials Raise Voices for Vote in Music Video

Joe L. Da Vessel waved the "V" sign to a go-go beat, a silver cross dangling from his neck.

"D.C. . . . We demand a vote," the musician sang.

Viewers are likely to find Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) and other city officials in the final product.

Yesterday, DC Vote got into the music video business, with Da Vessel and more than 200 local volunteers. The nonprofit group lobbies for District voting rights in Congress, and this latest effort, the group said, is a nod to a new generation.

"We're trying to reach young people with the video," Ilir Zherka, executive director of DC Vote, said. This is a "a year when youth are paying attention to national politics."

The more than half-a-million D.C. residents don't have full representation in Congress. Norton can vote on committees but can't vote on the passage of legislation.

An ethnically diverse group, ranging in age from teenagers to seniors, joined in the shoot, Zherka said.

The group went to several locations, including the steps of the U.S. Capitol and Schools Without Walls in Northeast Washington.

Markus Batchelor, 15, of Ward 8 was among the volunteers.

"Washington, D.C., is not just a place for politicians to come and do their jobs and go home," he said. "It's a place for us to live."

Behind him, Da Vessel sang:

"In the fair city where the residents live.

"Work to provide a safe place for their kids.

"This is why we're so concerned."

As Da Vessel performed, D.C. shadow representative Mike Panetta said he hoped the video will help get the word out about the voting issue far beyond the Washington area. DC Vote said the video will be available soon on YouTube and on its Web site, http://Dcvote.org.

"This will be something kids from California to Maine will download and listen to on their iPods," he said.