In solidarity with immigrants in the area, a group of local volunteers is hosting Busking for Justice, a series of concerts to fundraise for legal aid and bail for immigrants who have been wrongfully detained. They held their first event of the series Sept. 5.
Starting at 5:30 p.m., people began trickling into Café DeWitt, ordering food off the special Filipino Friday menu and settling into their seats to listen to the folk trio. As the audience listened and conversed, one of the event organizers, Jayne Demakos ’78, walked around with a basket collecting donations that will go to two immigrants and their families in need of legal assistance. The first Busking for Justice event featured local musicians Rick Manning, Naomi Sommers and Dave Davies.
Three other women also played key roles in organizing the event: Sheila Payne, Laurie Konwinski and Saoirse McClory. Demakos is a former adjunct professor from the School of Music at Ithaca College. She said that Busking for Justice came from Busking for Good, a concert series that began in March 2024, that she organized. The event focused on raising money for humanitarian aid for World Central Kitchen, an organization working to provide fresh meals to communities in crisis.
“During the Ukraine war, people were sad and horrified,” Demakos said. “And so it was a way to spiritually have a place that could get infused with something positive and good.”
Having lived in the area for four decades and being a musician herself, Demakos is well-connected in the music community in Ithaca. She said that she reached out to local musicians and they did not hesitate to participate.
Both Manning and Demakos said that it made sense to have the concerts coincide with Ithaca Gallery Night, where galleries hold opening receptions on the first Friday of every month because pedestrians would already be walking around visiting various galleries on the commons. Once in full swing, every seat was full of community members. The mayor of Ithaca, Robert Cantelmo, was also present and seated in the front row.
Konwinski, coordinator of the Justice and Peace Ministry at Catholic Charities of Tompkins and Tioga County, was another key organizer for the event. She said the musical and uplifting format of the fundraiser is a great way to draw people in who want to be supportive of the cause but would not necessarily attend a lecture or a rally.
“Music brings people together, and it’s so important for people who care about this cause or any other important cause to know that other people do too,” Konwinski said.
Demakos said that the combination of elements — food, music, community and supporting a cause — make the event work well. Joni Spielholz, an Ithaca local of 56 years, has attended various immigrant solidarity events in Ithaca.
“[Busking for Justice has] got everything; it’s friends, great music and the right thing to do,” Spielholz said.
Konwinski said Ithaca is a city that has welcomed immigrants from various countries across many different continents. According to the 2023 United States Census, foreign-born individuals make up about 19% of Ithaca’s population.
She said that as the government fails to give due process, the fear is that even immigrants who have legal status will face the threat of deportation. In January, President Donald Trump’s administration issued an executive order cracking down on immigration, stating that all immigrants who are under suspicion of violating the law must be detained and removed from the country.
“We know that the federal government is in the process of hiring a lot more immigration agents, and we are trying to prepare for that eventuality that there would be more of a presence in our area,” Konwinski said.
U.S. Immigrations Customs and Enforcement plans to hire 10,000 new agents with its over $70 billion budget increase, over the next four years.
Manning is a retired landscape architect and a cherished local musician. He did a benefit for Ithaca Welcomes Refugees in June 2025. They were raising money for a similar cause, legal aid for legal immigrants who had lost their work permits.
“The immigrant situation is a very human, important, relatable issue,” Manning said. “There are so many issues that seem so big and so out of control, but these are human beings and families.”
On top of the trauma, the financial stress of being wrongfully detained is a huge burden on immigrants and their families. Those affected might have to worry about the cost of bail or hiring a lawyer. Konwinski said legal representation is important and she hopes the money raised will help people in this situation afford to hire lawyers.
“The great genius with busking is [that] everybody can come and people can give according to their means and their interest,” Konwinski said.
After the trio played a handful of songs, Demakos and Konwinski took the stage to talk about the cause. Demakos thanked the community for showing up.
“We are disrupting the system,” Demakos said. “Who else is going to do it but us?”.
Konwinski then gave a short talk about knowing your rights as an immigrant, and shared a personal story of an immigrant, Heidi, and her family.
“We will get through this, this is our country, we are not giving up on it,” Konwinski said.
Busking for Justice will continue Oct. 3 with musical guests “Deep Tones for Peace,” featuring bassist Tristen Jarvis, assistant professor in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. The final concert fundraiser on Dec. 5 will feature the Ithaca College Jazz Vocal Ensemble.
Demakos said that over 70 people attended throughout the night and they raised $1,400.
“It was everything we had dreamed of,” Demakos said.
