Washington, DC
- May 7th, 2011 7:57 pm ET
By Martina Robinson
Disability Examiner
On Monday, members of the nonviolent direct action group ADAPT which has launched a campaign called "Defending Our Freedom" took their message of no block grants in Medicaid to the Halls of Congress. The group is in direct opposition to Senator Paul Ryan's plan to block grant Medicaid. The Ryan proposal, activists feel, would reduce available services and force more people into institutions.
Activists were unusually quiet marching to the Hill. Not one chant was heard as marchers lined the hallways. Even as activists moved into the Rotunda there was not a sound, accept for subdued chatter and whirring of wheelchair motors. Then the energy of almost 300 activists was unleashed as rounds and rounds of "Free our brothers, free our sisters, free our people now!" suddenly exploded through the Capitol. The rotunda acoustics are amazing! The Capitol police were stunned and moved in to arrest, but changed their minds when activists quieted down and ADAPT's leadership team went into negotiate.
Several members of Congress came to visit the activists while they were in the Rotunda and by 6:25 pm the negotiations had failed and police were moving in with the intent to arrest this time. The last person to speak to activists was Representative John Lewis. Representative Lewis was himself arrested with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement of the 1960's.
He told activists that there was no shame in going to jail to fight an injustice. He said this just as activists, many of whom used wheelchairs, were being led away by police. Some ADAPT members speculated that there would not have been so many arrest had Representative Lewis not spoken. All and all, 91 members were arrested Monday.
The early arrestees could still make out the chants of "I'd rather go to jail then die in a nursing home!" through the ceiling of the hallway they were led down which was one floor below the Rotunda, from those still waiting to be arrested who were above them.
Mug shots were taken. Property was bagged. If arrestees needed medicine, they had to ask an officer to retrieve it. Battery chargers for wheelchairs were kept with individuals, however, and the police were prompt in bringing medicines when asked for. Going to the bathroom was an issue. Police are not trained in the provision of personal care assistance (PCA) services and at first were not even aware of where the wheelchair accessible bathroom was! Fortunately, a few PCA's got arrested and the officers seemed to be a quick study. Activists received water, half a sandwich, and in one case ice for a swollen ankle.
Among the arrested where Bobbi Wallach, who has been previously arrested for civil disobedience over the institutionalization issue. Ms. Wallach moved into her own apartment last month after 4 and a half years in a nursing home. She says the home didn’t want to let her go because they claimed she required two people to lift her. However, she credits the Center for Disability Rights located in Rochester for finding the loophole that allowed her to be evaluated by an independent service. As a result, she was able to prove that she only needed one PCA at a time and move out. Ms. Wallach says, “I’m in my own home and loving it. I make my own decisions. I have all my choices and all my rights back now.”
Another arrestee was Heiwa Salovitz who recently moved from Connecticut to Texas where he volunteers with ADAPT of Texas. He hopes to get a job soon “helping real people gain their freedom.”
The first release happened at 3:11AM Tuesday morning. The last group was released at 6:30. ADAPT members, arrested or not, are supposed to be lined up by 10AM Tuesday. Those arrested are due in court on May 26th in Washington, DC.
Activists were unusually quiet marching to the Hill. Not one chant was heard as marchers lined the hallways. Even as activists moved into the Rotunda there was not a sound, accept for subdued chatter and whirring of wheelchair motors. Then the energy of almost 300 activists was unleashed as rounds and rounds of "Free our brothers, free our sisters, free our people now!" suddenly exploded through the Capitol. The rotunda acoustics are amazing! The Capitol police were stunned and moved in to arrest, but changed their minds when activists quieted down and ADAPT's leadership team went into negotiate.
Several members of Congress came to visit the activists while they were in the Rotunda and by 6:25 pm the negotiations had failed and police were moving in with the intent to arrest this time. The last person to speak to activists was Representative John Lewis. Representative Lewis was himself arrested with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement of the 1960's.
He told activists that there was no shame in going to jail to fight an injustice. He said this just as activists, many of whom used wheelchairs, were being led away by police. Some ADAPT members speculated that there would not have been so many arrest had Representative Lewis not spoken. All and all, 91 members were arrested Monday.
The early arrestees could still make out the chants of "I'd rather go to jail then die in a nursing home!" through the ceiling of the hallway they were led down which was one floor below the Rotunda, from those still waiting to be arrested who were above them.
Mug shots were taken. Property was bagged. If arrestees needed medicine, they had to ask an officer to retrieve it. Battery chargers for wheelchairs were kept with individuals, however, and the police were prompt in bringing medicines when asked for. Going to the bathroom was an issue. Police are not trained in the provision of personal care assistance (PCA) services and at first were not even aware of where the wheelchair accessible bathroom was! Fortunately, a few PCA's got arrested and the officers seemed to be a quick study. Activists received water, half a sandwich, and in one case ice for a swollen ankle.
Among the arrested where Bobbi Wallach, who has been previously arrested for civil disobedience over the institutionalization issue. Ms. Wallach moved into her own apartment last month after 4 and a half years in a nursing home. She says the home didn’t want to let her go because they claimed she required two people to lift her. However, she credits the Center for Disability Rights located in Rochester for finding the loophole that allowed her to be evaluated by an independent service. As a result, she was able to prove that she only needed one PCA at a time and move out. Ms. Wallach says, “I’m in my own home and loving it. I make my own decisions. I have all my choices and all my rights back now.”
Another arrestee was Heiwa Salovitz who recently moved from Connecticut to Texas where he volunteers with ADAPT of Texas. He hopes to get a job soon “helping real people gain their freedom.”
The first release happened at 3:11AM Tuesday morning. The last group was released at 6:30. ADAPT members, arrested or not, are supposed to be lined up by 10AM Tuesday. Those arrested are due in court on May 26th in Washington, DC.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Monday Reportback from ADAPT in Washington, DC - National disability | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/disability-in-national/monday-reportback-from-adapt-washington-dc#ixzz1LpQGVbdh
