ADAPT Action Blog
The words of Activists at the ADAPT Action.
Chris Hilderbrant
Rochester ADAPT
Monday - All of our groups were lined up at 10 AM. With one group pulled aside for "special duties". This group rolled out about 40 minutes ahead of the rest of us. Ultimately we all went to the same destination... The Rayburn Building of the US Congress! The initial group arrived early and casually went in through security, on their way to do "legislative visits". This group then split into three subgroups... with one group "visiting" the office of the House Energy and Commerce Committe Chairman Dingell, another group "visiting" the committee's ranking minority member, Congressman Joe Barton, and a majority of the group going straight to the Hearing Room for the Energy and Commerce Committee.
The Energy and Commerce Committee is the committee responsible for Medicaid and would be the committee to hold a congressional hearing on The Community Choice Act! The committee last held a hearing on MiCASSA in 1997 - it's been too long! In the years in between, MiCASSA has changed substantially and the long-term care system has changed as well. A hearing is long overdue.
As our people inside entered the offices and lined up along the doors of the hearing room, the main group lined up against the stairs outside the building and chanting commenced almost instantaneously in all locations! Our demands were simple... 1. SCHEDULE A HEARING. 2. Become Community Choice Act cosponsors!
We were in heavily secured areas and the capital police were on us immediately. Our leadership team entered into negotiations with the police. A staff person for Congressman Dingell came out to negotiate with the team as well... all she could offer in negotiations was her commitment to "call the congressman tomorrow" to talk about maybe scheduling a hearing. TOMORROW? After asking for ten years for another hearing, all she can offer is that she'll ask the congressman about the issue tomorrow?!
With this offer promptly rejected, the cops quickly moved in to arrest. Everyone inside the building was arrested - 66 people - and an additional 33 people on the outside. This includes from Rochester: Shelly Perrin, Pat Taggart, Brenda Pagliarli, Marlene Waldren, Bruce Darling, Gene Spinning, Debbie Bonomo, Sue Stahl, Hope McGinnis, and Anthony Griggs. From Syracuse: Agnes McCray. From NYS: Nadina LaSpina and Carr Massey! (There may have been others.)
The non-arrested had lunch then regathered to tour th4rough the capital, leafletting with our Community Choice Act flyers to educate everyone else at the Capital about just why we were there. A small group stayed with me to wait for our arrested members to get out! The arrests took place at 12:30 noon... the first people were not released until after 8:30 pm... the final ADAPTers did not get out until 2:30 AM.
Finally, we were all back to the hotel and to bed... 3-4 hours of sleep and then back up to get ready for a visit with HUD Secretary Alfonso Jackson and a busy Tuesday afternoon! More on the later...
FREE OUR PEOPLE!!!
Chris Hilderbrant