There were many familiar faces from the past when folks came in for the national action yesterday. Maybe it was seeing those faces, but the route we took this morning to today's action passed by a dozen old action sites and brought up many memories for me. There was the AARP building where we had confronted this giant agency for their lack of support for low income older Americans who want to get services at home rather than go to a nursing home -- it's marbled halls had had better security than most federal buildings. There was the Department of Labor where we took over the lobby because of a commitment Alexis Herman had failed to live up to. There was the Mayor's Office building which he had taken over in support of Capitol Area ADAPT to push for more community based services. There was the Justice Center where we had been to court so many times, and inaccessible probation office where some of us had been sent yet could not get inside. There was the bus stop by the fallen police memorial where we used to get off all the time when we stayed in that neighborhood for actions. There was the building that used to be home to Mitch Snyder's Center for Creative Non-violence, the homeless activists who had been so supportive on our all night siege of DOT back when we were fighting for lifts on buses. These and so many other places made the route very intense. I was really amazed how much of our history was packed into such a relatively short space. All that had happened to bring us to this place at this time...
When we went into the hotel where the Public Housing Authorities Director's Association was holding their conference I was amazed that all our group made it inside. I was equally surprised that our other group, who had gone to the association of large public housing aurthorities had all made it inside as well. We started out quietly but when they would not meet, things quickly escalated. People were everywhere, soon banners were everywhere and chanting echoed throughout. Just before the chanting started there was a very bizzare edge to things as conference goers in suites were intermingled with ADAPT folks in our T-shirts, signing, whirring our wheelchair motors, etc. yet all was still quiet. It was also weird how, at both sites, the directors were so reticent to meet with our group. And I am always amazed at the members of the public who will lift a power wheelchair with someone in it just to go to a meeting or get up an escalator or something.
On the other hand it is always heartening to see the members of the public who can see that something out of the ordinary is going down, and are willing to take the time to stop and really see what it is about -- not everyone will do that, by any means, but some will. As long as things go on as usual, they go on as usual, and people get put away and don't get out and it is all kind of invisible except it is happening before all of our very eyes. I like the way actions cut through all that, cut to the core, to the root.
"We're Not Cash Cows, Meet with ADAPT now" echoing through the plush lobby of the Hilton where the managed care group AHIP was meeting and people running around in cow costumes were among the more bizzare elements of the action. But the passion that fueled hours of full volume chanting and the issue of managed care threatening disabled people's lives was real as it gets. How did hundreds of protesters with disabilities pour into the hotel, virtually unnoticed? It was amazing.
Rain didn't stop us either; contrary to a popular belief, people with disabilities apparently don't melt in the rain. In fact the whole deal was a testiment to the strength of people with disabilities. The AHIP folks agreed to meet and we were off. That afternoon was a hearing about the Americans with Disabilities Act and we joined many others at the Capitol complex to hear this vital piece of legislation threatened and defended. But the smiling faces could be hiding future harm and while the hearing seemed to end ok, I left with the feeling we have not seen the end of this yet... It was a great day of showing power and expressing our so often otherwise ignored concerns, but it also spoke to me about the work that lies ahead and the need for activism.
Well today we proved disabled people really don't melt in the rain. 2 strong actions in the rain led to two victories. First off we went to HUD. That always feels like poking the Michelin man or the Pillsbury doughboy; they bend for a moment and then regain their upright stance with the same blank-eyed smile on their face. It's such a mammoth building - a whole city block - and even when you are invited inside the security makes you think you've gone to Fort Knox! When you talk to them you get the distinct feeling the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. But today, we got them to promise Secretary Jackson would write a letter to the Public Housing Authorities about Access Across America and the MFP before November.
It took seemingly forever to get them to come out but the group was awesome despite rain that did melt signs and posters. A stalwart group held high for the entire time, a massive 40 foot long banner with ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE, INTEGRATED HOUSING written on it in 4 foot high letters. Some people wrote messages on the cement pillars of the building in sidewalk chalk and were told they were defacing federal property - as if that monstrosity of a building could be defaced; it rivals eastern European communist apartment buildings in urban design. People chanted on and on and on. Anita led us in awesome songs, Johnny sang some of his hits and a new ADAPTed version of "Don't Lock/Fence Me In". After our representatives walked out on HUD's desultory negotiations the HUD folks chased after and the Assistant Secretary read a letter of commitment to the crowd.
Next was the Republican National Committee. The Democratic National Committee had - some years back - endorsed MiCASSA and we felt the RNC could do the same, especially after Money Follows the Person had been passed. The little white building on the corner has been the site of several ADAPT protests but for the first time in years we were able to get inside! Being further back in the line during the march over I didn't see them go in but, it must have been packed in there because it is not a very big building and by the time we got there a big chunk of folks were no longer on the sidewalks but out of sight. Not out of our minds though. We ADAPT power lunched between the rain drips and waited while our crack comrades inside sent a delegation to hammer out a letter of agreement there to hold follow up negotiations on our demands.
By 2:30 we were done and heading back. Boom, boom, boom.
