ADAPT Action Reports

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ADAPT Announces 10 Worst States,
Seige at the Republican National Headquarters.

ADAPT at the NGA ADAPT Tuesday April 29th

ADAPT stepped off the curb this morning with a brisk cool wind, and headed off to the National Governors Association, NGA, to announce its findings of which states led and which states are at the worst in providing community based services.

While packed into the area in front of the NGA ADAPT announced that the top ten states in providing options, in alphabetic order are Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Long time ADAPTer LaTonya Reeves had to use the MCIL Underground Railroad to leave on of the worst states, Tennessee over sixteen years ago, "I had to leave my family, my town, my friends, my neighborhood, everything thing behind in Tennessee," she explained. "In order to live free, in my own home and not a nursing home I had to use the Underground Railroad to move to Colorado."

Sixteen years later there are still huge obstacles to community based services, leaving Tennessee in ADAPT's Ten Worst list along with Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Texas.

Trapped at the RNC From there the group over 500 strong marched on through the capital area where one group set of for Senator McCain's office and the group I was with headed towards the Republican National Committee's office. Out in the street the police seemed to be unaware of ADAPT intentions until the ADAPTers broke rank and ran for the door four making it inside while the rest crowded around the entrances, in effect sealing the RNC.

Intense negotiations ensued over several hours, chants of "Free our People", "Give back the nursing home money and support Community Choice" and more filled the street and the lobby since ADAPTers had the doors blocked open.

The RNC continues to be silent and therefore unsupportive of people having choices and supporting the Community Choice Act. Writing a letter in support of the CCA was one of the demands laid out by ADAPT along with having a meeting between ADAPT and Senator John McCain, who has yet to sign on as a co-sponsor to the CCA.

"They [the RNC] don't seen to care about people," spoke German Parodi, one of the four activists inside the RNC lobby. As he was being lead out of the RNC by capitol police for potential arrest German said, "see they would rather arrest us then support our freedom!"