I was there . . .
Larry Biondi
Washington DC, 2007
Larry Biondi reads his narrative.
As expected, it was a warm day in our Nation’s Capital for the last week of
April. My motorized wheelchair was all souped-up for the Fun-Run Sunday in upper
Senate Park. Participants ran or wheeled laps around the park to raise money,
with half of the proceeds going to their local ADAPT chapter and the other half
going to National ADAPT.
I collected $400 from friends and colleagues in Chicago, so I wasn’t going to
disappoint either them, or my fellow ADAPTers. I ran -eh rolled 38 laps around
the park.
On Monday we really hit the pavement by marching to the Rayburn Building on
Capitol Hill. ADAPT invaded the offices of Rep. John Dingell (D - MI) and Rep.
Joe Barton (R-TX) and the hearing room of the Commerce, Energy and Health
Committee to hold hearings on The Community Choice Act (CCA) H.R. 1621 and S.
799. While about a hundred ADAPT activists were occupying the offices, the other
ADAPTers filled the horseshoe driveway in front of the building chanting, “The
Community Choice Act, Now!” Protesters used whistles to punctuate their
boisterous chants.
I was one of ninety-nine protesters who were arrested. We were taken to the
Capital’s garage where they s-l-o-w-l-y processed us. The last arrestee was
released at 3:30 a.m.
Victory! We were promised a hearing on the bill before the end of the year.
The week only got better. We didn’t have to “visit” HUD as we normally do in
D.C., Secretary Alphonso Jackson came to ADAPT instead. He met with 50 ADAPT
delegates at our hotel to discuss housing issues and then he visited the
ballroom to meet with the whole gang. He greeted ADAPT by saying, “I came to
you.”
He later told the group that “Fair Housing is a right.”
Highlights of Jackson’s commitments to ADAPT:
Inform ADAPT by September during its action in Chicago on how many housing
vouchers for persons with disabilities he has recovered from the 58% loss in
vouchers that the disability community suffered due to a combination of federal
budget cuts and misappropriation of vouchers by local entities that administer
the voucher program in communities across the country.
Jackson vowed to eliminate the "outrageous" level of discrimination in housing
against persons with disabilities.
Promise to facilitate a meeting between ADAPT, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep.
Maxine Waters (D-CA). Both of them serve on committees that are responsible for
legislation affecting changes to segregated housing t people with disabilities.
Jackson committed to work with ADAPT on implementing ADAPT's Access Across
America Program, which would provide housing vouchers to persons with
disabilities in nursing homes and ICFMRs that, combined with Money Follows the
Person and previously existing initiatives to the states, will get people with
disabilities out of these institutions and into affordable, integrated and
accessible housing.
Promise to meet with ADAPT three times a year.
After meeting with Jackson, ADAPT marched up the street and stormed into
American Hospital Association (AHA) building. We packed the first floor hallway
to demand a meeting with the AHA to discuss better discharge planning and that
they endorse CCA. A lot of our brothers and sisters go into the hospital,
thinking they will return home but end up imprisoned because of piss poor
discharge planning by social workers. The AHA agreed to meet with ADAPT in the
next 30 days.
The last day we converged on Capitol Hill, urging all 535 Congressmen to be
co-sponsors and support CCA.
I got arrested with 130 warriors for trespassing in front of the Rayburn office
Building to drive the message home. After the arrest we were transported to an
underground police garage on the Hill. It was a long and tedious process. I had
a good laugh with my fellow Chicago ADAPTer, Darrell Price, regarding crip
humor. You know, the moment you had to be there to appreciate it. I then spent
the rest of the 8 hours with my friends, Sara and Jennifer from Vermont, sharing
laughs. I don’t know why it was for such a jovial atmosphere. Probably it was
the carbon monoxide that I heard that was leaking from that garage.
I finally got released around 9 that night. I waited outside of the garage for a
group that was released and we rolled back to the holiday Inn. We hung outside
of the hotel until the rest returned, in the wee hours of the morning. I felt a
great deal of satisfaction at what we accomplished this week: The commitment
from Secretary Jackson, the commitment from Congress to hold hearings on CCA and
the good camaraderie among ADAPTers and beautiful weather.
“Our work this week has accomplished even more than we do,” ADAPT organizer Bob
Kafka said. That what victory can do for ya.