Keystone ADAPT'S billboard which faced the Governor's route from his
house to work.
ADAPT of PA cannot be stopped in our mission to FREE OUR PEOPLE from nursing homes. Sleeping outside without tents didn't stop us. Thunder storms didn't stop us. Sleeping in a fume-filled garage didn't stop us. Buses breaking through our blockade of a busy intersection didn't stop us - in fact it helped. Being arrested - some of us twice - didn't stop us. Being ignored, lied to, and patronized by elected and public officials didn't stop us. The freedom of our brothers and sisters is worth much more than individual discomfort. In the course of our two-week long action, a powerful state senator ran down a hall from us. The Lieutenant Governor ran up stairs away from us. The Governor snuck around through our Capitol Building's basement to avoid us. When, from sheer exhaustion, we fell asleep in the Secretary of Public Welfare's office, she tried to sneak past us - the one person who was awake said she slithered. We caught her anyway, and made her tell us to our faces why we are held captive. Her answer: she can't have empty beds in the institutions. They have to stay filled. At least she's honest. Maybe it's her honesty that compelled ADAPT to visit her home in downtown Philadelphia.
Our Governor, who campaigned to the disability community by saying how supportive he is of community services, tried everything he could to avoid us. But we stayed on him like fire on oxygen. When he spoke at an Economic Leaders meeting , we were there. When he spoke at a Flag Day ceremony, we were there. We were at his house, camped within shouting distance of the bedroom windows. We stayed up all night, one woman shouting through a bullhorn. All night long, JoAnne Donnell of Pittsburgh spoke through a bullhorn saying, "Tommy, this is your conscience. Tommy, someone dies every three minutes in a nursing home, Tommy!" Thanks to a "HONK IF YOU HATE NURSING HOMES" sign outside the Governor's house, passing cars and trucks honked all night long.
When his wife spoke to Medal of Honor winners, we were there. When he was supposed to speak to gun owners, we were there. With the help of Bill Henning of CORD, he was tracked down to a hotel in Boston, MA where we came damn close to giving him a welcome reception. He whined to the newspapers "Nobody interrupted my meetings with ADAPT..." IF he'd kept his promises, he wouldn't have to be tracked down all over the Eastern sea board. As long as he has our hostages, he has us on his tail.
Over the past year, we're been satisfied with crumbs. They've thrown the attendant care program a million dollars here, a couple hundred thousand dollars there. We're not falling for it anymore. A House amendment was passed 192-4 to give $2 million more in the state budget, as a result of ADAPT being in town. This amendment was not upheld by the Senate, and does not even amount to what nursing homes pay for toilet paper in our state. So, we will be back. All summer. All fall. All winter. Until Pennsylvania FREES OUR PEOPLE.
(Thanks also to Jimmi Schrode and Woody Osburn for the helpful information they shared.)
Keystone ADAPT'S billboard which faced the Governor's route from his
house to work.