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11/08/99, 3:54 pmc
ADAPT Action
Columbus 1999
ADAPT wants opinion
On Tuesday, November 2, Mike Auberger addressed the gathered advocates of ADAPT. The previous night 132 ADAPT advocates had been arrested to end a 15 hour take-over of the offices of the Ohio Governor and the Speaker of the House. From the moment ADAPT came to Columbus Ohio, the local chapter had talked about the issues and barriers facing the disability rights movement, but Mike identified a further goal for the Ohio action: opinion.
Mike said, "We want opinion." For too long Ohio citizens have been able to ignore the issues, statistics, and human tragedy of institutional bias in their state, just as the governor and legislators have ignored the civil rights of people with disabilities. ADAPT is in Ohio to create opinions.
Stephanie Thomas followed Mike up by relating a conversation she had with more than one reporter. "They didn't know that Ohio has more than 100,000 people in nursing homes and ICF/MRs. The reporters do not know how many people are silenced in Ohio," she said. "We are going to be the voice of those people."
ADAPT spoke loud and clear in Columbus Ohio. People with disabilities are strong, proud, and determined to accept nothing less than full and equal participation in American life.
On Monday, ADAPT took control of the Vern Riffe Center's 14th and 30th floors, to point out to the people of Ohio that the Speaker of the House Jo Ann Davidson, and Governor Bob Taft, have the tools to give people with disabilities choice in long-term care. Eighty-nine cents of every long-term care dollar does not have to be spent on institutional care.
Tuesday ADAPT closed down the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower to send the message to Medicaid bureaucrats around the country that people with disabilities demand they implement Olmstead. For too long states like Ohio have ignored the basic integration mandate of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Now with the Supreme Court finding in Olmstead, states must consider how to integrate people with disabilities into the community.
On the final day ADAPT laid a grim reminder of the unjust policies of Ohio at the front door to the Governor's office building. Ten feet from the glass doors, 500 advocates marched in and faced a line of Ohio State Troopers. Silently, pallbearers carried in a coffin and the names of people that have died or will die in nursing homes were laid in the box.
REAL CHOICE
The ADAPT action was officially kicked off on Halloween night with a rally on the south steps of the Ohio State Capitol Building. Duane Kaiser had recently escaped from a nursing home in Topeka Kansas. He told every one of his struggle to get out and the bias against people with disabilities that puts them away in facilities rather than homes. "Until I got hooked up with ADAPT," Duane said, "I had no idea I had any other options."
Shona Eakin from Ohio gave all the assembled ADAPT members an official welcome to Ohio. Locally ADAPT is supporting OPASA, Ohio legislation to deregulate programs and increase options. But the Governor of Ohio, Bob Taft, and the Speaker of House, Jo Ann Davidson, have avoided ADAPT. Furthermore, the Medicaid Director, Jacqui Romer-Sensky, has not worked to implement the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision.
Because it was Halloween night, the ghost of President William Howard Taft visited the assembled advocates. The former 27th U.S. President and Supreme Court Chief Justice died in 1930, and is the great grandfather of the current Ohio Governor, Bob. Noticeably upset by the current governors poor leadership in long-term care issues, as well as his legal incompetence by failing to implement Olmstead, the spirit said, "I'm going to have to visit my great grandson and teach him a lesson."
Shona then lead everyone in a candlelight vigil for those that Governor Taft and other state governors around the nation have locked up in nursing homes and ICF/MRs. ADAPT members lit candles and sat in silence thinking of their brothers and sisters. After about two minutes, Shona disclosed the story of someone she knew about in an Ohio nursing home named Eric. She said that was whom she lit her candle for and the gathering erupted in a spontaneous chant of "FREE ERIC NOW!"
The rally ended with Johnny Crescendo singing Bring Down the Walls. Some volunteers returned to make signs for the upcoming demonstrations, but most returned to rest up for action on Monday.
THE VERN RIFFE CENTER
"I am interested in hearing what you have to say and would be pleased to meet with representatives of ADAPT next week during your Columbus conference," Governor Taft wrote ADAPT organizer Mike Auberger. About 60 advocates waited in his office foyer on the 30th floor to assure the meeting would take place.
On the 14th floor, another 60 advocates, were waiting for Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson to agree to hold hearings on ADAPT's legislation H.B. 215.
Hundreds of other activists held the lobby and surrounded the building.
Ohio State Troopers arrived on the scene and reprogrammed the elevators so no more ADAPT members could make it up to the 14th and 30th floors. Six officers were dedicated to be elevator operators and would not allow anyone to go up from the lobby.
"We are prepared to say all night if that's what it takes," said Linda Anthony. "We know too many people who can't get services at home. Our right to choose where we receive services is at stake."
Ohio got a taste of the ADAPT attitude. On the 14th floor Jo Ann Davidson sent some cookies up to the advocates during the negotiations. "We don't want your fucking cookies!" Bob Kafka said in response.
The State Troopers closed the building early and said they would arrest ADAPT demonstrators at 5 o'clock. Five o'clock came and went. Likely the State of Ohio PR team influenced the State Troopers to delay arrests until after the evening news. The troopers, meanwhile, were completely stunned by ADAPT tactics, they put on rubber gloves, surgical masks and laboratory goggles. ADAPT demanded they remove the silly-looking medical gear.
Donald Holtz came up to the 30th floor to negotiate with ADAPT. He addressed the group from the folding wooden panels of the reception desk. Mike Eakin described this as "a puppet show." Following the evening news, the activists were arrested and moved down to the Riffe Center's loading dock to be processed and released. Altogether, between 118 and 132 people were arrested. Twenty-five to Thirty of the arrests were people holding doors and elevators in the lobby of the building.
A large group waited for advocates to be released. Each time someone walked down the ramp from the processing area, a great cheer went up for the ADAPT members. The arrest information was collected and word was passed quietly to get some sleep for tomorrow's action.
THE JAMES A. RHODES STATE OFFICE TOWER
On Tuesday the Rhodes Tower became a "macho thing" for the Ohio State Troopers. ADAPT blocked the doors while the troopers watched helplessly from the inside. There was some aggressive pushing on the locked doors that irritated and frightened the police. They brought out a plank and used it to provide a second line of defense in case the doors gave way to masses outside.
Inside the tower was the office of the Medicaid Director Jacqui Romer-Sensky. The 500 activists were directing Romer-Sensky to implement the US Supreme Court decision known as Olmstead v. L.C. That decision, announced in June, upheld the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act integration mandate, which says, " A public entity shall administer services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities."
"We have repeatedly requested meetings with both Jacqui Romer-Sensky, and Governor Taft to discuss the current warehousing of people with disabilities in Ohio, and we have repeatedly been denied those meetings," said Shona Eakin, ADAPT organizer from Toledo. " We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem, and we'll keep coming back until we are heard, and until the people waiting for community services are free."
Ironically, Romer-Sensky's office agreed to the meeting, but the State Highway Patrol overturned the plans for a meeting because of its paternalistic need to control the situation. The first aggressive act was a commando raid to get a street theater prop. ADAPT was casually building a cross on which to hang a wheelchair. The dramatic effect was totally mistaken by the State troopers. A dozen police rushed the helpless cross and quick-stepped back toward the headquarters. They likely mistook the cross for some kind of battering ram.
The troopers then started arresting ADAPT advocates. "Our leaving would have taken 15 minutes, with no hassle," said Tracy Mankins, Dayton ADAPT organizer. The meeting was rescheduled for the next day. Although ADAPT had to deal with a gauntlet of State Troopers to get to the rescheduled meeting, and five troopers set in the meeting room itself, it was clear that ADAPT was running the meeting and in control of the situation.
The misguided State Troopers made about a hundred arrests. ADAPT activists were loaded on accessible vans and buses and taken to the Columbus Fairgrounds for processing. The arrests demonstrated ADAPT's determination to see the nationwide implementation of the Olmstead decision. Rash and unreasonable actions by state authorities will not derail the progress of the disability community to gain their civil rights.
ADAPT INDICTS TAFT
On Monday the governor had asked for a temporary restraining order from the court, breaking his word to meet with ADAPT. The order was to allow no more than 5 ADAPT activists in a state building at one time. Wednesday, ADAPT got right back up and headed for a state building the third day in a row. ADAPT marched back to the Vern Riffe Center.
Mike Auberger described the State Troopers as trying to "melt back into the glass." As pallbearers silently carried a coffin down the disciplined line of ADAPT activists and placed it in front of the governor's office building. The State Troopers were standing between the glass doors of the Vern Riffe Center and 500 angry, chanting ADAPT members just 5 feet away. Hundreds of those in ADAPT were arrested by the troopers over the previous two days. When the crowd fell quiet, the a coffin was put at the troopers feet and the names of people that have died or will die in nursing homes were laid in the box.
As the names were read and dropped in the coffin, five representatives delivered an indictment of Governor Taft to his office on the 30th floor.
Specific charges by ADAPT against Governor Taft include:
"We made more progress with the state this week than in the whole past year," said Ohio ADAPT organizer Shona Eakin. "Now they know we mean business and we're here for as long as it takes to free our people."
The evening final meeting and victory party took on a special meaning as ADAPT gathered as a family to witness the marriage of Ms. Cassie James to Johnny Crescendo. Roland Sykes presided over the non-traditional ceremony, which ended with Cassie and Johnny each handcuffing themselves together.
- Tim Wheat
The Memphis Center for Independent Living
1633 Madison Avenue,
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 726-6404 v/tty (901) 726-6521 fax
mcil@mcil.org
MCIL is a United Way of the Mid-South member Agency
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