RE: Sixty ADAPT Activists Arrested at the White House ADAPT sends a clear message

It might have been beneficial if someone used their cell phone to take a picture of every policeman and posted them on Facebook. If we do that often enough, policeman might think twice about accepting such an assignment, particularly if people who saw the pictures posted emails asking the policemen to explain the ethics of their actions. Bob Segalman PhD Click here: ADAPT Action Report <http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/30years/report03.php> 60 ADAPT Activists Arrested at the White House ADAPT sends a clear message to Speaker Boehner and VP Biden By Tim Wheat, Boulder ADAPT Francis and Scott are released by the Secret Service <http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/30years/photos/monprime.jpg> Today ADAPT demanded that Vice President Joe Biden and the Obama Administration keep their promise to work with the disability community and not to allow Department of Labor rules that would send more people with disabilities into expensive nursing homes and institutions. ADAPT protested in front of the White House and 60 activists were arrested. "I'm getting arrested because I can. I am thinking of the people that went before me to fight for my rights," said Matt Clark of Philly ADAPT. "The right to go to school, ride the bus and other civil rights; I believe I should pay it forward and fight for the rights of people who cannot be here now, the next generation." Vice President Biden has directly committed to ADAPT to work to end the institutional bias and to champion community living, however since the recent national general election he has refused to meet with ADAPT. Recently the disability community has needed the promised open communications with the Administration because the Department of Labor has created rules that will by their own estimates press more Americans into expensive institutions. "We are here because the Obama Administration and Vice President Joe Biden have pledged to work with people with disabilities on the Americans with Disabilities Act, Olmstead and the Affordable Care Act," said Tom Earl of Philly ADAPT. "They have promised ADAPT to move away from an institutional bias; but they have broken that promise. Even worse they have begun a pattern of ignoring the disability community. The Department of Labor did not include the disability community in promulgating rules covering a companion exemption to the wage and overtime regulations. We don't want to be excluded; we will be at the table." Arrests made on Penn Ave. <http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/30years/photos/monsecond.jpg> Before visiting the White House, ADAPT stormed the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill, where House Speaker John Boehner has a public office. ADAPT sent a clear message to Boehner today telling the Speaker not to threaten the programs that enable people to live in the community rather than expensive nursing facilities and institutions. "Without the Community First Choice option," said Jennifer McPhail of Austin ADAPT, "thousands of Texans will not be able to choose the community and will be trapped in expensive nursing homes."A section of the Affordable Care Act is the is the Community First Choice Option, that will give people with disabilities the choice to remain in the community and their own home instead of being forced into an expensive institution or costly nursing home. "People that need assistance to live at home and in the community with dressing and bathing, cooking, cleaning -- those kinds of things that people traditionally think of a home healthcare," McPhail said. "We have a lot of reforms that make it easier and cheaper for people to live at home." While the bulk of the ADAPT group rallied at the north and southeast entrances, a small group of about 20 activists went into the Longworth building to deliver the message to Rep. Boehner. ADAPT demanded that the speaker stop playing political games with our freedom and our lives. The ADAPT letter to Boehner invites him instead to support efforts to Free Our People. "Keep up the fight," said Rep. John Conyers to the larger ADAPT group outside the southeast entrance. At 2:00 ADAPT began the march to the White House up Pennsylvania Avenue. By At 3:30 the long line of activists arrived at the entrance road to the White House where some barricades were up, but there were gaps. As the activists quickly moved through the gaps, the police attempted to drag the barricades in front of activists to stop them from getting in front of the White House. But when the police moved the barricades to fill in a gap, they opened new gaps and the ADAPT activists just poured through like water around a stone. Eventually, everyone got through and lined up in front of the White House. Arrests made on Penn Ave. <http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/30years/photos/mon3.jpg> "I am getting arrested today because the Obama Administration needs to know that ADAPT will not go," said German Pardoi of Philly ADAPT. "We will stay chained to the White House before we ever go into a nursing home." At 5:00 the police moved the barricades so that no ADAPT activists could not get out of the area in front of the White House and prepared to arrest everyone inside the fortification. "I have done a lot with ADAPT," said Shelly Perrin of Rochester; "and I believe in everything we do. We have waited too long to get people out of institutions." Jonathan Dollhopf of Binghamton New York said: "I'd rather go to jail than to die in a nursing home." At 5:40 the senior officer read a statement following three arrest warnings saying that everyone was under arrest and no one would be allowed to leave the area. "I am getting arrested today because the Vice President has broken his promise to end the institutional bias. I am angry," said Dawn Russell of Colorado ADAPT. As the officer came to arrest Dawn, she said directly to him: "Officer, I am not going to resist, but I will not drive this chair." And she did not. The officer called over a specialist that was able to figure out how to power-up the wheelchair and the arresting officer used to joystick to drive Dawn out of the barricade area to be processed for the arrest. "People are dying in institutions," said Joann Cross of Texas ADAPT. "The government can change things for people with disabilities and they choose not to. Everyone knows someone impacted by institutions and the sad part is that it is four-times more expensive to keep someone in an institution rather than in the community." Arrests made on Penn Ave. <http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/30years/photos/mon4.jpg>