A.D.A.P.T.
to D.C. October 2000
This is the story of my
third trip to Washington D.C. to fight for the rights of people living with
disabilities. I am getting experience now and beginning to settle into the long
hard work of trying to make changes for people. I have to battle with the mood
changes that come with my own disability and how that affects my interactions
with people. I felt depressed this time and didn't bear up as well on the long
marches from the hotel to the target action areas. The great joy and will and
stamina of the five or six hundred people who make the trip and all the effort
is incredible. They are so patient and enduring through the long march with not
knowing where we are going. The spot for each days action must be kept secret
from all of us to prevent Law Enforcement from finding out and foiling our
plans. It usually works quite well. Folks moving along in wheel chairs and
attendants patiently walking with them. The tireless volunteers guiding the
long ragged line along and working with the color leaders and the day leaders.
We have quite an organization. A central staff of leaders organizes the people
into five or six color groups with their leaders and day leaders to guide the
whole procession. The veterans do the organizing and try to get people fired
up. They set up everything from the financing and hotels to the food and the
legal procedures. The people fight hard on the line and are well taken care of.
People duct tape their wheel chairs together, pool their resources for vans and
other means of transportation and come from all over the country to converge at
the action site.
We went to the White
House on the first day. We arrayed ourselves along that long black fence and
many used hand cuffs to attach themselves to it. I heard later that protests
here are illegal but they didn't arrest us. That would have been some task for
them! We are angry about the billion dollars that went back to the nursing home
industry instead of being invested into community based care. During the day a
press conference was held at the White House for another reason and we got good
publicity. We were able to get A. D.A. P.T. people into the white house and
have the Presidents chief of staff make a written promise to meet with our
leaders. These are the immediate victories we fight for. Sometimes the promises
are not kept and we have to keep fighting harder. Accountability is something
we must get from our politicians. Almost all of our effort has been spent on
trying to break this barrier. Moneyed interests have to be fought. During our
long day we watched bored but heavily armed guards on the White house lawn,
many tourist and little semipermanent protest booths set up in neutral areas
across the boulevard for various causes. There was a heavy regular police
presence along with the White House guard. Police cars and motorcycles were
lined up in an ominous manner but we kept cheerfully about our business. We had
two instances on the way there where police officers rammed power wheel chairs
with their big Harley Davidsons but no one was hurt. We kept our line going and
moved along peacefully.
There was a large rally
on the Capital Mail the second day. Many groups besides ours attended. We heard
the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Dick Gregory speak among others. There was music
as well. It is greatly empowering to see diverse groups of people get together
and share information and enthusiasm. The rally was peaceful and fun. Then the
whole crowd of about four thousand left and many went to the Supreme Court building
for some protest there. After that A. D.A. P.T. leadership came up with a
surprise action and we split off and were led to the Republican National
Committee building. We surrounded the building and got inside the parking
garage. We are good at getting in and surrounding a building by surprise and
infiltrating inside. This is great for five or six hundred people who are
disabled and need a great deal of help to live and get around. We always manage
to surprise Law Enforcement and they don't like it! Any way the people inside
the Republican National Committee building were kept from leaving for a fund
raising dinner they had planned. But they wouldn't talk with us. They
eventually figured out a way to leave the building and we left after being
threatened with arrest. We had done a good days work.
The final day saw the
group head for the A.A.R.P. building. We swarmed into the beautiful marble
lobby early. Another good strike. We had lunch delivered to us while we were there.
Support from leadership is so well planned and helpful. After about an hour or
so the A.A.R.P. leaders came down and talked with our people. They were
supportive and agreed to a meeting. This was a good day too. By now I am
getting to know the regulars at these actions, the old hands. And what a cast
of characters they are! There is Spitfire, a spunky little gal who is energetic
and friendly and runs around just raising hell in general. Scott, a slender
thoughtful man who always dresses in surplus woolens whatever the weather. Very
kind, a swarthy pale face and heavy frame glasses. Nadina, a pretty New Yorker
who exudes class and grace from her manual chair. She is charming with her
curls and dark eyes. Kyle, a teen age hero who spoke at the democratic national
convention with his computer sound board! He shows how you can do anything!
When I think of him my self doubts dissipate, my confidence soars! Carlos, with
his Cuban accent and fatigues and perennial black beret. He makes us all feel
like real revolutionaries. He's got attitude to match his looks, let me tell
you. Gets us fired up. Tex, a giant of a man in a big power chair, very strong
but quiet and gentle. Big cowboy hat, you know where he hails from. Jim, able
bodied and friendly and always helping everyone, always making you feel
important and useful. He is one of our dedicated leaders. And Steve, the state
A.D.A.P.T coordinator from our own Wisconsin, who looks sort of like a Willy
Nelson on wheels! He provides tireless energy and support at home and in the
leaders circle at actions. Really everyone is so incredible and unique and
strong to be at the actions. I love them all. I think many veterans of the
actions will readily recognize the few I have described. There are many more
equally dedicated people, be they new or old hands. We are going to have to
keep fighting for a long time before the physical and social barriers are
knocked down in our communities and we can live like everyone else.
Free our Sisters! Free
our Brothers! Free our People now!!
-Joe
Brewer