ADAPT Goes to Washington, DC, Kicks Off Defending Our Freedom Campaign

A cloudy sky greeted ADAPT members Monday morning as we stepped off to begin our day. Rain was forecast, but we were prepared with various types of rain gear.

Department of Justice

Off we went to the first of what would be two hits. The first target was the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). ADAPT wants Attorney General Eric Holder to aggressively and affirmatively enforce Olmstead and protect the civil rights of people with disabilities. As states experience budgetary issues, the freedom of people with disabilities has often been the first casualty as programs designed to keep us in our communities are cut or eliminated.

I had been having scooter troubles, and five minutes into the march, it died. Fortunately, we have vans that follow us for just this purpose. I was scooped up and taken to the action site. An hour later, the Denver folks had a good, sturdy scooter ready for me to use.

The action was well underway when I arrived at the front steps of the DOJ. The Attorney General's staff was being obstinate, but the police were helping to facilitate negotiations. They were worried about another protest scheduled for later, and did not want to deal with two sets of protesters.

Finally it was agreed that two ADAPT leaders would go inside and meet with Samuel Bagenstos, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. Mr. Bagenstos assured us that protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities was of utmost importance to the Obama administration. He also agreed to pursue Olmstead complaints, and met with us again on Wednesday at our hotel so that he could hear stories from our folks about people being unnecessarily institutionalized.

National Governors' Association

After our victory, we had lunch, and headed to our next target, the National Governors' Association (NGA). ADAPT wants the NGA to support the Community Choice Act. We also want them held accountable for the budget cuts that are devastating our community.

Things were intense at first, as police forcibly removed ADAPT members who managed to get inside the building, but our people remained true to our strict policy of non-violence, and after some time, things began to settle down.

Ultimately, three of our leaders were allowed to go inside and meet with NGA Executive Director, Ray Sheppach. He said that the National Governors' Association would work with ADAPT on implementation of states Best Practices policy, and also agreed to meet with ADAPT again in ten days. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this meeting.

Sources:

Personal experience

For more on the ADAPT action, visit http://www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/10wdc/