The 3 Strangest Jails I've Ever Been In

I've seen the inside of many jails. That's to be expected from an activist who uses non-violent civil disobedience in the fight for equal rights for people with disabilities.

I'm a member of ADAPT, a national grassroots disability rights organization well known for its in-your-face activism. Being arrested 115 times in 23 years translates into a lot of jails!

We mostly use wheelchairs, which present logistical problems when trying to find a place to hold and process us. This means that ordinary jails and booking procedures aren't practical.

Strange Jail #1 - The Senate Cafeteria, Washington, DC

Picture this - it's 2004 in Washington, DC. ADAPT has been working to get some legislation that we'd written, and introduced into both houses on to the floor for a vote. The procedure includes scheduling a hearing on the bill. We had been working for some time to get the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, where our bill had been referred, to schedule the promised hearing, to no avail.

Having lost all patience, we trekked over to the Dirksen Senate Building, which houses the Senate Finance Committee chambers, and took it over. During thirteen hours of occupation, we held a mock hearing, and sang and chanted so loud that we could be heard throughout the building. 110 of us were arrested.

We were taken to the Senate Cafeteria, where our handcuffs were removed. At first, the police tried to keep groups of us a few feet apart, but that didn't work. The ambiance was nice - austere, freezing cold, and no food, not even moldy bologna sandwiches and rotgut Kool-Aid, normal jail fare for those visiting for only a few hours. Those of us who were able to bedded down under the tables, and in some cases, on top of them. We were finally released about mid-morning the next day.

Strange Jail #2 - Underground Parking Lot, Washington, DC

It's 2007, and the situation is the same as above except that it is now the House Energy and Commerce Committee's turn to experience what happens when a promise to ADAPT is broken.

This time found us at the aforementioned Committee's chambers inside the Rayburn Building. We began singing peacefully while the leadership negotiated with House staffers.

Unfortunately, negotiations didn't go well, and ADAPT pumped up the volume with earsplitting chants for hours on end. Some students and their teachers decided that our protest was far more interesting than whatever they were doing, and came over to watch.

Capitol police moved in and began arrests, leading us out of the building and around the block to an underground parking garage used for all manner of police vehicles.

We settled down to bask in the dark, damp atmosphere, and breathe in the invigorating smell of exhaust fumes. Our hosts made sure to corral us into an area near some cruisers and motorcycles, so that when an officer came and started up his or her vehicle, we'd enjoy more fumes. Though the company was great, we were happy to leave early the next morning!

Strange Jail #3 - Pier on the Dock of the Bay, San Francisco

In 1992, ADAPT protested the American Health Care Association, the largest nursing facility trade organization in the country. For years, we tried to get them to meet with us and support our cause of home and community-based services for people wanting out of nursing homes. They always refused, and this time was no different. Off to jail we went!

Our lodgings were a huge covered warehouse on the dock of the San Francisco Bay. Because of the vigorous nature of the arrests, doctors were brought in to assess all 194 of us. Other than a few mementos from some of San Francisco's finest, we were okay.

The view of the sun glinting off of the bay was indeed charming, as was the doctor and the police officer assigned to me. They were truly very kind, and I took the opportunity to educate them about ADAPT. It was one of the better experiences of being in jail.