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Leathaineach abhaile / Albums / Nashville - Free Our People Hearings, March 2006 37
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Real_People_Real_Voices_2006
Abridged version of testimony on getting out of nursing homes and how that changed people's lives for the better. 7 hours of personal stories were shared by people with many kinds of disabilities at ADAPT hearing in Nashville TN in 2006. This video just includes highlights. Original music by D4Dub and Ballad of Josie Evans sung by Johnny Crescendo.
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[Headline] Disabled Take Over Downtown Nashville [image] [image caption] Police began cuffing and removing protesters. Activists using power wheelchairs were the most difficult Cops dragged one and attempted to use the controls to drive another one from the street. Four hundred disabled people took over Capitol Hill in downtown Nashville on March 20-21. Governor Bredesen refused to meet with his disabled constituents for two days. Bredesen has cut two hundred thousand people from the state's Medicaid program and enforced severe restrictions on thousands of those he permitted to stay on the program. After Bredesen cut millions of dollars from the state Medicaid program, untold numbers of disabled people were forced into nursing homes. ADAPT organized the event to fight for an end to immoral state and federal policies that require elderly and disabled people to live in nursing homes against their will. They held a march and a day of testimony by people formerly warehoused in nursing homes. After several peaceful attempts to enter the Capitol to address an elected public official, the delegation blocked the Legislative Plaza area. Hundreds of folks in wheelchairs blocked at least half a dozen downtown intersections for hours. It was raining and the temperature was 40 degrees. Protestors wrapped themselves in raincoats and their chair's power controls in shower caps. The disabled protesters prevented hundreds of Lawmakers, state workers and legislative staffers from leaving work at the onset of rush hour. The protesters chanted: "Just like a nursing home you can't get out." Rather than listen to the voice of the people, Governor Bredesen responded with force: a huge police presence and barricades. The police moved in and arrested 80 people the first day and over 60 local and [boxed text] Help ADAPT Persuade Governor Bredesen to: national advocates the next day. 1. Support the passage, funding and implementation of the Tennessee Community Choices Act of 2006. 2. Reverse all funding cuts and policies in Tennessee that remove disabled and older Tennesseans from their own homes and force them into institutions. 3. Work with ADAPT and the National Governor's Association to implement state and federal "Money Follows the Person" (MFP) funding and policies. 4.Write Senator Frist and the Tennessee delegation telling them that Tennessee supports MiCASSA (Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act) and asking them to support MiCASSA and hold hearings on the bill. Bob Kafka 512-431-4085 Janine Bertram 503-504-9787 www.adapt.org [image] [image caption] The police realized they were not equipped with accessible transportation. Without a way to take those who use wheelchairs to the station for the arrest, the police ended up giving everyone citations. Mother Warriors Voice page 7
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2006 [Headline] State, Metro feud over protesters BY JOHN RODGERS jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com While more health care demonstrators were arrested downtown Tuesday, a high-ranking state official and Metro Police traded blame over the disruptive protests that occurred Monday. The dispute between interim Department of Safety Commissioner Gerald Nicely and Metro Police occurred after Nicely sent an e-mail to state employees Tuesday morning. Nicely's e-mail expressed appreciation to state employees for their "patience" Monday evening while they were being blocked by the demonstrators from leaving work. And he said the Metro Police Department knew about Monday's disruptive protests in advance. "Metro Nashville Police — which has sole jurisdiction over all city roads — was well aware that they were coming and well-versed in the actions they planned to take," Nicely wrote. "The traffic tie-ups you experienced [Monday] evening were a Metro issue." Metro Police officials, however, deny they ever knew anything about the protests and deny that their department met with state government in "planning meetings" prior to the demonstrations, an allegation Nicely states in the e-mail. "I know what the facts are" said Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas. "The fact is that all afternoon [Monday], no one had any idea that this was going to be their behavior [Monday] afternoon." In addition, Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron pointed out that the demonstrators secured a state permit to protest at Legislative Plaza, which perhaps alerted the state to the situation. Serpas said he had not spoken with Nicely Tuesday. But when asked if Metro was doing anything to refute Nicely's e-mail, Serpas responded, "It's being worked on." "The facts didn't matter to him [Monday] when he wrote it," Serpas said. Nicely, who also serves as com-missioner of the Department of Transportation, could not be reached for additional comment Tuesday. While the protesters blocked several intersections Monday, they returned for a second day to block Charlotte Avenue in the shadow of the state Capitol. This time, however, they were not granted the same leniency as they were the first day. Monday, about 500 protesters from the group ADAPT were allowed to blockade several down-town intersections for about five hours before Metro Police started arresting the demonstrators, who were advocating for an audience with Gov. Phil Bredesen to express opposition to nursing homes and support of home-based health care. [image] [image caption] Todd Jackson uses a megaphone to lead a chant on Monday. Photo by Josh Anderson Tuesday, as soon as about 30 protesters blockaded Charlotte Avenue to state the same message, Metro Police started arresting the roughly 30 protesters, most of them disabled and in wheelchairs. "We accommodated them [Monday,]" Aaron said. "The message is out. This is totally unnecessary [Tuesday]." And this time, Metro took all of the demonstrators into custody. In contrast, about 70 citations were issued Monday while about only seven to 10 demonstrators were arrested. Bredesen's office denied meeting requests both Monday and Tuesday, saying ADAPT's move was a "publicity stunt." On Monday, some lawmakers were critical of Metro's allowing the protetsers to block the intersections for several hours. One of them, state Sen. Tim Burchett (R-Knoxville), called Metro's leadership "gutless" Monday. In response, Aaron didn't reference Burchett by name, but said "the lawmaker who has been overly critical from another city in Tennessee" had not been in police work before.
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■ THE CITY PAPER 3-23-06 CITY NEWS [image] [image caption] Photo by Josh Anderson. An unidentified motorist honks his horn as he is blocked by protesters on the corner of Eighth and Charlotte avenues on Monday. On Wednesday, state and Metro officials came to an agreement on how to better coordinate further such demonstrations. [Headline] Nicely, Serpas near agreement on protests [Subheading] Pair say 'higher level' personnel will plan more for future demonstrations BY JOHN RODGERS jrodgers@nashvillecitypapercom A day after bickering over the disruptive protests in downtown this week, an agreement appears to have been reached between the state and Metro Police to involve "higher-level" personnel when planning for future demonstrations. The disagreement began Tuesday after interim Department of Safety Commissioner Gerald Nicely sent an e-mail to state employees that said Metro Police "was well aware" that the protesters were coming Monday and that the traffic jam state workers experienced was a "Metro issue." Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas then denied the city knew in advance that the protesters from the health care advocacy group American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT) were coming to block downtown streets. Tuesday night, Nicely and Serpas spoke. Wednesday, Nicely said, and Serpas confirmed, that the two have agreed to involve "higher-level" officials in planning for protests next time. "We agreed that we're going to get together and make sure that we work together and plan better for future events," Nicely said. [Subheading] Planning should've been better In retrospect, Nicely said higher-ups from the state and Metro should have met before the disruptive protests this week. "[The planning] was probably down at a lower level, and there's nothing wrong with the guys who are doing it," Nicely said. "It just should have been escalated to a higher level earlier." Serpas said after speaking with Nicely that he is "satisfied that we are moving forward" and that he had a cordial conversation with the commissioner. On Wednesday, the protesters, Who are pushing for more dollars and choices for home- and community-based health care as opposed to nurs-ing homes, moved their demonstrations from downtown to Metro Center, making stops at the state's TennCare Bureau and then traveling to the Nashville office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Meanwhile at the Capitol, Col. Mike Walker, the head of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, instituted a restricted access policy Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning that "people without legitimate business" were not allowed inside the Capitol, said Melissa McDonald, a spokeswoman for the Department of Safety. Overall, Metro Police arrested more than 100 demonstrators Monday and Tuesday. No arrests were made Wednesday, according to an ADAPT spokesperson. CP
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USA TODAY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2006 3A [image] [image caption]. By John Russell, AP [Headline] Disabled people protest [Subheading] Day 2 of Tenn. demonstration: Police arrest Crosby King near the Capitol in Nashville. About 30 people were arrested after disabled activists blocked streets to protest the state's long-term health care program.
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3/23/06 CITY LIMITS [Heading] We've Got Issues [Subheading] Sound Off This week, a couple of Scene writers vent their spleens, raise their brows or clap their hands about recent Nashville events. [Headline] Takin' it to the streets At 11:45 Tuesday morning, as we walked down Third Avenue on the way to hear Al Gore lecture some Rotarians, a massive line of people riding scooters, sitting in wheelchairs and sporting seeing-eye dogs took over the streets. They bellowed chants in a cold, driving rain: "What do we want? Freedom! When do we want it? Now!" And "Our homes, not nursing homes!" Little did we know that long after lunchtime and well into evening, handicapped people would be blocking intersections and snarling traffic all around the state capitol. Frustrated government employees engaged in shouting matches with poncho-wearing protestors. "You're trapped—adapt!" a protesting man with a bullhorn yelled. American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT), the national group that led the protest, took an issue no one talks about and turned it into a two-day event that dominated news coverage. Before Monday, the only Nashvillians who had thought anything about health care for the disabled were people who had personal experiences with it. Now, it's a political issue. There's nothing like having someone in a wheelchair show you what confinement feels like to build a little reflective empathy. (Unless you're Phil Bredesen, in which case you just scold them.) There's a time and a place for direct action, and there's a difference between making a point and needlessly disrupting people's lives. But this is a group of pissed-off people who the rest of us would just as soon pretend don't exist. After all, we quickly avert our eyes from disabled folks on a daily basis, and its not like these people can stand up to meet our gaze or get our attention. Who could begrudge their provocative—though peaceful—tactics? Sometimes you've got to block some traffic to be heard. --John Spragens
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[Headline] Why Tennessee? [Subheading] Why Tennessee? Tennessee highlights the failure of policy makers in our state and federal governments to bring REAL CHOICES to people with disabilities and their families who are in need of long-term services and supports to live in the community. "I'm not going to cut their services I'm just going to put then in the nursing home." -Governor Phil Bredesen *Tennessee is a symbol of the immoral national policy that makes institutional care an entitlement while making community services optional. *Tennessee consistently ranked as one of the 5 WORST states in providing community services to older and disabled Americans. *Governor Bredese's is on the Health and Human Services Committee of the National Governors Association. *The Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has not supported any reform of the institutionally biased long-term care system. www.adapt.org
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3-23-06 [Headline] Group feats' message got stuck in traffic [Subheading] Protest chaos may have overshadowed plight of disabled By KATE HOWARD Staff Writer An activist group for dis-ability rights that has protested healthcare funding at Capitol Hill intersections this week plans to leave today, disappointed that the governor wouldn't meet with them and worried that the public cares more about traffic than the state's disabled residents. Protesters with American Disabled for Attendant Pro-grains Today ended their rally with a day of "peaceful protest" yesterday near the state's TennCare and Housing and Urban Development offices. The national activist group travels the country to bring attention to a lack of funding support for handicapped people who want to live in the community instead of nursing homes. On ADAPT's third day of demonstrations, more than 100 protesters sat in the MetroCenter parking lot and quietly reminisced about the week. The location, under the watch of police officials in a patrol car and a few unmarked vehicles, was a vast change from Monday's chaos. Protesters, most in wheelchairs, blocked key intersections near the Capitol and kept state workers in a traffic jam, delaying their trips for home at the end of the workday. On Tuesday the group blocked only Charlotte Avenue. More than 100 protesters were arrested during the week and released. Bob Kafka of Austin, Texas, an outspoken ADAPT leader, feared the group's message might have been drowned out by the public's reaction to the tactic. "A lot of people focused on the inconvenience to the [image] [image caption] LARRY MCCORMACK / STAFF. Metro police cars pull onto Charlotte Avenue in anticipation of ADAPT protesters yesterday. [text resumes] state workers," Kafka said. "The point was, for people in nursing homes and institutions, their whole lives are inconveniences." Kafka scoffed at Tuesday's letter from the governor's office, denying a request to meet with the group and characterizing the week's events as public spectacles created by "professional protesters." He saw a glimmer of hope in the letter's reassurance that the state has asked for added federal funding to support 400 more disabled people who want to leave nursing homes. "The bottom line is, will Bredesen make this commitment?" Kafka said. "There are many people here who have had years stolen from them because there wasn't the support to get out of an institution." The group also was pleased that the state's HUD director came out to talk with them yesterday when they passed by the office on Great Circle Road. The majority of the police presence remained down-town, where the Capitol building was closed yesterday to visitors as a precaution because of the previous days' events. Seven Access Ride vans waited at a staging area to assist police if they arrested any wheelchair-using protesters. The Metro Tran-sit Authority uses the vans for an on-call service for disabled residents. MTA spokeswoman Patricia Harris-Morehead said lending the vans to Metro didn't cause any interruption to the regular service. Between 50 and 100 officers were on location Monday through yesterday, said Metro police spokeswoman Amanda Sluss. The [Subheading] AT TENNESSEAN.COM • Read Bredesen spokesman Bob Corney's letter to the ADAPT protesters. • See the e-mail from Interim Safety Commissioner Gerald Nicely. • Read the statement of Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas regarding the Capitol protests. • See previous stories written about the protesters. Go to Tennessean.com and type ADAPT into the keyword search box. [text resumes] Tennessee Highway Patrol and Davidson County Sheriffs Department also provided officers. Some protesters saw all the hoopla as a waste of time, saying all they wanted was a meeting with Bredesen to talk about disability policies. "A one-hour meeting is not too much to ask, and it would've saved the city a bunch of money for the police and transporting people to jail," said Don Dew of Gorham, Kan. The protest was a first for Dew and his partner, Brad Rohr. Dew has become more involved in activism since nine months ago when the started using a wheelchair on and off. He said the cause is personal for him and Rohr but that it should hit close to home for just about anybody. "Of course it's always personal when it involves you," Dew said. "But there is always a relative, a mother, a sister that will have something happen to them to give a reason to need causes like this." Kate Howard can be reached at 726-8968 or kahoward@Tennessean.com.
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Page 2 April 6, 2006 www.workers.org [Headline] `Free our brothers and sisters' [Subheading] Disabled protesters besiege Tennessee state capitol By Lou Paulsen More than 400 disabled activists from 40 states and the District of Columbia recently staged five days of militant action in Nashville, the capital of Tennessee and a national headquarters of for-profit health care. Mobilized by American Disabled for Attendant Pro-grams Today (ADAPT), they demanded an end to policies that force elderly and disabled people to go into nursing homes for services that they should be receiving in their own homes. On March 19, in front of media and federal officials, over ioo present and former residents of Tennessee nursing homes testified to the miserable and oppressive conditions they faced. "I swear to god it was like listening to people who just got out of prison," recalled Chicago ADAPT organizer Ed Hoffman. Being institutionalized in Tennessee is so bad, and services outside nursing homes are so impossible to get, that activists have had to create strategies to help disabled people escape to other states—a system they call the Underground Railroad. The next day, hundreds of protesters, many using wheel-chairs, marched uphill in cold and wet weather to a rally at the War Memorial. They then blockaded several inter-sections around the Capitol building for over five hours, while also shutting down the exit from the parking garage. They chanted, "Just like a nursing home—you can't get out!" Sixty were arrested. On March 21 they returned to the Capitol, rallying across the street and chanting steadily for two and a half hours. A delegation attempted to meet with Gov. Phil Bredesen. After being rebuffed, they blockaded Charlotte Avenue. Police arrested 44 and threatened them with a month in jail and a $i,000 fine if they repeated their civil [image] [image caption] "Our homes, not nursing homes." PHOTO: TOM OLIN, ADAPT disobedience action. On the following day they held a long march through the city to the office of TennCare, the state Medicaid program, and then to the office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They chanted, "Free our brothers, free our sisters, free our people now!" Bredesen, a Democrat, consistently refuses to meet with disability activists. He is not a servant of the ruling class—he is a member of it. He made his $ 100 million fortune in the health care industry, specifically the managed-care giants HealthAmerica and Coventry. Tennessee's Republican senator, majority leader Bill Frist, likewise made his fortune from the Tennessee-based Hospital Corporation of America. Bredesen is a great believer in corporate medicine but not public health care. In February 2005, he told a national conference that Medicaid has "more in common with ... socialist economy than the commonsense business principles that do such a good job allocating resources efficiently in other parts of our American life." Acting on these principles, he "solved" the budget problems of TennCare by throwing 330,000 poor and uninsurable people off the rolls. In response, activists occupied Bredesen's outer office from June 20 to Sept. 4, 2005. This 77-day sit-in is believed to be the longest ever at a U.S. State Capitol building. According to ADAPT sources, 77 percent of all Medicaid funds in the U.S. are ear-marked for nursing home care, meaning they mostly go to private businesses, leaving less than a quarter for home-based services. But in Tennessee the figure is 99 percent. Contrary to the myth about capitalist "efficiency," home-based services would not only liberate the recipients but cost less per person. But they would mean less profit for the corporations, which view nursing homes as a gold mine, given the growing number of people who need assistive care due to disability or age. Protesters called for the Tennessee legislature to pass the Community Choices Act, which would allow Medicaid funds to be paid to community providers of the recipient's choice. More information, including photos and video clips, is available at www.adapt.org/freeourpeople/aar/nash06/.