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ADAPT (261)
The Cincinnati Post Thursday May 22, 1986 1B [This article continues in ADAPT 251, but the entire text is included here for easier reading.] PHOTO by Patrick Reddy/The Cincinnati Post: A lone man in a wheelchair (Glenn Horton) sits in front of a metal police barricade. He wears his pale ADAPT T-shirt with the ADAPT no steps logo imprinted in black on the front. He looks casual but determined, with one foot resting higher on his chair than the other, and his hands folded in his lap. Behind him is cavernous black, some kind of entrance. And around him stand four police officers dressed in dark colors, with light colored hats with eye shades. Each officer is looking determinedly in a different direction. Caption reads: Four police officers look on as Glenn Horton of El Paso, Texas, waits for a van to take him to the Hamilton County Jail after he was arrested at a protest at the Westin Hotel. Horton was among 17 disabled protesters arrested Wednesday. Title: Protesters ready for long jail stay Post staff report Comparing Cincinnati to Selma, Ala., in the 1960s, 11 members of a handicapped activist group are vowing to stay in jail to end alleged discrimination against the handicapped. Of 17 disabled protesters arrested Wednesday, 14 were charged with disorderly conduct for blocking the Westin Hotel entrance. Three were charged with criminal trespassing after chaining themselves to the front doors of Queen City Metro’s offices at 6 E. Fourth St., downtown. Scheduled court dates ranged from May 28 through June 2, so some of the protesters could be in jail for as long as 12 days. Demonstrating against lack of access to Queen City Metro buses, members of Americans Disabled tor Accessible Public Transportation have timed protests this week to coincide with an American Public Transit Association conference at the Westin. The five-day conference ended Wednesday night. “This (Cincinnati) is the Selma, Ala., of the disabled civil rights movement,” said the Rev. Wade Blank of Denver, a founder of ADAPT. “People from all over the country have been calling to say they are willing to get arrested. This has not happened in many cities.” Access Service, Queen City's alternative transit system for the elderly and handicapped, is inadequate and overloaded, ADAPT members say. “We are committed and the people who got involved in this knew it would be more than an overnight stay in jail," said Stephanie Thomas, an ADAPT organizer. “We will not post bond for them." The 11 jailed ADAPT members have been separated from the rest of the prison population and have a full-time employee watching over them at the Hamilton County Justice Center, said Victor Carrelli, Hamilton County chief deputy sheriff. Hamilton County Municipal Judge David Albanese held a special two-hour hearing Wednesday for the 17 under judicial orders covering mass arrests or civil disobedience cases. Those charged with crimi nal trespassing were Michael W. Auberger, 32, of Denver, Colo.; George Cooper Jr., 58, of Irving, Texas, and Robert Kafka, 40, of Austin, Texas. Albanese set bond for the three, who pleaded not guilty, at $3000 cash and "banned them from the city if they chose to post bond. They did not. Kelli Bates, 21, of Denver, the only woman arrested, was the only ADAPT member to plead no contest to a disorderly conduct charge against her. Albanese found her guilty and sentenced her to 30 days in jail if she has not left the city by Friday or enters the city before Friday. Lonnie Smith, 30, of Denver, charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, pleaded not guilty. Albanese set a $2500 10-percent bond for the resisting charge and a $1500 10-percent bond for the disorderly conduct charge. Those pleading not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and placed on a $1500 10 percent cash bond were Ernest Taylor, 31, of Hartford, Conn.; William Bolte, 54, of’ Los Angeles; Glenn Horton, 46, of El Paso, Texas; Joseph Carl, 47, of Denver, and James Parker, 40, of E1 Paso. Those pleading not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and given higher bonds because of prior records were Robert Conrad, 32, of Denver, on a $2000 10-percent cash bond and George Roberts, 37, of Denver on a $3000 10-percent cash bond. Those pleading not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and released on a $1500 unsecured bond because of medical problems were Arthur Campbell, 39," of Louisville; Kenneth Heart, 36, of Denver; Efrain Lozazno, 35, of El Paso; George Florom, 43, of Colorado Springs, Col; and Rick James, 36, of Salt Lake City. In all cases where bond could be posted, Albanese warned the people not to return to Cincinnati except for court appearances or meetings with their attorneys. Prosecutor Charles A. Rubenstein in many of the cases protested Albanese’s decision to allow the prisoners to be released on bonds. “There is a great likelihood if they are released on bond they would create "further problems and turn this court into a revolving door,” he said. However, James Nicholas of the public defenders office, who was appointed to aid the group's privately hired legal counsel, said "the group would cause no further problems. “The reason that they came, here is finished. They have no reason to remain." After the hearings were finished, Nicholas said most members of the group had vowed to remain in jail.
ADAPT (263)
Gazette-Telegraph 5/21/86 Wheelchair-bound protesters arrested CINCINNATI (AP) — Police arrested at least 17 chanting, wheelchair-bound protesters who blocked a hotel entrance or chained themselves together in a doorway at the Cincinnati transit agency’s building Wednesday. Police said those arrested included George Florom of Colorado Springs; Joe Corle of Denver, Ernest Taylor and George Roberts of Hartford, Conn.; Rick James of Salt Lake City; and Glenn Horton, Jim Parker and Frank Lazano, all from El Paso, Texas. It was the third consecutive day of protests by a nationwide group called American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation (ADAPT), which has staged similar protests elsewhere to demand equal access to public transit. Police said the 17 protesters who had been arrested were charged with disorderly conduct. They were taken in vans to the Hamilton County Justice Center, where they refused to post bonds.
ADAPT (145)
The Handicapped Coloradan, October 1984 [Headline] McDonald’s Statement Called “Unacceptable” The response by McDonald’s to demands by wheelchair protestors that the fast food chain improve the accessibility of its restaurants was described as unacceptable by a spokesperson for the Access Institute. Wade Blank said that Access was contacting McDonald’s again and if the company’s response did not improve his organization might well return to the picket lines. Starting in June, Access picketed McDonald’s restaurants in Denver, Colorado Springs, Cheyenne, Wyo., El Paso, Tex., Syracuse, N.Y., and Kansas City, Mo. Demonstrators were arrested in Colorado Springs and at one of the Denver demonstrations. At an Aug. 17 meeting, McDonald’s representatives warned Access that if the protests continued, the fast food chain was prepared to take demonstrators to court. At that meeting, McDonald’s suggested that it would be willing to remodel restaurants owned by the company, but that it did not have the power to order individually owned franchises to follow suit. Company representatives estimated that the retrofitting operation would affect some 2,200 of the more that 7,700 McDonald’s across the country and would cost between $3 and $5 million. At a second meeting a week later, McDonald’s seemed ready to make further concessions and promised to issue a policy statement in September. Blank said he had expected that statement to satisfy many of Access’s demands. Instead, McDonald’s response took the form of a memo from its vice president for national operations to regional managers and vice presidents, outlining the company’s record on accessibility and listing the standards the company suggested its licensees follow. Blank said the memo shows that McDonald’s is “not really serious about what they’re doing.” In fact, he said, Access did not receive a copy of the memo and had to ask McDonald’s for one. Throughout the discussions, McDonald’s has argued that it would not bow to pressure and that the company’s record on accessibility was a good one. The memo, dated Sept. 12, 1984 and written by Tom Glasgow, reaffirmed that position. Glasgow said that since 1979 McDonald’s has been following accessibility guidelines set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for its company-owned (McOpCo) restaurants as well as its licensed operations. “Currently with in excess of 2000 McDonald’s restaurants accessible to wheelchair users, we are the leaders in this area in the quick service restaurant industry and, indeed most probably, in any segment of the food service industry,” Glasgow wrote. Glasgow listed four minimum accessibility standards that were followed by McOpCo owned restaurants. “Parking Spaces-Special parking located as close to the building as possible (striping according to ANSI). In addition, vertical signage making these spaces even more obvious is being installed. “Ramps/Curb Buts—Convenient as possible to special parking (per ANSI specifications). “Table Access—Although table heights at McDonald’s restaurants meet or exceed ANSI standards we need tables which wheelchair users can easily use. Movable seating is preferred. “Rest Rooms- These will be made accessible as remodeling becomes necessary and affordable. Restaurants not currently planning to remodel should make modifications such as installing grab bars and widening stalls to make these facilities more functional for wheelchair users when possible.” However, Glasgow pointed out that since licenses own three out of every four stores system wide, area managers and vice presidents could only recommend that these standards be followed. Table access has been one of the Access Institute’s major goals in their dealings with McDonald’s. Currently, most if not all McDonald’s restaurants use seating that is physically attached to tables, making it impossible for a person in a wheelchair to use a table without blocking the aisle. The Access Institute had also asked that McDonald’s use people with disabilities in at least 10 percent of its ads. That issue was not addressed in the memo. The memo made no mention of the Access Institute or the pickets. Glasgow concluded by saying, “Accessibility has been something we as a corporation have been committed to for years. Our efforts are not new. Our commitment is not new. We expect this commitment will be continually reinforced through action.” However, so far that commitment seems not to have impressed wheelchair users. The executive board of the Colorado Coalition for Persons with Disabilities recently passed a resolution calling upon members of the 50 or so organizations it represents to boycott McDonald’s until the company makes a stronger commitment to accessibility. McDonald’s size and reputation were why the company was singled out by the Access Institute, according to Blank. He said if McDonald’s agreed to their requests then other national chains would follow suit.