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ADAPT (345)
Contra Costa Times, Monday, September 28, 1987 Serving Central Contra Costa County (This article is continued in ADAPT 343, but the entire text is included here for easier reading) Photo Title: NO TAXATION WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION Staff Photo by Brad Mangin: A solid mass of mostly wheelchair using protesters fill a park. Above their heads you can see palm trees and a monument, on which a couple of camera people are standing. The protesters are chanting, mouths open, and some are raising their fist in the air. A man in the front is holding a sign that reads "No taxation without transportation." Caption reads: DAN O'HARA of Walnut Creek, left, participates in Sunday's demonstration in San Francisco. Title: Disabled arrested in SF protest By Donna Hemmila Staff writer SAN FRANCISCO — Protesters in wheelchairs, chanting "If you can take us to jail, take us to work," were arrested Sunday at City Hall where they disrupted the opening of a national public transit convention. More than 35 disabled people were hauled into special wheelchair-lift equipped vans on charges of disturbing the peace. Groups of demonstrators blocked the entrance to the City Hall rotunda where delegates from the American Public Transit Association kicked off a five-day convention Sunday. As San Francisco police officers pushed the wheelchairs into the waiting vans, other wheelchair riders parked in front of the vans to keep them from driving away. Captain Michael Pera said the demonstrators would be given citations at the Hall of Justice and released. "The situation was getting out of hand," Pera said. "My understanding was by the demeanor of the crowd, they wanted to be arrested." More than 150 disabled protesters and their families had marched from an afternoon rally at Union Square. The parade of wheelchairs had stopped traffic on downtown streets and demonstrated in front of the Hilton Hotel on Powell Street, where convention delegates are staying. The five-day transit convention is expected to bring nearly 15,000 representatives from transit agencies across the United States to the Bay Area. Disabled organizers have vowed to disrupt the convention, being held at the Moscone Center, to call attention to the transit organization's policy on access for disabled people. Disabled organizers say the APTA is responsible for weakening federal laws that require public transit agencies to equip their buses and subways to carry disabled passengers. A successful lawsuit brought by APTA changed federal law to give local transit agencies the right to decide what type of accessible transit to provide. Many transit districts have chosen to carry wheelchair passengers in dial-a-ride-type vans rather than equip their regular buses with wheelchair lifts. Members of the American Disabled for Public Transit and the September Alliance for Accessibility are demanding to ride the same public transit system that able-bodied passengers use. At the rally in Union Square, the protesters heard pledges of support from Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy, feminist Eleanor Smeal, the Rev. Cecil Williams from Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco and labor leader Jack Henning. During the rally the protesters chanted curses against APTA and waved signs with slogans such as "No Taxation without Transportation." The songs and chants were punctuated with the clanging bells of passing cable cars, a San Francisco attraction none of the wheelchair riders can board because the cars lack lifts. McCarthy said he backed the disabled community in its fight for independence. Many disabled rely on public transit to go to work and are being denied opportunities because they don't have transportation, he said. "There is no footnote to the Constitution that says everybody gets these civil rights except the disabled," McCarthy said. Disabled speakers fanned the crowd's anger with accounts of their morning meetings with APTA representatives at the Hilton Hotel. Disabled representatives said the wheelchair-accessible door to the hotel was barricaded and they were told to exit through the garage. "The backdoor entrance went out in the '60s with the civil rights movement," said Judy Heumann, of the September Alliance. "We're not going to go through the back door anymore." Albert Engelken, deputy executive director of APTA, denied his organization had ordered the hotel barricaded. "This is not a happy situation," Engelken said as he watched wheelchair users demonstrating on the streets below from the fourth floor window of the Hilton. "Obviously it's a sore spot. Nobody likes this." APTA's executive board has agreed to set up a task force to study their policy, but Engelken said the organization is not ashamed of its stand on disabled access. Only California and Michigan have laws that mandate full accessibility on public buses and rail systems. "You folks in California chose Artie you want and APIA thinks that's great," Englenken said. "We just wonder if the people in California should be telling the rest of us what to do." APTA has estimated it would cost $13 billion to make every public transit system in the United States accessible to the disabled. Staff Photo by Brad Mangin: A woman, Paulette Patterson, surrounded by protesters and signs, has her mouth wide in a chant. She is holding a sign on a stick that reads "We Will ADAPT". Beside her another woman, Maryann Collinsworth, holds onto her chair. Behind them another sign that reads "Transit Access Now" is visible. Caption reads: Paulette Patterson of Chicago waves a sign during Sunday's demonstration demanding better access for the disabled on public transportation.
ADAPT (576)
LOS ANGELES TIMES WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 1990 Washington, DC Officers Arrest 104 Disabled Protesters Police in Washington said they arrested 104 disabled demonstrators who chanted slogans and chained their wheelchairs together in the Capitol in a demand for quick passage of a bill guaranteeing their civil rights. Those who could walk were handcuffed, and some were strapped into their wheelchairs by police. Those arrested were charged with two misdemeanors, unlawful entry and demonstrating within the Capitol police said.
ADAPT (574)
The Tampa Tribune, Wednesday, March 14, 1990 PHOTO (Associated Press photograph): A man in a suit (Thomas Foley) is surrounded by group of women, some in wheelchairs, and others who are hard to make out in the darker background. One woman appears to be signing. The picture is very blurry. Demanding their rights House Speaker Thomas Foley meets with disabled protesters in Washington's Capitol Rotunda Tuesday. Later, police arrested 75 demonstrators who chained their wheelchairs together and chanted slogans demanding quick passage of a bill guaranteeing their civil rights.
ADAPT (562)
USA Today, Wednesday, March 14, 1990 * 3A CLOSE-UP: RIGHTS OF DISABLED House panel passes landmark bill. As wheelchair-bound activists demonstrated at the Capitol, a sweeping civil rights bill for the disabled survived a key House vote. The Energy and Commerce Committee, successfully fending off an attempt to exclude people with AIDS or the HIV virus from the bill's protection, recommended the measure 40-3. Passed by the Senate last year, the bill gives the disabled the same civil rights and job protections that minorities won two decades ago. It also calls for public places and public transportation to be made accessible to people in wheelchairs and requires telecommunications systems to accommodate the deaf. "Ensuring equal rights for the disabled will result in greater productivity and responsibility for a significant portion of our population,” said Rep. Thomas Luken, D-Ohio. An estimated 43 million disabled could be affected. Meanwhile, police arrested 104 disabled demonstrators who confronted House Speaker Thomas Foley, D-Wash., in the Capitol Rotunda on the second day of intense lobbying by disabled people seeking quick passage of the bill. Foley reassured the demonstrators he is “absolutely satisfied” the measure “will become law.” Earlier, Rep. William Dannemeyer, R-Calif., was rebuffed in attempts to exclude people with contagious diseases or behavioral disorders from coverage. “When the people of this country realize just how far-reaching (the bill) is, they will rise up in opposition,” he predicted. But Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the bill does not protect people with diseases that can be transmitted through the air: “If someone poses a threat, they can be discriminated against." (Help sought for AIDS victims, 2D) PHOTO (AP): Close-up of a man's face with large glasses, large ears and dark hair. He has a look of urgency on his face. Caption reads: Luken: Cites 'productivity'
ADAPT (579)
3/14/90 Wheelchair-Bound Protesters Arrested WASHINGTON (AP) -— Police arrested disabled demonstrators who chanted slogans and chained their wheelchairs together in the Capitol on Tuesday in a protest demanding quick passage of a bill guaranteeing their civil rights. The arrests came after deliberate acts of civil disobedience by the demonstrators and a confrontation in the Capitol’s cavernous Rotunda with House Speaker Thomas S. Foley and Minority Leader Robert H. Michel. Police said 104 people were arrested. Removing the demonstrators and loading them into vans took police about two hours. Those who could walk were handcuffed. and some in wheelchairs were strapped into their seats by police, many of whom wore surgical gloves. Those arrested were charged with two misdemeanors, unlawful entry and demonstrating within the Capitol, said police spokesman G.T. Nevitt. Both carry maximum sentences of six months in jail. In addition, those convicted could be fined $100 for unlawful entry and $500 for demonstrating in the Capitol. The arrests marked the second day of dramatic lobbying by people with disabilities, who are seeking passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. On Monday, some 60 people crawled out of their wheelchairs and up the West steps of the Capitol to underline their demands. The Senate passed the bill last year but the measure has bogged down in the House despite widespread predictions of ultimate approval. While the demonstration was in progress, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill 40-3 at a meeting in another building. But the measure still must go to two other committees before reaching the full House. Demonstrators gathered in the center of the Rotunda and began to chant slogans, including some from the civil rights movement of the 1960s. They also chanted “ADA Now” and “Access Now," referring to their demand for access to transportation and other accommodations. “Access is a civil right," the last protester, who identified herself only as Gail Love, shouted as she was taken out. Police used large snipping tools to break chains that some of the demonstrators had used to bind their wheelchairs together.
ADAPT (578)
3/14/90 Disabled demonstrators arrested at U.S. Capitol WASHINGTON (AP) — Police arrested disabled demonstrators who chanted slogans and chained their wheelchairs together in the Capitol on Tuesday in a protest demanding quick passage of a bill guaranteeing their civil rights. The arrests came after deliberate arts of civil disobedience by the demonstrators and a confrontation in the Capitol's cavernous Rotunda with House Speaker Thomas S. Foley and Minority Leader Robert H. Michel. Some 75 protesters were arrested, many of them in their wheelchairs. Removing the demonstrators and loading them into vans look police about two hours. Those who could walk were handcuffed, and some in wheelchairs were strapped into their seats by police. Those arrested were charged with two misdemeanors, unlawful entry and demonstrating within the Capitol, said police spokesman GT Nevitt. Both carry maximum sentences of six months in jail. In addition, those convicted could be fined $100 for unlawful entry and $500 for demonstrating in the Capitol. The arrests marked the second day of dramatic lobbying by people with disabilities, who are seeking passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. On Monday, some 60 people crawled out of their wheelchairs and up the West steps of the Capitol to underline their demands. PHOTO (The Associated Press): Three people in wheelchairs sit smiling at one another amid the crowd at the plaza at the bottom of the steps on the West front of the Capitol. Behind them the ADAPT flag flies, with it's wheelchair symbol made out of stars and the stripes like the American flag. Behind the flag is the dome of the Capitol against the sky. Caption: A group of handicapped people gather outside of the U.S. Capitol to draw support for a bill pending in the House that would extend civil rights to disabled persons.
ADAPT (577)
Rocky Mountain News 3/14/90 AROUND TOWN Disabled protesters held Police arrested disabled demonstrators who chanted slogans and chained their wheelchairs together in the Capitol yesterday in a protest demanding quick passage of a bill guaranteeing their civil rights. The arrests came after deliberate acts of civil disobedience by the demonstrators and a confrontation in the Capitol’s cavernous Rotunda with House Speaker Thomas S. Foley and Minority Leader Robert H. Michel. Some 104 protesters were arrested, many of them in their wheelchairs.
ADAPT (536)
Independen Life Spring 1990 Article 1: Urgent Call to Action! Pass Strong ADA Now! ADA needs you! And your family, your neighbors and your colleagues — to flood Washington with appeals for justice, today and everyday, until the president signs a strong ADA! Representative Lynn Martin 815/987-4326 (local) 202/225-5674 (Wash.D.C.) 1208 Longworth Office Building Washington D.C. 20515 NO TDD AVAILABLE Lynn Martin (R-IL) must hear from as many of us as possible for two very important reasons: 1) She is a member of the House Rules committee, which determines what version of the ADA reaches the House floor. Tell her you support the Senate version of the bill. 2) Martin, who is not an ADA co-sponsor will be running for the senate this fall. Let her know that we need her support. Contact Martin and all the Illinois House members today to urge their support of a strong ADA. NO WEAKENING AMENDMENTS! The grassroots efforts targeted at the U.S. House of Representatives will determine whether the ADA is ultimately enacted in the strongest form possible. Weakening amendments are expected. Our opponents will not give up. LET'S NOT STOP NOW! If you have sent letters to the President, Speaker Foley and Minority Leader Michel, send them each two more. If you have sent cards to members of Congress, send some more. If you have visited your Congressional office with five friends, visit again with more friends, and call every week to check on the progress of the ADA. (See page 5 for The ADA Western Union Hotline Number.) PHOTO Two women smile at the camera. The woman on the right has a sign behind her head that reads "PASS ADA WITH NO WEAKENING AMENDMENTS." The other woman holds her hand in a partially raised fist. Behind both is a third woman in the shadows, who is also smiling. Caption reads: Access Living's (l to r) Bobbie Boyce- Williams, Beverly Gonzalez and Pearl Mathews support the March 12th rally in D.C. at Chicago's rally for the ADA held in the Federal Plaza. Groups through-out the country held similar rallies on the same day. PHOTO: A line of protesters in a line at the front of the ADA March, chanting as they go. On far left two older women carry a huge poster. To their right and in front George Roberts carries a poster reading "We Shall Overcome." To his right Stephanie Thomas wheels her manual chair with a sign over her legs that reads "Access is a Civil Right". Holding on to the back of her chair is Frank Lozano who is also holding the harness of his dog guide Frazier. To their right is Jennifer Keelan, a girl of about 8 years who is partially standing in her chair as she chants. An older woman (her grandmother?) is pushing the chair. She and Frank are wearing ADAPT bandannas as headbands. To their right is her little sister Kaylee, walking and holding the handle of Jennifer's chair. Stephanie, Frank, Jennifer and Kaylee are wearing ADAPT T-shirts with the no steps logo. Behind them on the right side of the street is a huge building with columns along its side. Caption reads: Close to 1,000 people joined the "Wheels of Justice" march to the Capitol, March 12, 1990. PHOTO: Looking up from below at the dome of the Capitol against the sky. In front is a huge banner reading "Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere" Martin Luther King, JR. Quote beside photo: "It was great to see the unity among the disabled people there. It was an honor to be arrested and serve time with my colleagues." -- Michael Winter, Berkeley, CA President - National Council on Independent Living, NCIL. PHOTO: Picture of Cassie James squished between the back of a power wheelchair and a desk, holding on so she can sit up. Over her head three other protesters (Erik von Schmetterling, Carol Marfisi and Kent Killam) sit on the floor against another desk. Caption reads: Sit-in at Congressman Shuster's office. PHOTO: Marchers in wheelchairs, scooters and walking make their way up toward the Capitol building. In their midst is the ADAPT flag. One man is bent over helping a person in a manual wheelchair. In the foreground a person in a wheelchair has a sign on the back of their seat that reads: Basic access to every new home. The rest is unreadable, but is the basic tenants of Visitability from the group Concrete Change. Quote below picture: "We are not asking for our rights, we are taking them." -- Barbara. Jersey City, NJ ADAPT Member PHOTO: ADAPT members in front of the White House. In the foreground a man and woman in wheelchairs sit talking. Others are on the sidewalk around them, and behind them all is a line of ADAPT protesters with their wheelchairs backed up to the fence. Quote under photo: “The best part of it was that for once we brought every different type of advocate together to form a unified force for change. There was everyone from rehabilitation professionals to independent living staff to congressional staffers to A.D.A.P.T. It really demonstrated the potential power we possess." -- Chuck Graham, Springfield. IL, Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois. PHOTO: A slightly jumbled line of people in wheelchairs on the sidewalk next to a major boulevard. Behind them are other people standing and in wheelchairs, An ADAPT flag and another flag appear to be affixed to a nearby light pole. Toward the back of the picture someone is holding a sign reading "ADA NOW." Folks in the front of the shot are from Chicago ADAPT; most are wearing T-Shirts with the old ADAPT, no steps, logo and the woman in the very front has the Chicago ADAPT "ADAPT or Perish" T-shirt (partially obscured.) Caption reads: Joining the marchers are Dr. I. King Jordon, Paulette Patterson from Chicago, Congressman Major Owens, Justin Dart Jr. and Michael Winter, N.C.I.L. President. Quote beside photo: "I continue to feel empowered by having seen our people, in spite of most perceptions to the contrary, “stand up" for their rights." W. Michael Yeager. Washington D.C., Photographer Article 2 (The full text of this article, photos and captions appear here, in the photos it is on 536, 525 and 520): ACCESS LIVING JOINS RALLY AND MARCH ON NATION'S CAPITOL The biggest-ever national non-violent direct action sponsored by A.D.A.P.T. in support of disability rights and the Americans with Disabilities Act occurred in Washington D. C. March 12-14. The weather was unusually hot. Chicago represented one of the largest contingencies. Beto Barrera, Mike Ervin, Nancy Kelen, Ginger Lane, Rebecca Lanen, Rene Luna. Susan Nussbaum, Tom Rafferty, Judith Savage and Ora Schub represented Access Living at the historic event. MARCH 12 THE MARCH AND RALLY ON CAPITOL HILL MARCH 13 163 DISABLED PROTESTERS SEIZED AND 104 ARRESTED FOR REFUSING TO LEAVE THE CAPITOL MARCH 14 45 PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR TAKING OVER CONGRESSMEN SHUSTER'S OFFICE Photo: Marchers headed down an Avenue in DC, some are in chairs and two smiling men in white shirts and ties are in the foreground. One has his power fist raised and the other is holding a sign that says "National Association of the Deaf NAD. To: Congress, Re: ADA, Just Do It!" Caption 1 reads: "It was great being part of this movement and using our power to make things change." -- Rebecca Lanet. Chicago. IL, Access Living. Caption 2 reads: Access Living's Susan Nussbaum (far left) with DREDF's Marilyn Golden at the march. Photo: I. King Jordan standing at the plaza on the Capitol steps. Behind him you can see the top of the fountain and the upper level balcony of the Capitol as well as some fancy archways. He has a microphone in front of him and he is smiling as he addresses the crowd. Caption reads: “The time to pass this bill is now. We can wait no longer" Dr. I. King Jordan, Washington DC, President Gallaudet University A quote: "Together we shall overcome" Photo: A boy in wheelchair (Kyle Glozier) with a communication device on his lapboard. He is wearing several buttons and an ADAPT shirt. Hanging from the front of his lap board is a poster reading "We will Ride." Caption reads: An Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation (A.D.A.P.T.) member. Photo: The Capitol rotunda crammed with people in wheelchairs and a few people standing. On the wall in the back is a life-sized black statue of a man from some olden times, and a humongous painting in a gilt frame. Everyone is looking toward a man in a suit who is standing next to someone doing sign language interpreting. Caption reads: “It was the most incredible amount of power a group of disabled people ever held over its government. We closed down the Capitol while people were being arrested. All visitors and staff were turned away from the Hill for several hours. Speaker of the House Foley and Minority Leader Michel who only meet in the rotunda for state occasions both came to the rotunda together to meet with us. I guess you could say that ADAPT actions are definitely occasions. " Mike Auberger. Denver, CO, ADAPT Member Photo: The dome of the Capitol rises in the background and below it is the ADAPT flag. People in wheelchairs being pushed, in power chairs, people walking, all heading toward the Capitol. Photo: Looking down into the crowd one can see the mix of people. Several are gathered around Dr. I. King Jordan. Others are sitting or standing listening or waiting. There are 2 men with mouth driven wheelchairs, one of whom is Tim Baker. There is a woman in a miniskirt and a sports wheelchair. Mike Ervin is kind of in the middle foreground. Caption reads: Michael Ervin (foreground) was among one of the 10 Access Living staff members at the A.D.A.P.T. action. Ervin is past president of Chicago's ADAPT group. Photo: Five people in wheelchairs and one standing person look toward a van. The standing woman appears to be clapping and Eleanor Smith (one of the folks in chairs) has her power fist raised. A scooter in the foreground has a Concrete Change sticker on it. Behind the group you can see the front of the Capitol, the side facing the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. Caption reads: "The impact we made was phenomenal. By arresting 104 disability rights activists, the police facilitated a very empowering situation. For eight hours as we waited to be processed through the system, we met new co-advocates, argued, debated and strengthened our political power." -- Ginger Lane, Chicago, Access Living
ADAPT (534)
Philadelphia Inquirer Wednesday, March 14, 1990 Disabled protest in D.C. Associated Press WASHINGTON — Police yesterday arrested about 75 disabled demonstrators who chanted slogans and chained their wheelchairs together in a Capitol protest to demand quick passage of a bill guaranteeing their civil rights. The arrests came after acts of civil disobedience by the demonstrators and a confrontation in the Capitol Rotunda with House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D., Wash.) and Minority Leader Robert H. Michel (R., lll.). Removing the demonstrators, many of them in their wheelchairs, and loading them into vans took police about two hours. Before the arrests, Foley told the demonstrators that he and other congressional leaders were pushing the Americans with Disabilities Act. "lt is a priority for passage in this session of the Congress," he shouted over catcalls. "l am absolutely satisfied it will reach the floor, we will have a conference with the Senate and it will become law." “Will it be on the floor in 24 hours? No," Foley added, to a chorus of boos. Those arrested were charged with two misdemeanors, unlawful entry and demonstrating within the Capitol, said police spokesman G.T. Nevitt. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. In addition, those convicted could be fined $100 for unlawful entry and $500 for demonstrating in the Capitol. The arrests marked the second day of dramatic lobbying by people with disabilities, who are seeking passage of the act.
ADAPT (533)
The Washington Times Wednesday, March 14, 1990 Handicapped protesters arrested The Associated Press Demonstrators in wheelchairs were arrested in the U.S. Capitol yesterday after confronting House leaders with demands for quick passage of legislation guaranteeing them civil rights protections. A crowd of more than 100 disabled demonstrators threatened civil disobedience and interrupted House Speaker Thomas Foley and House Minority Leader Robert Michel as the congressional leaders tried to speak over the din in the cavernous Capitol Rotunda. After the congressmen left, about 70 disabled people assembled in the center of the Rotunda and began chanting in an attempt to provoke arrest. Capitol Police, standing nearby, encircled the protesters and began taking them into custody. Outside the Capitol, police began placing the protesters - most in Wheelchairs - into several government owned vans. The demonstrators were being charged with unlawful entry and demonstrating within the Capitol, said Capitol Police Officer G.T. Nevitt. The first charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $100 fine; the second, six months in jail and a $500 fine. “It is a priority for passage in this session of the Congress," Mr. Foley shouted over catcalls from the protesters. “l am absolutely satisfied it will reach the floor. we will have a conference with the Senate and it will become law." “Will it be on the floor in 24 hours? No," Mr Foley added in a statement greeted with a chorus of boos. “I am not going to set an artificial deadline that prevents the committees from sending a bill to the floor that they can defend," he said. It was the second day of lobbying by the disabled. On Monday, dozens of people crawled out of their wheelchairs and up the steps of the Capitol to dramatize their demands. The focus of the protest was the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed by the Senate last year but has bogged down in the House, despite widespread predictions of its ultimate passage. The measure would outlaw discrimination based on physical or mental disability in employment, access to buildings, use of the telephone system, use of public and private transportation, and other situations. The Capitol has ramps for wheelchair access to two of its entrances and ramps and elevators inside to enable people confined to wheelchairs to get around. During the midday face-off in the Rotunda, Mr. Foley sought to assure the disabled that House leaders “want to see that this bill has the greatest possible support and will reach the president's desk in a way that he can sign it." Mr. Michel told the crowd he had broached the issue earlier yesterday in a meeting with President Bush at the White House. He acknowledged that the disabled community “is getting a little bit impatient because the wheels of Congress are not moving fast enough." Although the Bush administration and congressional leaders support the bill, some have begun questioning the administration's commitment in recent weeks. White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater denied its support was slipping and said the administration was negotiating with key members of Congress. "We do support the legislation," Mr Fitzwater said. “We‘re very supportive of their rights and their cause."
ADAPT (532)
3/14/90 100 Disabled Arrested on Hill by Stephen Buckley, Washington Post Staff Writer About 100 persons with disabilities were arrested in the Capitol Rotunda yesterday during a demonstration calling for greater rights for the handicapped, U.S. Capitol Police said. Most of those arrested were members of American Disabled for Accessible Public Transportation, a Denver-based organization that plans protests in Washington throughout the week to bring attention to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The measure was passed by the Senate last September and is being considered by the House. Yesterday's arrests occurred after about 150 members of ADAPT listened to House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.), House Minority Leader Robert H." Michel (R-Ill.) and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) discuss the disabilities act. After the lawmakers spoke to them, the demonstrators began chanting. They were asked to leave the rotunda, but refused, said Greg Nevitt, a U.S. Capitol Police spokesman. Those who did not leave were arrested, he said. Hoyer is the chief sponsor of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which seeks to bar discrimination against those with disabilities in several areas: private sector employment, public accommodations, services provided by state and local governments, telecommunications and transportation. Nevitt said those arrested were charged with demonstrating in the Capitol rotunda and unlawful entry. They are slated to be arraigned in D.C. Superior Court tomorrow.
ADAPT (528)
The New York Times NATIONAL Wednesday, March 14, 1990 DISABLED PROTEST AND ARE ARRESTED More than 100 Are Charged in Capitol Demonstration on Rights Legislation by Steven A. Holmes, Special to the New York Times WASHINGTON, March 13 -- More than 100 disabled protesters in wheelchairs were arrested today during a boisterous demonstration in the Capitol Rotunda, where they pressed for swift passage of a sweeping civil rights bill for the millions of Americans with physical and mental disabilities. “We're taking the strategies of the 60's that helped get rights for black and brown people and women, and using them for people with disabilities," said Wade Blank of Denver, one of the leaders oi the protest. The protesters, who had intended to be arrested, were part of a group of about 150 that met with House Speaker Thomas S. Foley and other Congressional leaders at the Rotunda to demand quick action on the Americans With Disabilities Act. The measure would require that all new buildings and services that serve the general public accommodate the disabled. When Mr. Foley declined to promise a specific date for passage, some in the group began to boo. Arrests Take Two Hours After the legislators departed, the group gathered in a tight circle and began chanting, "Access is a civil right" and “The people united will never be defeated!" Demonstrating in the Capitol is against Federal law. Members of the Capitol police force, many dressed in riot gear, cleared the Rotunda of tourists, surrounded the protesters and used large chain-cutters and acetylene torches to break the links that bound several of the protesters‘ wheelchairs together. The police then wheeled them out. The process took about two hours. Officer Greg Nevitt, a police spokesman, said 104 people had been arrested and would be charged with demonstrating in a Capitol building and unlawful entry. Mr. Blank is one of the founders of Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit, or ADAPT, a group that represents the militant wing of the disabled-rights movement. in the past, it has staged disruptive acts to publicize the plight of the disabled. in September, the group organized a demonstration in Atlanta where 25 people were arrested for blocking more than a dozen Greyhound-Trailways buses to protest the company's refusal to install wheelchair lifts. The Americans With Disabilities Act, which would extend to the disabled the same protections against bias that are provided for women and members of minority .groups, has recently hit a snag in the Bush Administration's reluctance to go along with tough penalties that could be imposed against companies that failed to comply. But it has already passed the Senate and cleared another hurdle today when the House Committee on Energy and Commerce approved it by a vote of 40 to 3. Two other House panels, the Committee on Public Works and Transportation and the Judiciary Committee, still must vote on the measure. House leaders say the bill will probably reach the House floor by mid-April.
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Handicapped protesters arrested THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 3/14/90 Demonstrators in wheelchairs were arrested in the U.S. Capitol yesterday after confronting House leaders with demands for quick passage of legislation guaranteeing them civil rights protections. A crowd of more than 100 disabled demonstrators threatened civil disobedience and interrupted House Speaker Thomas Foley and House Minority Leader Robert Michel as the congressional leaders tried to speak over the din in the cavernous Capitol Rotunda. After the congressmen left, about 70 disabled people assembled in the center of the Rotunda and began chanting in an attempt to provoke arrest. Capitol Police, standing nearby, encircled the protesters and began taking them into custody. Outside the Capitol, police began placing the protesters - most in wheelchairs - into several government-owned vans. The demonstrators were being charged with unlawful entry and demonstrating within the Capitol, said Capitol Police Officer G.T. Nevitt. The first charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $100 fine; the second, six months in jail and a $500 fine. “It is a priority for passage in this session of the Congress." Mr. Foley shouted over catcalls from the protesters. “I am absolutely satisfied it will reach the floor, we will have a conference with the Senate and it will become law." “Will it be on the floor in 24 hours? No,” Mr. Foley added in a statement greeted with a chorus of boos. “I am not going to set an artificial deadline that prevents the committees from sending a bill to the floor that they can defend," he said. It was the second day of lobbying by the disabled. On Monday, dozens of people crawled out of their wheelchairs and up the steps of the Capitol to dramatize their demands. The focus of the protest was the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed by the Senate last year but has bogged down in the House, despite widespread predictions of its ultimate passage. The measure would outlaw discrimination based on physical or mental disability in employment, access to buildings, use of the telephone system, use of public and private transportation, and other situations. The Capitol has ramps for wheelchair access to two of its entrances and ramps and elevators inside to enable people confined to wheelchairs to get around. During the midday face off in the Rotunda, Mr. Foley sought to assure the disabled that House leaders “want to see that this bill has the greatest possible support and will reach the president's desk in a way that he can sign it." Mr Michel told the crowd he had broached the issue earlier yesterday in a meeting with President Bush at the White House. He acknowledged that the disabled community “is getting a little bit impatient because the wheels of Congress are not moving fast enough." Although the Bush administration and congressional leaders support the hill, some have begun questioning the administration's commitment in recent weeks. White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater denied its support was slipping and said the administration was negotiating with key members of Congress “We do support the legislation," Mr. Fitzwater said. “We're very supportive of their rights and their cause."
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This is a continuation of the article and photo collection on 536, and 525. The text version of the entire article, etc. is included in 536.
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PHOTO by Tom Olin: Close up of Mike Auberger with mouth open chanting. Around his neck is a kryptonite lock locked to a second lock, which is locked to a revolving door. He wears and ADAPT bandanna around his head and long braids. Caption reads: ADAPT member Mike Auberger puts his neck on the line. DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATES TURN UP THE HEAT IN CAPITOL In more ways than one, the heat was turned up in Washington, D.C. during the week of March 11 to March 17, 1990. Weather records were shattered as the mercury climbed to 89 degrees on Monday and remained hot all week; the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin bloomed three weeks early. There was another heat wave going on as people with disabilities from all over the country converged on the Capitol to push for the Americans with Disabilities Act, which passed the Senate last September and is now stalled in the House. On Monday, March l2, we gathered in front of the White House at noon. Over 1000 strong, most in wheelchairs but including people who are deaf and blind, we marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, the 17 blocks to the U.S. Capitol. We carried signs and chanted “ADA Now!" At the Capitol, Justin Dart, chairman of the President's Committee, said that partial equality is not equality: “We want an end to discrimination against the disabled, the nation's most impoverished, isolated and segregated minority." King Jordan, president of Gallaudet University, warned “If we don’t get what we want, we will be back to stay." Mike Auberger, from ADAPT, closed with a stirring speech. “We are Americans," he said, “and we want the same rights as everyone else." After the speeches, many abandoned their wheelchairs and climbed the 83 steps on the west front of the Capitol, as a symbolic gesture dramatizing the barriers that the disabled still face. On Tuesday, many assembled in the huge rotunda inside the U.S. Capitol and heard speeches by Speaker Thomas Foley, Congressman Robert Michel and Congressman Stenny Hoyer of Maryland, who is coordinating the House legislative effort on ADA. Hearing that no promises could be given as to the date of a House vote, many started chanting “ADA Now!" Many were arrested for illegal entry, carried in police vans to a police facility and then to court for paper work. Many did not get back to the hotel until midnight. It was a matter of individual conscience whether anyone was arrested; many chose not to, believing that the legislative process has been working well so far. On Wednesday. about 60 were arrested at the Rayburn Building in and near the office of Congressman Bud Shuster of Pennsylvania, who had supported some weakening amendments to ADA. On Thursday, a small group (their numbers reduced because so many were in court) assembled at housing and urban development and asked to see secretary Jack Kemp; he was out of town but Undersecretary Alfred Dellabovi came down. There was a productive talk concerning the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988. Some weakening amendments to the Housing Act, relating to access standards, had been proposed; the disability groups strongly opposed. On Friday, some members of ADAPT protested at the Greyhound terminal. Some of the strongest opposition to ADA has come from Greyhound and other private bus companies, who fear that the cost of wheelchair lifts will be excessive. But the disability groups claim as much a right to be on a bus as anyone else. After a glorious week, the participants began the long journey home by train, bus, airplane or dust-covered van. Though many other disability groups were involved, much credit goes to Wade Blank, Mike Auberger, Bob Kafka, and Mark Johnson, all of ADAPT. It‘s too early to tell whether our goals have been reached, but there was a feeling of solidarity. and of a successful crusade on behalf of equal rights for disabled people in employment, in transportation, in housing, in places of public accommodation, in every aspect of American life. That, indeed, is the purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act. —Richard B. Treanor At the bottom of the page is a Callahan cartoon: Three women in a row. First woman is in a wheelchair and below her it says "M.S." Second woman is standing with a walker and below her it says "M.D." Third woman is very overweight and below her it says "M&Ms".