[Headline] Activists at Opryland shrug off court order

By Glenn Henderson
and Jeff Wilkinson
Banner Staff Writers

Disabled activists who have disrupted operations at the Opryland Hotel and the state Capitol are threatening to take their civil disobedience to the Grand Ole Opry tonight during the star-studded Country Music Awards.

A decision on whether to try to disrupt the nationally televised CMA show (7 p.m. on WTVF-Channel 5) will be made later today, said Mike Auberger, co-director of Americans Disabled for Attendant Programs Today.

Opryland officials said the CMA show will go on protest or no protest.

ADAPT this week has been picketing the 44th annual American Health Care Association convention being held at the Opryland Hotel. The group is demanding that 25 percent of all Medicaid dollars be diverted from nursing homes to home health care.

Auberger said that disrupting the televised CMA show would bring national attention to the group's cause. "It would be a good format to raise the issue," he said.

Auberger added that the public protests are necessary to offset the power and money of nursing home lobbyists.

"The industry is so powerful," he said. "It comes down to the fact that dollars are more important than people."

An Opryland spokesman said park officials are not worried about possible disruptions at tonight's CMA Awards.

"The show will go on smoothly no matter what," Tom Adkinson said today. "They (ADAPT members) are under a restraining order issued last night to stay off of our property.

"We have no concern about the conduct of the show."

Auberger said the restraining order will have no effect on his group's decision: "We have to get our message across."

Adkinson would not comment on security arrangements but expressed frustration with the demonstrations.

"This whole situation is both reprehensible and unnecessary," he said. "We at Opryland have tried to be accommodating . . . and, frankly, Opryland and Nashville are being victimized in this whole situation.

"We don't have a dog in this fight; we're just caught in the middle."

On Tuesday, a melee broke out at the Opryland Hotel when a scheduled meeting between ADAPT and members of the American Health Care Association [text cuts off here]

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Уторак 16 Јул 2013

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Уторак 4 Фебруар 2020

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