I witnessed this first-hand. All I can say is that there was no "feeding
frenzy". There was no freezing rain. Yeah, it snowed, but no freezing
rain. I personally was blocked from egress through the doors so I could
return to my office--this by PWDs. Gov. Taft wasn't even in town. It
wasn't the Rhodes building, it was the Riffe Center.
What I saw was several PWDs in chairs being pretty abusive to the Troopers.
I get pretty disillusioned when I hear truth "bent" to serve a purpose, no
matter how noble that purpose may be. Don't believe "everything" you read
or hear, no matter how reliable you think your your sources may be.
I just got back from there about 15 minutes ago. Saw no PWDs, but plenty of
police guarding the doors.
-Kyle
-----Original Message-----
From: I. STEPHEN MARGOLIS [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 2:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FW: ADAPT Secures Meeting With Senski- Highway Patrol Derails
It
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 1999 12:40 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: ADAPT Secures Meeting With Senski- Highway Patrol Derails It
For Immediate Release For more information, contact:
November 3, 1999 Shona Eakin (419) 349-5483
Marsha Katz (406) 239-7485
Bob Kafka (512) 431-4085
Mike Auberger (303) 356-2273
ADAPT Secures Meeting With Senski- Highway Patrol Derails It
500 members of ADAPT blocked all entrances to the James Rhodes State
Office Building in Columbus for 2 hours today until they secured a meeting
with State Medicaid Director Jackie Senski. Senski agreed to meet with 10
ADAPT representatives, and ADAPT agreed to leave the building immediately
once the meeting began.
...And then all Hell broke loose.
Ignoring the meeting agreement arranged by Senski staffer Sharon
Bushong,
Ohio's Highway Patrol stormed onto the scene and arrested just under 100
ADAPT members. "Our leaving would have taken 15 minutes, with no hassle,"
said Tracy Mankins, Dayton ADAPT organizer. "Instead, the police turned it
into a 2 hour feeding frenzy in the freezing rain."
ADAPT's demands for today's meeting were centered around the
implementation of the Supreme Court decision known as Olmstead vs. L.C. and
E.W.. That decision, announced in June, upheld the Americans with
Disabilities Act integration mandate, which says, " A public entity shall
administer services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting
appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities."
Among the specific demands were establishing an Ohio Community
Integration Committee, appointing 5 ADAPT representatives to the committee,
developing a comprehensive plan to identify people in nursing homes and
other
institutions, creating a timetable for getting those people who choose to
receive services in the community out of institutions, and requesting funds
in the budget to implement the plan.
"We have repeatedly requested meetings with both Jackie Senski, and
Governor Taft to discuss the current warehousing of people with disabilities
in Ohio, and we have repeatedly been denied those meetings," said Shona
Eakin, ADAPT organizer from Toledo. " We want to be part of the solution,
not
part of the problem, and we'll keep coming back until we are heard, and
until
the people waiting for community services are free."
###
--
FOR MORE INFORMATION on American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today
(ADAPT)
Please visit our website at http://www.adapt.org/
For direct inquiries regarding this press release please use the contact
information at the beginning of this message or Email [log in to unmask]
NATIONAL ADAPT MAILING LIST - Adapt MiCASA List of Adapt Organizers.
|
