As many or most of you know, disability activists “on a mission from ADAPT” have landed in Chicago.
Right now, 500 disability activists are making a housecall at the headquarters of the American Medical Association (AMA).
The activists have a set of demands for the organization:
1. Endorse the Community Choice Act and actively promote passage (e.g. include on AMA website and on advocacy agenda);
2. Work with ADAPT to develop an action plan to assure that pwd’s and seniors get REAL CHOICE in long term care (ltc) services/supports and are able to live in most integrated setting. Provide membership with continuing medical education programs about community-based alternatives to institutionalization;
3. Require that AMA Board of Trustees and leadership divest themselves of all financial interests in nursing facilities, etc.;
4. Develop AMA ethics policy that all AMA member MDs must full disclose their financial interests in any ltc facilities to their patients when discussing ltc issues, and not refer any patient to a ltc facility in which they have any financial interest.
More news as it comes in… (will add links to news, other bloggers, etc.)
Update: 1:35 pm central.
Police are getting ready to arrest protesters.
The picture above shows a long line of ADAPT protesters being confronted by police officers in front of the headquarters of the American Medical Association.
Update 2:00 pm Central: Diane called and says they’re processing arrestees. She estimates maybe 100 people or so. Pictures below:
The picture above shows an appearance ticket held by an ADAPT activist, with two police officers in the background processing paperwork for another protester.
The image above shows four arrestees – names provided at a later date.
Rachelleb.com has an entry titled “Wheelchair Protest” – she watched the march to the AMA building from her office. She took pictures too – one of them up is up on her page with a link to a few more.
Martha Bayne, a senior editor at the Chicago Reader, noticed something was up this morning when she arrived at work, which is across the street from the AMA headquarters. A little later, a horde of disability activists arrived on the scene. She writes about it in ADAPT Storms the AMA. Be sure to check it out for her impressions of the protest and the great pictures she took of the protesters there.
WGN aired to lengthy pieces of coverage. I have managed to link to them (there will be a short commercial before the news piece):
Nursing Home Protest on State Street ran in the afternoon sometime.
Protest for Health Care Rights ran on the newscast aired at 9:00 p.m.