On the morning of November 17, 2003, 40 NYS
ADAPTers gathered at the Center for Disability Rights.
Our group included members from both Rochester ADAPT and Syracuse ADAPT.
We marched downtown to meet Vice President Cheney who was in Rochester to attend a $1,000 a plate luncheon fundraiser for the Bush re-election campaign.
We had been told the police would be setting up a secure perimeter to prevent protesters from getting too close to the event,
so we scouted out a route where we could get really close to the location without attracting too much attention.
We decided to leave early and arrive over an hour before the VP was scheduled to appear.
When we reached Main Street we opted to walk to the corner and cross at the streetlight instead of plowing across the street to hit the doors immediately.
Surprisingly, the mounted patrol officers apparently didn’t notice the single file line of 40 people in brightly colored ADAPT shirts.
Fifteen ADAPTers took the secondary entrance on Main Street while 25 of our group actually walked right through the mounted patrol
and got to the main entrance of the building. We blocked the doors, pulled out our signs and started chanting.
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An officer approached the group and told them that he would call the “paddy wagon” and take
people to jail if they stayed in front of the doors. We had a record number of people willing to be arrested if necessary and they told the officer, “Do what you need to do.”
Our leadership team was negotiating with a more senior officer. The other officer was clearly unhappy when it was agreed that ADAPT could remain at the doors; he went to the corner and pouted for the rest of the action.
We told the police to give our demand list to the Vice President and asked that we meet with one of his staff.
We explained that things would heat up if we did not get our meeting…
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We had thousands of flyers and began leafleting people on Main Street. Several people actually joined our group, including a young social worker.
No one had ever met her before, but she picked up a sign and just started chanting.
We were joined by the Rochester Campus Action Network (RCAN) who brought a giant papier-mâché Cheney-head puppet with them.
Several protesting nuns joined the action. Other groups realized that we had established a protest at the front doors.
Some had actually planned to protest at a much safer distance, but were emboldened by ADAPT and RCAN’s efforts.
By now, a couple hundred people had joined the protest. We worked well with the other groups.
We alternated our chants, allowing each group to bring their issue to the front and then take a rest.
The other groups were surprised when 40 ADAPT people were louder that 200 anti-war protesters. ADAPT clearly had passion!
Working with the other progressive groups helped make all of our work more effective.
They were able to get very useful information and ADAPT helped strengthened the action.
It was also an opportunity for ADAPT to educate these groups about our issues and perspective.
At first they looked shocked when we chanted, “Hey Hey Ho Ho Nursing homes have got to go!”
But they began to understand out issues and joined in. We even had a man carrying a “Lesbians Against Cheney…We hate Dick!” sign chanting with us.
It was cold and some of our members had not planned on being outside all day. We called the office and asked a woman to bring us
assorted gloves and mittens. She brought us gloves and festive Christmas Oven Mitts. They were a bit out of place, but still warm.
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The entire ADAPT group moved to the main doors.
When an officer explained to one of our group that he was blocking the door, our ADAPT member gave a look of surprised shock and asked, “Really?”
He then pulled more of the group in tighter to the doors. Although the other groups had far greater numbers, the police were more concerned about ADAPT.
Things got a bit heated at the doors. Periodically as the doors opened, we would try to block the doors open and get in.
There were a couple of really intense moments involving mounted patrol officers, ADAPT members, a macho policeman with an attitude, and a screaming nun.
Frankly, we are still trying to piece it all together.
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After the luncheon ended, ADAPT headed over to the Federal Building. Although we were cold and tired, we wanted to make sure the administration got our message.
While ADAPT and RCAN chanted outside the Federal Building, our representatives took the demand list up to Representative Louise Slaughter’s office.
The office faxed our demand list to the White House. We were interviewed by all of the local television stations, the local newspaper, and radio stations.
During the noon news, one reporter asked what Cheney should take from this visit.
The message from ADAPT was loud and clear, "ADAPT expects the administration to keep its word and we will be following them throughout this campaign
if they don’t!" On some of the evening news coverage, our issue was highlighted even more than the anti-war sentiment. It was a GREAT day!
Thanks to all of the ADAPTers who made this action such a huge success.
Also thanks to ARISE (the Syracuse CIL) and the Regional Center for Independent Living for sending people to the action as well!
!FREE OUR PEOPLE!
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