Two busloads of Rochester ADAPT members traveled to Albany bright and early Tuesday morning to send a strong message to Governor Paterson to stop the budget cuts to Independent Living Centers and home care. Independent Living Centers are slated to receive a 6% cut in funding (in addition to a 2% cut earlier in the year); while the home care cuts will have a potentially devastating effect on personal care attendants, and the consumers that they work for. For many of the over seventy of us, this was the first action they ever participated in.

The message to stop the budget cuts was so important that people came from all over New York State! Centers from Buffalo, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, Yonkers, Binghamton, Plattsburg, Troy, Cortland, Corning, Syracuse, Poughkeepsie, Watertown, Glens Falls, and Long Island were represented. Some folks came as individuals, while others came representing other groups, such as Disabled in Action. In all, there were over 150 of us.

We gathered in the War Room of the Capitol, and at first, took it easy, making sure everyone got in. Then we began chanting so loud that we were heard throughout the building. “Governor Paterson, don’t be a zero. Stop the cuts and be our hero!” From out of nowhere, it seemed, giant signs made from shower curtains appeared, and were held high. “Stop The Cuts”, read one. “Don’t Target Us”, read another, and “Support Independent Living Centers”. We continued chanting, “Don’t target us. Stop the cuts NOW!” That chant went on for more than 15 minutes! After that, we sang. “We who believe in freedom will not rest ‘til they stop the cuts!” It was a variation on one of the songs that we sing on national actions. Bruce then led us in another chant, “Who do we want? Governor Paterson! When do we want him? NOW!” I chanted so strong and loud that my chest began hurting from muscle strain, but such was my passion that I did not stop except to take a couple of quick breaths.

The coolest part of the chanting took place in a circle within a circle. Several of the activists were Deaf and Hard of Hearing. They and the interpreters were in a circle signing the chants with unabashed exuberance and passion. This motivated the ring of folks surrounding them, which, in turn, motivated folks in the next circle. It was amazing, and I nearly burst with pride to see our Rochester folks, Dean and Jimmy leading this!
After a while, lunch arrived-McDonald’s, an ADAPT staple. Our food team made sure that everyone in the room got lunch. After all that chanting, lunch gave me needed energy for more chanting.

While our earlier hard work was happening, two groups went and leafleted the Assembly and the Senate with information to make them aware of our fervent opposition to these cuts. Based on what I learned, the Senate was far more receptive to the leafleting than the Assembly.

After lunch, the chanting and singing began again. After some time, the leadership team concluded that unless we did something more, we would get no response. Since the Governor’s office was a few feet away down the hall, a few folks gathered near it. Diane Coleman, Nadina LaSpina, and Debbie Bonomo were closest to the glass doors. I was behind Nadina standing with my cane. Nadina and Diane began trying to talk the staffer into setting up a meeting with the Governor, but of course, he wouldn’t. A state trooper leaned out of the door and said that we couldn’t block the doors, but at that point, everyone had come to the door and began chanting, “Save our programs, save our wages, stop the cuts NOW!” Like magic, the signs appeared, and a group of folks had blocked off the stairway by holding signs across the bottom. Reporters popped up out of nowhere and began filming and interviewing. The trooper quickly ducked back inside, and there seemed to be some sort of meeting to determine what was to be with us.

We soon found out. When someone came out of the door, Diane, Debbie, and Nadina moved in to try to get in, and Bruce, who had positioned himself strategically, tried to hold open the door. I was sorely tempted to dive into a hole that had been created, but stayed put. At this point, several troopers and staff appeared, and they got ROUGH. It reminded me of ADAPT actions back in the day. One trooper got really serious about trying to move Debbie out of the way, while another twisted Bruce’s fingers and wrist trying to get him to let go of the door. In the process, Diane and Terrie, who were in front of, and behind Debbie were slightly injured, and Debbie, herself, was bruised and scratched. The troopers were yanking on her wheelchair, and broke pieces off of her joystick mechanism. Even I didn’t escape unscathed. A trooper was trying to move Nadina, and the security person behind us noticed that due to her positioning, he couldn’t move Nadina from the door unless I was out of the way, and of course, I wasn’t going to move, so he picked me up by my shoulders and tried to move me, which was no easy task. By this time, cooler heads had prevailed, and Nadina and Bruce were let in to meet with the Governor’s senior staff, so the group moved a step back to let them in, and created a pathway of sorts.

While we waited to see what would transpire, we quietly sang a few songs. I noted that some senators and their staff were among us, encouraging us, and thanking us for being there. The media was still present, as well, and Chris and Gene were interviewed. After some time, Bruce and Nadina emerged, and told the crowd that the staffers were setting up a meeting with the Governor, so long as we headed back to the War Room, which we did.

The meeting with the Governor did take place. Eight members of the leadership team met with him for almost an hour, and passionately spoke of the need for attendant services and home care, and the need for services offered by Independent Living Centers, and how both save the state money because people with disabilities are living in the community instead of institutional settings.

We are still facing some cuts, but the meeting was fruitful because Governor Paterson did pledge to continue the dialogue and work with Independent Living Centers on restructuring Long Term Care, acknowledging the tremendous benefits of consumer directed services. Once more, the power of ADAPT has opened doors, and will lead us closer to freeing our people!