UK's Direct Action Network Protests Lack of Independent Living in Birmingham
The Direct Action Network, a group of disabled people who use direct action methods to further disabled peoples of rights, held Birmingham City Council to ransom in furtherance of its cause on September 17, 2001.
On Monday (17th) last week they occupied a council building, an Inspector of police came out, who in turn forced council bureaucrats/management into negotiating with the protesters. The protesters left the building on their own terms, after confirming the management would not give up "their little empire without a real fight".
Day two, as planned, DAN stepped up the action. Around 50 DAN activists blocked the entrance to Birmingham Council House, crawled from their wheelchairs up the steps to handcuff themselves, and leafleted and petitioned the main square opposite.
Again the police came, and again having failed to intimidate with threats of forced removal and imprisonment, the police were reduced to intermediating the negotiations.
The key theme for DAN titled Free Our People, is to get disabled people out of institutions such as Leonard Cheshire, and achieve properly resourced independent living for disabled people. Chris of DAN saw the two main obstacles to this as "the multi-million pound charities whose self-preservation maintains people in institutions, and a government which under-resources independent living".
Andy Gill, a spokesperson for DAN said
"For centuries disabled people have dreamed of freedom and independence of our own making. Fifty nationwide DAN activists have been dreaming too-the difference is disabled people are now demanding and taking action, putting our lives on the line, to bring about the change."
We want a new centre for independent living in Birmingham. This has been a three-year campaign, but by day two of this direct action we are getting closer to this aim. On the action we demanded and received, a promise in writing by the Birmingham City politicians/council officers that they will meet with us on Thursday 2 PM to remove remaining blocks (put in place by the council bureaucracy/management) to the centre for independent living."
Birmingham city centre rang with the chants of "Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Nursing Homes Have Got to Go, We Are Watching You (to the police), and This Is What Democracy Looks like. The demonstration was an inspiration to the many people who stopped to show solidarity, and illustrated clearly fighting back pays.
Contact national DAN at tel: 0121 247-4424 for messages of support/donations. For pictures, see http://communities.msn.co.uk/PinpointOnline/directactionimages.msnw?Page= 1
|
