Barney Frank confronts disability protesters; 15 arrested
September 18th, 2008From The Hill, WUSA.com, KOAM-TV:
Police arrested fifteen demonstrators at the request of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) this week after protesters refused the congressman’s request that they leave his office and conduct their demonstration in a civil manner.
They were among 52 people from the disability advocacy group ADAPT who were detained by police during Washington area protests Tuesday over the lack of funding for housing vouchers that would allow people with disabilities to move out of nursing homes to more independent living situations.
Frank said he would not tolerate the tactics of the group, which he termed “undemocratic.” “When I heard that they had stormed into the office and occupied it, I went in and told them that was not an acceptable way of doing business and I told them to leave and if they didn’t leave, I would have the police remove them,” said Frank, who is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
Demonstrators were also arrested at the offices of Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
Frank said he supported the vouchers in authorizing legislation that has passed the House but said the vouchers have not been funded, a separate process that is overseen by the Appropriations Committee.
“I very much agree with them and I have in fact been working for it,” Frank said. “Frankly, their problem is not with me, it’s with the appropriations process and the budget.”
Eleven demonstrators were also arrested Monday for protesting outside the campaign office of Sen John McCain.
See also:
Disabled activists arrested at Arlington McCain HQ—WUSA-TV of metropolitan Washington. (Video above.)
An act of civil disobedience—KOAM-TV (Pittsburg, Kansas)
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September 19th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Frank said he would not tolerate the tactics of the group, which he termed “undemocratic.”
Well, I guess we didn’t realize that exercising our First Amendment right of free speech is “undemocratic.”
And I guess we may not have realized that in Frank’s view the people are not supposed to hold their leaders accountable when they break promises and break faith.
If Rep. Barney Frank chooses to shift all the blame for the current housing crisis to everyone else, and not accept his portion of the responsibility ( for acting…..or not acting or making promises he knew he couldn’t keep), then maybe he shouldn’t be in a position of leadership.
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