More than 100 activists for the disabled, including dozens in wheelchairs, blocked a stretch of Constitution Avenue NW for much of the day yesterday to protest Justice Department policies.
The protest shut down the heavily traveled street between Ninth and 12th streets NW, in front of the Justice Department's headquarters. Motorists faced detours from 12:30 p.m. through the evening rush hour as police allowed the demonstration to continue. The protesters began to leave about 8 p.m. after meeting with Assistant Attorney General Ralph F. Boyd Jr. and agreeing to a dialogue with Justice Department officials.
"We're feeling good that there is a beginning, and we'll have to wait and see what happens from there," said Marsha Katz, a spokeswoman for the protesters.
The activities were organized by the group ADAPT for the second day in a week of planned events.
ADAPT leaders said they wanted to press the Justice Department to force states to make changes that would result in better conditions for the disabled, such as less emphasis on nursing homes and institutions and more reliance upon community-based programs.
Protesters arrayed wheelchairs in front of the Justice building and across Constitution Avenue, and some held a banner with "Stolen Lives" written on it, intended to dramatize the condition of some disabled people in nursing homes and other restrictive environments.
A Justice Department official defended the government's record on the issue, saying that authorities have investigated seven government-run nursing homes in recent years and are pursuing probes of eight others. D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said last night that his department made no attempt to arrest yesterday's protesters or forcibly clear the commuter thoroughfare because similar ADAPT demonstrations in previous years had ended voluntarily.
"People look for us to do that sort of thing [make arrests]. And if we do make arrests, we wind up getting criticized," he said. "If there's some way we can try to let them get their point across but not make arrests, that's something we'll do."
Staff writer Clarence Williams contributed to this report.
