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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 1998)
I PET7 w m news A ctivists S eize AIDS C zar ’ s O ffice PHOTO BY BOB ROEHR Ten people are arrested by the Secret Service following a brief sit-in at the Office of National AIDS Policy by Bob Roehr n W lT . H I A l lo n s - ü . 933 SE 31ST AVE PORTLAND, O R 97214 503 238 7617 OFC WWW.CL1MBATREECOM N O R A STEVE, MICHELE &SHARJLYNN amNUUMTY ART ^ 2324 SE Division 238-1523 mon-sat 10-6 F M I RE- FRAMIf T h is ad alw ays worth $10 o ff custom fram ing S £ Timeless in Design Excellence in Quality Members of the party then quietly rose and scooted to preassigned stations as Lanier said: “We’ve waited for years for somebody to take a stand on this issue. We are now going to seize this office and try and make a statement our selves.” Thurman responded: "I think that is fine. You all know how open we have been to you, and how difficult the conversations have been for a variety of reasons.” She argued that Clinton anticipated Congress would move to restrict funding of nee dle exchange. Lanier countered, “Had the president stood up, we would have had a different situation with Congress." The dialogue continued for some minutes, then Thurman and Summers excused them selves to step outside and confer with Secret Service agents. Meanwhile, four activists chained them selves to Thurman’s conference table. Others plastered signs on the walls and windows, and some were sending their message through an open second-floor window via a bullhorn. The Secret Service moved quickly and pro fessionally, generally with cooperation from the protesters. A holt cutter sliced through the chains like butter, and within 15 minutes the protesters were removed from the office. In an exclusive interview while the arrests were taking place, Thurman said: “Once they occupy a federal building, it is out of my hands. The Secret Service made that very clear to me.” The 15-year veteran of the fight against A ID S was clearly troubled by the incident, at times appearing on the verge of tears. She said she has worked very closely with activists over the years and feels “a similar frustration in get ting people to focus on this issue." “ It makes our dialogue in the future more dif ficult,” she said, “because now, every time we have a meeting like this, it is going to mean that I will have to operate in a different way. I won’t be able to have the same kind of open-door pol icy that I’ve always had. It makes our ability to dialogue more difficult. But this will not make us close the doors." Patient Professional Service Superior Quality Enormous Selection Home Decor Bi-level Fine Art Gallery Close to Home Owner Operated Isn't it wonderful when you find a www.dtysearch.pdx.com/ macngallery backyard! „ . „ - gem right - in - your own -----„— ombard Secret Service officers cart protesters away July 20 meeting with A ID S czar Sandra Thurm an became the cover for seizing the Office of National A ID S Policy— if only for a brief period. Protesters chained themselves to desks in the office of President Bill C lintons top A ID S adviser to protest the administration’s refusal to allow fed eral funding of needle exchange programs, then uniformed members of the Secret Service arrest ed and removed the 10 protesters, most of whom are affiliated with A C T UP New York. The meeting began normally enough. "We are here because we can no longer tol erate the hypocrisy that surrounds the issue of needle exchange," said Chris Lanier, coordina tor of the National Coalition to Save Lives Now. "We ask that [ONAPJ make a pledge, right now, to place human lives above the poli tics that have surrounded this issue.” “N o ,” replied Todd Summ ers, O N A P ’s deputy director. “Because it is not (Thurman’s] place to do that. Sandy is employed by the pres ident to provide policy.” Lanier then charged, "The president’s deci sion not to lift the funding ban makes perma nent the A ID S crisis in this country.” He further criticized Clinton for failing to pledge to veto all legislation containing a per manent ban on federal funding of needle exchange. Summers explained that Clinton was on record as pledging to veto a stand-alone bill, hut said if a ban was added as an amendment to another bill, a veto would be more difficult. “This office is pointless. There is no purpose to continuing this sham of pretending to fight against A ID S when the president continuously will not make the tough decisions necessary to stop the virus,” said Lanier. “That has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives, and it will continue to escalate." Thurman arrived late, apologizing for her tardiness. “Are you willing to publicly denounce the president’s policy F asked Lanier. “N o, I’m not," she said. “We have been over this." * * * * * * * Proudly Serving The Greater Portland Metro Area 503 / 286-1330 F LOWE s® ' Located in Historic St. Johns 8 3 0 2 N. LOMBARD • PORTLAND, OREGON 9 7 2 0 3 â J U S T B A S K E T B A L L , AS USUAL Tickets t 0 N S AL E _________________ s eason __________________ Ju st out m IN PUtUcATk* WITHE _ population ML PABA mdtmm iib o m s