October 18, 2004

Activists Demand Action On Global And Domestic AIDS Epidemic, Taking Over Bush/Cheney Campaign HQ In Arlington, VA to Highlight "Compassion Failure"

Accusing the Bush/Cheney team of "compassion failure," AIDS activists representing groups from across the country took over the BC '04 national campaign headquarters in Arlington, VA today in a successful direct action.

Twenty-one people living with AIDS and HIV chained themselves to desks and chairs inside and outside the campaign offices; seven blocked the main entrance to the building and 14 others locked down at locations inside the Bush headquarters. Hundreds more marched outside the offices.

(L to R: Dianalynn Bodero, Olivia Brown-Dawson, Nancy Cotto-Laboy, Diane Williams, Paul Davis, Julie Pena, Robin Milim)

Six women of color living with AIDS led the protest, blocking the entrance to the office building that houses the nerve center of the BC '04 reelection effort. Large placards with pictures of Vice-President Cheney acknowledging that he "was not aware" of the AIDS epidemic among Black women flanked the protesters.

"Black and Latino communities can't afford four more years of the Bush/Cheney policies on AIDS," said Olivia Brown-Dawson of Housing Works, one of those who blocked the entrance. "They talk about compassion, but they give us funding cuts to front-line programs that are saving lives. They talk about compassion but they reject effective HIV prevention measures like clean needles for drug users, condoms for sexually active youth, and real-world HIV prevention and health care inside prisons and jails. Their 'compassion' is killing our communities."

The groups, led by Housing Works and ACT UP, pointed out that while the Bush/Cheney administration has failed to provide help for people living with HIV/AIDS, the issue has been largely ignored during this political season.

"On AIDS, Bush and Cheney are all talk and no real action -- it's a compassion failure," said Michael Kink of Housing Works. "During the vice presidential debate, Vice President Cheney demonstrated this compassion failure when he said that he wasn't even aware that AIDS was a problem among African-American women. Right now, AIDS in America is increasing fastest among African-American women, more than half of all new HIV infections are occurring in communities of color and they've done nothing to stem the tide of the epidemic. We've had 40,000 new HIV infections in America every year during this administration. And their prevention policies have made it worse, not better -- that's a compassion failure."

The action brought together domestic and global activists, both groups indicting the Bush Administration for serious and deadly failures on HIV/AIDS.

"We cannot remain silent while Bush/Cheney continues to ignore the greatest global threat known to humankind," said Kaytee Riek of ACT UP, Philadelphia, one of the protesters chained down inside the BC04 HQ. "Bush/Cheney has a history of failed programs in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. They have failed to live up to funding commitments to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, they have failed to provide adequate funding for domestic HIV/AIDS programs and they have failed to fully support debt cancellation for the world's poorest countries. They've had a total 'compassion failure' on HIV/AIDS -- they talk a lot but they don't get the job done."

Among the issues demonstrators highlighted was the United States's refusal to fully fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria despite repeated requests from the world community.

(L to R: Addie Stier, Jose Cruz)

"Even while he was telling the United Nations General Assembly the administration's compassion lie, President Bush was instructing his foot soldier Randall Tobias to reduce the US contribution to the Global Fund," continued Riek. "This comes at a time when the Global Fund needs $3.5 billion in 2005 to fund its lifesaving work in 90 countries. Because of the compassion failure of Bush/Cheney, the Fund is now looking bankruptcy squarely in the face. The American people need to know the truth: this administration has failed at every turn in the fight against AIDS."

"President Bush can't have it both ways," said Mary Shoemaker of ACT UP. "He can't claim a record of compassion on global AIDS while arbitrarily slashing funding that the Global Fund desperately needs. This decision means funds will be snatched from the hands of people who are facing death without access to treatment and prevention services in poor countries."

Michael Kink added, "While Bush/Cheney crisscrosses the country talking about compassion, nearly 250,000 Americans can't get consistent access to lifesaving AIDS drugs. The president asked for an emergency appropriation earlier this year of $20 million which is not enough to stem the growing tide of people joining the waiting lists for state-run drug programs. People are dying because they cannot get access to treatment. How long will the Bush/Cheney compassion failure be allowed to result in the deaths of people living with AIDS?"

The 21 activists arrested were charged with trespass and processed at the nearby Arlington Court House. The action drew media coverage from domestic and international network and cable television crews, several wire services and several newspapers. The local ABC and CBS affiliates ran live feeds from the Bush campaign headquarters at 5 and 6 PM, and the story drew nationwide media attention as well.

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Phil Fox Rose, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

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