27 Arrested in Protest to County Over AIDS Budget

A noisy demonstration forced Los Angeles County supervisors to recess their meeting Tuesday and ended with the arrests of 27 protesters who were removed after demanding increased AIDS funding and smearing “AIDS Care Now!” in red lipstick on a glass barrier in front of the supervisors.

The disruption, organized by the militant AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power/Los Angeles, was quelled by more than three dozen sheriff’s deputies and security officers.

Several dozen protesters, taking their cue from the final words of the Pledge of Allegiance that customarily opens board meetings, began chanting, “And justice for all.” They stood up and, pointing fingers at the supervisors, shouted “shame, shame, shame” while unfurling banners reading “AIDS is ignored by the county board.”

The demonstrators were escorted from the room by sheriff’s deputies wearing rubber gloves, then were lined up and handcuffed in a hallway. A few protesters had to be dragged out of the room. One demonstrator was chased around before being subdued.

The AIDS group, which conducted a similar demonstration before the board last year, demanded that supervisors increase this year’s proposed $60-million AIDS budget. The proposed $10-billion county budget provides no increase in AIDS funding.

The protesters also urged supervisors to reduce the two-month wait for an appointment at the AIDS clinic at County-USC Medical Center, speed up completion of a comprehensive new outpatient facility to serve AIDS patients at County-USC and establish a countywide HIV early intervention program.

Before the supervisors reconvened, workers wiped the scrawlings off the glass barrier with a squeegee.

“I can understand the goals that the ACT UP people have,” Supervisor Ed Edelman said after the meeting resumed. “I don’t necessary agree with their methods. . . .”

Dave Johnson, AIDS coordinator for the city of Los Angeles, told supervisors, “It’s very easy to sit here and talk about whether or not we should condone demonstrations. It’s very easy to take a squeegee and wipe the red paint off the glass.”

“You’re not condoning that conduct, are you?” Supervisor Pete Schabarum interrupted. “If you are, you lose me right now.”

Johnson continued, “People who depend on the county for health care are dying with AIDS faster because we finally have drugs that can help them, and we are not getting those drugs to people. . . .”

Sheriff’s Deputy Detta Roberts said that 25 protesters, including four women, were charged with disturbing a public meeting or interfering with a police officer, while two others were charged with misdemeanor battery on a police officer. They all were expected to be released on a written promise to appear in court, she said. No injuries were reported.

Tuesday’s protest came one day after nearly 1,000 AIDS activists demonstrated at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., where they demanded an acceleration in AIDS-related research.

Later, the board approved Supervisor Kenneth Hahn’s call for a federal study on digging an aqueduct to bring water to California from the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest.

“This seems to be tilting at water wheels,” said Supervisor Deane Dana, who nonetheless supported the motion.

However, Schabarum, who abstained, said, “If I brought this in . . . I’d be laughed off the board.”