A couple of years ago, I wrote about the 504 Sit-In, which was the longest non-violent occupation of a federal building in United States history.
But record-setting isn’t the triumph of 504. Rather, it is that under a month of occupying an office lead to a radical overhaul and implementation of domestic disability rights laws.
For 26 days, individuals who were blind, deaf, living with mental disabilities, using wheelchairs, and living with paraplegia and quadriplegia moved into the San Francisco regional office of the federal Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In many cases, healthcare providers moved in as well, there to provide necessary support. Allied community groups on the outside, including members of Oakland’s Black Panther Party, dropped off hot meals every day.
Thanks to the perseverance of the 504 demonstrators, we all enjoy improved accommodations in public spaces. Wider doorways. Curb cuts. Lower countertops. Is it too obvious to point out that many of these features benefit every single one of us, especially now that we need to maintain some physical distance from one another to ensure our collective health and wellbeing?
Occupations require endurance. Dramatic moments often punctuate long periods of profound boredom. Success is not guaranteed.
Stories about protracted demonstrations are useful right now. (Arguably, they are always a model for intentional living.) During the 504 Sit-In, the protestors played cards, had sex in the hallways, and took turns washing each other’s hair in the bathroom sinks.
Those brighter moments broke up the uncomfortable monotony. For many of the demonstrators, it was the first time they had ever been away from home overnight. Sleeping on the floor in an office building is difficult with any amount of abilities. If you can’t physically turn yourself over, or you need assistance with other daily tasks, the experience requires significant, unrelenting determination.
The 504 Sit-In was successful for one fairly simple but vital reason: everyone felt invested in the outcome. Common goals. Common good. A shared future.