Protesters Arrested in Kennedy's Office

A seven-hour sit-in last week in the Washington office of Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) led to the arrests of four Boston area activists for the homeless who said they would stay until Kennedy endorsed a housing bill they supported.

James R. Stewart, a 1983 Divinity School graduate who led the protest, said his group wanted "more real involvement" from Kennedy in solving the problem of homelessness. Kennedy serves on the House Banking and Urban Affairs Committee, which handles housing issues.

The protest was one of several sponsored by the Washington-based Community for Creative Nonviolence (CCNV), an organization of homeless people and activists that often adopts unorthodox lobbying techniques.

The protesters demanded that Kennedy cosponsor HR 4990, a bill initiated by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to authorize $15 million for new low-cost housing, but Kennedy refused. His press secretary, James Mahoney, said Kennedy supported a competing measure because he thought HR 4990 would leave too many decisions to the discretion of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

"Joe has the same moral commitment to expanding federal involvement in housing [as the protesters]," Mahoney said. "He only differs on the mechanism for spending tax dollars." The spokesman said Kennedy will vote for the Frank bill if it comes to the floor, but he refuses to cosponsor it.

Kennedy is a cosponsor of HR 918, a measure that would keep rents low for poor families and would increase funds for housing assistance. Mahoney said the bill Kennedy prefers would authorize a sum "comparable" to $15 million but is more specific on how the money should be spent.

But Stewart said he was not satisfied with Kennedy's support for HR 918 because "it doesn't create new housing."

According to Winkfield F. Twyman, a legislative assistant to Frank, HR 918 would create half a million new housing units compared with 7.5 million under Frank's bill.

Asked why the protesters chose Kennedy's office for their protest, Stewart said, "People like us are willing to put our butts on the line--to be put in jail--for housing to be a right and not a privilege. People who claim to be advocates for affordable housing need to deliver the goods. None of the bills Kennedy has supported actually address the problem."

CCNV director Mitch D. Snyder added, "If our liberal and progressive politicians aren't doing anything about the problem, who will?"

Kennedy's deputy issues director, Joseph C. Feuer, noted that the congressman's Community Partnership Act, now in committee, would create partnerships between the federal government and nonprofit organizations already mobilized to create affordable housing. Kennedy has also written important amendments to other bills that saved 600,000 units of subsidized housing nationwide, he said.

"We are very proud of our accomplishments," said Feuer. "There is no question that Joe is the foremost advocate for affordable housing in Boston, in Massachusetts and in the United States."

Stewart said the protest was effective even though Kennedy did not change his position on HR 4990. "We made our point," he said. But Feuer said the protest would not hurt Kennedy's re-election chances.

Kennedy is opposed by Republican Glenn Fiscus, a Boston businessman running a low-budget campaign.

The protesters entered Kennedy's office last Tuesday morning at 11 a.m., spoke to Kennedy, but could not reach an agreement, Stewart said. They then refused to leave until "Kennedy put the homeless as number-one priority."

At 8:30 p.m. the protesters were arrested. They remained in jail until 3 p.m. the next day. Kennedy's office dropped all charges against them in court.

The sit-in was part of a series of CCNV civil disobedience protests against members of Congress that were planned to last from September 5 until election day.