The 1985 Armed Disease Control Center protests were a series of protests and riots that took place inside and outside of the government-based medical and mental health facility Armed Disease Control Center against the attempted murder of scientist Harvey Armstrong in Ralem, Roregon.
In the weeks leading up to Harvey Armstrong's attempted murder, and dating back years before 1976, the year when the Armed Disease Control Center first opened, Harvey Armstrong and Leah Kelly ordered the US government and then-President Roy Lee Admin to grant them permission to work on the project because they wanted the facility to "be the way that they wanted it to be." Starting in November 1984, Harvey Armstrong filed a four-month lawsuit against the government for refusing to allow Roy Lee Admin to oversee the project, claiming that the president of the United States was not licensed to work at the Armed Disease Leadership Center.
Over the course of three days, 15,000 people attended the protests and disturbances. On the first day, about 1,000 people participated in a peaceful demonstration known as the "March on Disease Control," which was held the day before February 2; just two people were arrested. However, the violence and riots climax the next day, when over 10,000 Harvey supporters prevented security from murdering him, resulting in several deaths and injuries, putting adjacent areas on lockdown, and forcing the Armed Disease Control Center to close for the rest of the day. However, on the third and last day of the protests, nearly 4,000 people turned out for another peaceful march named "Stop the Violence and We Will Stop."
Background
In the late 1960s, Harvey Armstrong developed hospitals in New Blockers City to improve healthcare access for the general population. His plans expanded into a project with the Roblox Health Organization, resulting in the early prototype of The Armed Disease Control Center by 1973. The goal was to help those in need, with a focus on mental health, supported by Michael Stewart. The project faced delays and changes, evolving into a government-based facility opening in 1976. Initially meant to be non-profit, it eventually included decontamination rooms amid security concerns and public criticism by the 1980s.
Since the Armed Disease Control Center was government-based and Roy Lee thought that since the building was based on the US government, which Harvey Armstrong's plans didn't want to happen, the original creators would have their rights taken away so that they could work on the project "peacefully," the two main architects who designed the building during its early development, Harvey Armstrong and Leah Kelly, were stripped of their rights to work on it in 1976, the year it was scheduled to open. As a result, Harvey and Leah refused to listen to the government and founded the "Own Our Rights for the Project" organization. Over the years, Harvey and Leah attended various events and organized a series of nonviolent protests against their rights being taken away. Protests reportedly grew by the 1980s, following a huge backlash over patient treatment.
Lawsuit between Harvey and Roy Lee Admin
Roy Lee Admin ordered for the security at Armed Disease Control Center to murder Harvey Armstrong
In 1984, the Armed Disease Control Center revealed that the medical and mental health institution was set to undergo a substantial overhaul, and Roy Lee ordered that Harvey be completely barred from working on the project. This resulted in a series of protests by Harvey's supporters, as well as a four-month lawsuit against the government, in which the then-president of the United States refused to allow Harvey Armstrong to take leadership of the project despite Harvey's refusal to listen and ordering his supporters to have him work on the project, and Roy Lee Admin claimed Harvey Armstrong was not permitted to operate at the Armed Disease Leadership Center.
In January 1985, a week before George W. Roblox was inaugurated, Roy Lee was reported "upset with the current scenario" and that he had planned an order for the Armed Disease Control Center to apprehend Harvey to help the project "run smoothly"; Harvey was briefed on the news the next day. However, his decision drew criticism from Harvey's fans and those who wished to protect him, who protested at the gate to the Armed Disease Control Center. On January 31, Roy Lee gave the order for Harvey's assassination, saying in a television statement that he "wanted the project to continue smoothly as he planned to be and that Harvey and his supporters were a left-wing moron who refuses to listen to me and the Robloxians people". The remark was strongly criticized by Roy Lee fans, particularly those of Harvey, who claimed it was false and violent. As a result, Harvey confirmed that protests were planned both outside and within the Armed Disease Control Center.
Protests
February 1: March on Disease Control
On January 31, Harvey informed his supporters that the first wave of protests will take place outside the Savanna Crocodile Wood. On the day of the first protests, more than 500 Rorgeon police officers were dispatched to the protest location. The "March on Disease Control" drew around 1,000 people from the United States, who marched down 45th Street and into 3rd Avenue for approximately one to two hours. Harvey led the protests and claimed in his address that "if Roy Lee wanted to take me away, we planned to take away his rights to be president." The statement was praised on television, but once Roy Lee was told on the situation, he said that he had "had enough" and publicly ordered that security "must assassinate Harvey" in order for the project to go as planned.
Following this, a smaller "March on Disease Control" occurred, and unlike the previous one, it was met with violence; over 900 police officers were present to prevent the protesters from walking to Ralem's capitol; Mason Ralem, the city's then-mayor, ordered a curfew that would last all night in response to the protests. At least three persons were shot by police officers: Dylan Stewart, 21, who was shot and injured twice in the legs; and Isabella Tucker and Aileen Conrad, both 31, twin sisters who were shot in the arms and legs by four cops. All three of the injured apparently recovered within a few weeks.
February 2: Protests and rioting at The Armed Disease Control Center
On the day Harvey was supposed to be killed by officials from The Armed Disease Control Center, at around 5:00 a.m., before the facility opened, he sneaked through a tunnel that had been dug since November of the previous year. Harvey next proceeds to a room that served as a parking lot, which he planned during the early stages of the building's development, before proceeding to another tunnel that led into the generators. Harvey then opened the door, which led to another tunnel that connected to the area where the doctors and officers were sleeping. Harvey opens the main entrance and gently travels through the rooms, hiding inside an office constructed by the physicians ahead of time, as the police were ordered to investigate outside rather than inside the facility. A group of doctors reported Harvey inside an office room by 8:00 a.m., three hours later, and two officers arrived at the office door. Harvey said the officers fired three shots at the door. After a few minutes, the two officers unlocked the door and discovered Harvey beneath a desk, leading to his arrest and the dispatch of approximately twenty additional officers to the scene and transport him to the then-former Freakout Room, where he remained hidden for hours.
By 7:00 a.m., Harvey supporters had gathered at the entrance to the Armed Disease Control Center, and there were approximately 3,000 individuals present. Despite security attempts to disperse the demonstrators, they were outnumbered, and by 9:30 a.m., after Leah was briefed on Harvey's hiding place, the protesters were ordered to break in. Immediately after, security opened fire, hurting twenty-two people, but were forced to step down and have their weapons confiscated. The first wave of protestors entered the building at 9:36 a.m. and rushed to burst through another entrance that had been barricaded to prevent them from entering. Harvey reported that he and his police heard "loud screaming, followed by gunfire." Several protesters smashed the glass of the tunnel leading to the Treatment Facilities, and one of them rode to the Heat Chamber; another group drove doctors inside the chamber, where they were burned to death. By 9:45 a.m., a number of rioters pushed through the door where Harvey was hiding and attacked the officers, resulting in a brawl. Harvey was then flung on the floor, before being lifted up and carried by former patient Anaya Estes.
Two officers opened fire on Anaya Estes, who was shot in the leg, while Harvey was thrown into the stairs, breaking one of his legs in the process and was brought to the building's front entrance. During that time, protesters attacked the security of the Armed Disease Control Center. Roy Lee had already been briefed on the disturbances and had directed the Armed Disease Control Center to commence fire and attempt to kill the demonstrators. By 10:00 a.m., security had opened fire on the rioters, who responded by opening fire and throwing smoke bombs. Two people set fire to the Cold Chamber, which was immediately extinguished by a crew of firefighters. Within minutes, surrounding buildings in the Ralem neighborhood were placed under lockdown, and schools were put on pause, with individuals being encouraged to stay at home. During that time, police officers killed between 93 and 150 protesters, and the riots seriously damaged many treatment facilities. According to sources, demonstrators slashed many doctors and threw them around after some of them were murdered. The demonstrators made their way to the back of the facility, where they raided offices and attempted to obtain documents from presidents and officers within. By 6:00 p.m., the main rioting had subsided, and much of the security was directed to prevent further rioters from breaking into the tunnels. By 10:00 p.m., the protests had stopped and clean-up had began. Patients, who were trapped inside of their rooms for hours without food and water, were treated on site; one was arrested from being violent.
February 3: Stop the Violence and We Will Stop
The day following the main protests, around 4,000 Harvey supporters marched on 47th Street and into 9th Avenue, where the Stop the Violence and We Will Stop march was developed, with many marching down the streets. Harvey was not in attendance, despite him planning to in the aftermath of the incident. Many schools and officers were placed on lockdown because to fears that they would become violent. Within hours, they were cleared up, most businesses reopened, and schools were closed for the next day, bringing an end to the three-day protests and rioting.
Aftermath
Planning reopening
On February 2, the day of the biggest protests, the Armed Disease Control Center shuttered for the rest of the day before reopening at 8:00 a.m. the next day. However, due to another set of protesters and the staff cleaning up the area, the facility was closed for the remainder of the day. However, on February 4, it was announced that the Armed Disease Control Center was planned to close for the remainder of the year, following George's order to close the facility for clean-up and building redesign, which never came into force. From March to December of that year, the treatment facilities were renovated, as well as the Heat and Cold Chambers, which were totally upgraded to safeguard them from future attacks. The Heat and Cold Chambers were intended to honor the doctors who were murdered in the attacks.
By December of that year, it was announced that the Armed Disease Control Center would reopen on January 2 of the following year; however, this was postponed due to George's desire to redesign the interior. Some of the members who worked at Armed Disease Control Center purposed a plan that had the 10-bed rooms to be expanded to around 100 rooms; the deal was never made as most of the focus was on rebuilding the inside of Armed Disease Control Center. Armed Disease Control Center reopened for the first time since the rioting on January 23, 1987, nearly two years later; source reported that one of the original reopening date was set for June 4, 1986, but was postponed due to concerns following a another protests. The reopening featured various doctors, and the ceremony invited George W. Bush to the site, where he opened the doors for the patients to be allowed down.
Effects on patients
According to a study source, students at Elk Grove Technical School and Mountainview Conservatory of Physicians and Surgeons, the building's main teaching facility, reported that over 100 patients who survived the rioting "felt more scared, had panic attacks frequently, and reported that they had a fear of going back to the place." The majority of them indicated blaming Harvey for the disaster, with just few criticizing Roy Lee Admin.