Document text
Legal advice -- and new shoes Photo by Jim Craven U.S. Army veteran Irwin Johnson laces up a pair of size 12 shoes he found at Stand Down '99 at the Veterans Affairs Domiciliary in White City Friday. Johnson also found assistance in a special tent staffed by attorneys who volunteered to help veterans this weekend. The Stand Down, which continues through Sunday, is an annual event to help veterans. Lawyers pitch tent to help out veterans WHITE CITY -- When Irwin Johnson emerged from the legal office Friday morning, he didn't bad-mouth attorneys under his breath. Rather, Johnson, 39, an Army veteran pursuing a legal complaint in Multnomah County, was downright charitable toward the much-maligned legal profession. "This legal tent is really a good idea," he said, noting that his needs were met. "These people are great. It's something a lot of veterans need. "It saves us a lot of time and a lot of red tape," he added. Welcome to the legal tent at Stand Down '99, the event held each fall since 1992 for homeless veterans. The three-day event will continue through Sunday afternoon. Organized by volunteers, the event at the Department of Veterans Affairs Domiciliary offers food, clothing, medical attention, shelter, job counseling and legal help for down-and-out veterans. In military parlance, a "stand down" is a respite from a hostile environment. Under the olive drab legal tent with its dirt floor, veterans will meet with a variety of attorneys volunteering their time and expertise. The lawyers included folks from the Jackson County district attorney's office, public defenders and private attorneys as well as judges. "It's pretty much understood that it's a neutral zone, like walking into a Catholic church," explained Medford Municipal Court Judge Bill Haberlach, head of the volunteer legal team. Although Haberlach, a Navy veteran, could not attend the event because of a conflict this year, he noted in an earlier interview that the event is aimed at helping those veterans who normally don't have access to attorneys. "Many of these veterans don't get into mainstream society to take care of things," he said. "They may not like courthouses or judges. But if we can give them some legal help, that helps them get back into the mainstream." Unfortunately, most folks dropping in have legal problems well beyond that of Johnson. "A one-time visit doesn't usually clear everything up, but we try to help clear up some of the old cases that have been hanging over their heads," Haberlach said, noting that some veterans end up resolving their outstanding legal problem with community service. "A lot of legal problems are based on a drug or alcohol addiction problem," he said. "We try to help with the legal problem, then get them some help with the addiction problem." John Murnane, 44, who has been assisting Judge Haberlach in the legal tent for the past five years, understands first-hand how the attorneys can help the homeless. An Army veteran, he was homeless when he came to Stand Down in 1992. "I was living on the street," he said. "I was living on the fringes of society. I had medical problems as well as legal problems. "Somebody put it in my head that if I was willing to make an effort, there were people willing to help me out," he recalled. "I decided it was time." He solved his problems and marched back into society. Since then, he has become a certified addictions counselor with a degree from Rogue Community College. He is now a student at Southern Oregon University, majoring in human services with a minor in criminal justice. "I hope I give the guys coming in the feeling that this is safe for them to do, that this is OK," he said, adding, "We don't give people handouts here. We give them a hand up." Navy veteran Shawn Elmer, 29, recalled he was a bit apprehensive about entering the legal tent two years ago. "I was a little nervous going in, getting in that military tent and everything," said Elmer, who returned to the Stand Down this year to resolve a legal dispute involving a medical problem. "But they helped straighten me out with some tickets I had." Public defender Gene Thompson, 36, was there to help veterans Friday. Thompson is a former missile launch officer in the Air Force; his father retired from the military, and his brothers also served. "These people have some real complex problems and they don't have the resources to deal with them," he said. "Legal help is very expensive. They don't have access to the system other people might have." Tim Barnack, 34, a deputy district attorney with Jackson County, agreed. "Lawyers have a bad name," he said. "But there are a lot of lawyers who do a lot of good things. This is one of them." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA