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Show from Central City by Barbara Smith Central City Neighborhood Council is beginning a volunteer recruitment campaign according to spokeswoman, Roxana Olivas. "We would like to develop more resident participation," she said. "We would also like to develop strong neighborhood block leaders. These leaders would serve as central figures to whom . . . residents can approach with their problems or in the case of an emergency." They would have free training and their expenses would be reimbursed. The only stipulations would be to be at least 1 8 years old, and live within these boundaries: 7th East, 9th South, State Street and 4th South. If anyone is interested, they can call Mrs. Olivas at 322-243or Viola Laxton at 6 or 363-459At the moment the Central City Council is undergoing a process to become a 359-964- 3 3. non-prof- it corporation. There free First Aide training program available at Central City. The class is given by the Red Cross and meets every is a Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. Anyone interested is invited to attend. from People's Freeway . . . by Barbara Smith The Neighborhood Council at People's Freeway approved the scope of the contract with Model One Woman's Answer to Cities at a meeting Wednesday, October 1st. The Board voted with six approving and two Fighting Poverty opposing. There was some concern as to the extent Model Cities would control the activities of the staff at People's Freeway if the Board approved the contract. "I don't want to be dictated to," was a comment from one of the staff. Ruth Ross, a representative from Model Cities was there to reassure the people and to finally wrap up negotiations. However, before the Council can begin implementing the contract, it has to go before several other committees. On October 14, the People's Freeway will sponsor a clean-ucampaign. University of Utah students volunteered to clean up two blocks in the area. Area businessmen will donate money for each student and the money will be used in a scholarship fund for youth who are to planning attend college. p low-incom- e Project Provides Free Counsel by Kirk Terry by Barbara Smith see how when sometimes conditions are and also get mad at the long time it takes to get things done. It's got to go through all kinds of channels. People just I The Misdemeanor Legal I How does one go about fighting the cruelty and the poverty of the world? Does one do it by sitting before a color television set drinking beer and continuously complaing about evil and corruption? Or does one do it by diving deeply into social activity, becoming involved as fully as possible? The latter, of course, is the most successful way. Mrs. Viola Laxton is the proof of it. She is a very community minded woman who generously shares herself with others. She is also a very fortunate woman because she has a rare sparkle and deep love for life and for all humanity. She lives at 539 Lowell Avenue with her husband and they have four children, three girls and a boy. Because her first husband was in the Army, she has had the opportunity to travel throughout the United States. She calls herself a "traveling gal. At present, she is actively involved with the Coordinating Council for Model Cities, she is the chairwoman of the Model Cities Health Task Force, Secretary of the Central City Neighborhood Council, a volunteer for the Community Action Program and block a leader. ' ' I get pretty u pset aren't practical anymore." "I had this idea once. All over town you see the city tearing houses down. In the meantime there are other houses in bad shape. What I wanted to do was move in before the demolition began, gather good, solid materials such as doors, windows, light fixtures and so on to use to repair the shabby houses. But city officials wouldn't let me. They said there was some kind of insurance problem. just couldn't I see it." never a dull moment in her life. Mrs. Laxton says in a There is quiet, gentle voice, "I'm not in a rut. I like working with people very much." Mrs. Laxton is also a very avid supporter of Rep. Samuel Taylor's busing proposal for a Free-Far- e transit system. "The big people who've got all the money don't consider the little guys. I'm all for Sam Taylor." Gilbert Olivas, an admirer of Mrs. Laxton, says, "She's a beautf iful person. She's working toward an effective change against poverty. She has a common desire, a deep interest to help others. She is living up to the Bill of Rights." Representation Project, funded through the Model Cities Crime and Delinquency Task Force, was not conceived directly from recent U. S. Supreme Court decisions, but serves as a method to administer those Court decisions regarding fair and quality justice. The applications of this project asre designed to be felt in the Model Neighborhood as an upgrading of our justice system, remedying legal procedures that discriminate against the poor - the access to counsel by anyone charged with a misdemeanor. The project provides that as the decision in the Supreme Court rulings direct, a person charged with misdemeanor, facing a possible incarceration and loss of freedom, may have counsel provided for them if they are indigent and improverished. Gilbert Athay, lawyer and administrator of the project, said that the U. S. Supreme Court decision of Argersinger vs. Hamlin, directs that if an individual charged with an offense that is accompanied by the possible loss of freedom, the courts must furnish counsel if the individual can't afford a lawyer. The catch in that decison, said Athay, is that the ruling doesn't indicate exactly who is to is pick up the tab for a lawyer. He said that Model Cities funded the project with $10,000 in supplimental funds and that the Law Enforcement Planning Agency (LEPA), created by the Nixon Administration, funded the balance of the project with $30,000. The actual workings of the project, explained Athay, are two fold. First and most useful, he continued, is the attendance by one of the two lawyers of the project at every arraignment in the city courts. Most people, he added, just want to ask a question, usually requiring just a simple yes or no, and really don't feel they need formal counsel. As the judges don't deliberate with the individual charged, he said, the project lawyers are available to answer any question and are avilable for anyone in court for that purpose. The second aspect of the project, Athay said, is the actual formal counsel in court trials. Here, he said, the income and financial background determines if the individual qualifies to receive free counsel. If they can't pay, he said, and meet those guidelines, they can be represented by the project if they choose, at no expense to them. The lawyers attempt to see the client at the earliest possible chance, Athay said. This permits the lawyer, he said, a chance to get familiar with the client, get his story of the situation, and take out the necessary procedures for bail. a model cities project Athay said that current refunding proposals include the expansion of the lawyer staff from the present two to four. The additional lawyers, he said, will be assigned to county cases, Justice of the Peace courts, as the original staff now work with city cases. Athay said that funding for the project in two years will become a point of prime concern. Because the U. S. Supreme Court ruling doesn't direct who is to pay for counsel for clients, and the judges have indicated and will still demand, that representation is made possible, Athay stated, the city will proabaly be the source for future funding of city cases. The county will probably assume the responsibility for funding counsel for county cases. The role of the lawyer, explained Athay, is not one of making decisions for the client as to the latter making a plea of guilty or not, but that of interpreting legal procedures and defining them. |