Providing legal remedies for those 'fallen between the cracks'

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Aug 7, 2003 by Janice Francis-Smith

Oklahoma Appleseed has a very simple mission, according to Vice President/President-Elect Gary Homsey, an Oklahoma City attorney. "This is not just to help the poor people, not just to help the children - nothing like that," said Homsey. "It's just to help."

The organization seeks to provide legal remedies for those who've "fallen between the cracks," said Homsey. "There are unprotected citizens in every society."

"The Appleseed Foundation's mission is to build a just society through legal advocacy, community activism, and policy expertise," according to the national Web site.

"We work locally to address root causes and produce practical, systemic solutions. We strive for a society in which opportunities are genuine, access to the law is universal and equal, and power is used to advance the public interest."

Begun in 1993 at Harvard Law School, the national Appleseed Foundation today has 14 local Appleseed public interest centers in 12 states. At each center, members of the local legal community - from law students to attorneys serving the major law firms - volunteer their time and talent to accomplish judicial reform in their city or state. Lawyers take on pro bono work on any variety of issues.

Oklahoma's public interest center is located in downtown Oklahoma City, at 20 N. Broadway Ave., Suite 1800.

Since Oklahoma Appleseed was founded in 1998, the organization has accomplished a lot, said Homsey. Oklahoma Appleseed spearheaded efforts to create legislation dealing with school bullies, which was designed to help not just the victims but also the perpetrators, who are more likely than other students to drop out of school and to have trouble with the law as adults.

The organization targeted unlawful garnishment practices which exploit the financially illiterate, Homsey said, noting that Oklahoma Appleseed works hand in hand with Legal Aid on consumer advocacy issues. The center also spurred legislation that created a pilot program in Oklahoma County to provide public guardians for the elderly.

Appleseed volunteers research ways to better manage how mentally ill criminal defendants are treated and tried, ways to ensure that minority groups are adequately represented in the judiciary, and other related subjects.

"There's no hidden agenda - just great projects," said Homsey, adding that the organization is nonpartisan. "We look for solutions to the problems rather than just the symptoms."

The Oklahoma Appleseed Center was invited last year to participate in a nonprofit incubator program sponsored by the Sarkeys Foundation in Norman, which has helped Appleseed to continue its mission. Oklahoma Appleseed operates on a "shoestring budget," said Homsey, working with just enough funds to sustain the organization's work.

"We have some really dedicated volunteers who don't get paid to do what they do," said Homsey. "Everybody on the board is there because they want to be. Because of that, a lot of good things have happened."

Board members include Chairman Stan Foster, Homsey, Hannibal Johnson, Joseph Harroz, Emmanuel Edem, Martin Belsky, Nancy Feldman, John Gaberino Jr., Lawrence Hellman, Glen Johnson and Judy Morse - a group which represents some of the state's top talent serving various law firms, law schools, advocacy groups and corporations. Katherine Taylor, the state secretary of commerce and tourism, serves as an advisory director.