HomeMy WebLinkAbout690224.tiffMILLER AND RUYLE
ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW
DAVID J. MILLER -ROBERT A. RUYLE-WALKER D. MILLER
The Honorable John A. Love
Governor of Colorado
State Capitol
Denver, Colorado
The Board of 'County Commissioners
County of Weld
Weld County Court House
Greeley, Colorado 80631
The Weld County Housing Authority
Fort Lupton, Colorado 80621
Gentlemen:
TELEPHONE NO. 352-9467
1OO4 A NINTH AVE.
P. O. BOX 749
GREELEY, COLORADO 8O631
November 3, 1969
I am taking this action today as the President of Colorado Rural
Legal Services Inc. C.R.L.S. is a Colorado corporation organized
to carry out a legal services program with funds from the Office
of Economic Opportunity, an agency of the United States of
America.
C.R.L.S. received a grant of $275,000 from the office of .Economic
Opportunity, U.S.A., in May 1969.It must raise at least $27,500
in money or services on its own. I was elected President August 4,
1969. The C.R.L.S. work program is to assist the poor families
who have an income of $40.00 per week or less plus,_ $12.00 for
each dependent. Salaries of the Director and staff are commensurate
with the income of lawyers and secretaries of comparable experience
as reported by the Committee of the Colorado Bar Association on
Economics of the Bar. All officers and directors of C.R.L.S. serve
without pay.
C.R.L.S, has appeared before you as purported legal counsel for
Migrants In Action, a Colorado Corporation, organized by attorneys'
employed by C.R,L.S. The guidelines of O.E.O. do not provide
for representation of any corporations. No action has been taken
at any time by the officers or directors of C.R.L.S. to represent
M.I.A. or any other corporation.
As President of Colorado Rural Legal Services, I hereby advise you
that I have today directed that neither C.R.L.S. nor its Director,
Jonathan B. Chase, nor its Assistant Director, William D. Prakken,
nor Gary S. Goodpaster, a Reginald Heber Smith Fellow, assigned
iter
Honorable John A. Love
Page 2 November 3, 1969
to C.R.L.S. by the University of Pennsylvania, nor any lawyer or
other person on the C.R.L.S. staff shall hereafer in any way
represent Migrants In Action Inc. (M.I.A.) nor any of its officers
in any negotiations with the Weld County Housing Authority as the
owners of the Fort Lupton Labor Camp until:
1. Each migrant in the Fort Lupton Labor Camp complies with
Colorado Law.
2. Each migrant pays the rent he owes to the Weld County
Housing Authority.
3. M.I.A. or persons purporting to act in its behalf who have
collected rent from tenants in the Camp have accounted for the
money withheld during the so called "rent strike" in 1969.
4. All persons who are now trespassers in the Fort Lupton
Labor Camp move out.
5. M.I.A'. demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Weld County
Housing Authority and the officers and Board of Directors of
C.R.L.S. its financial responsibility and its authorization'to.speak
for those now living in the Camp.
6. The O.E.O. and the Board of Directors of C.R.L.S. authorize
C.R.L.S. to represent M.I.A.
7. iMI.I.A. demonstrates:
a. Its eligibility for O.E.O. legal services.
b. Its ability and legal right to act as a
lessee or agent of a Colorado Housing Authority
to the satisfaction of the Attorney General of
Colorado and'the Weld County Housing Authority
as the owner of the Camp.
8. Doctor Cleere, State of Colorado Director of Health,
establishes the health requirements of the Fori.Lupton Labor Camp.
9. The Weld County Housing Authority indicates its willingness.
to continue operations of the Camp.
C.R,L,S. is not a social action or activist group, no matter how
desirable the specific objective may be. All actions of C.R.L.S.
must be within the rules of law as they now exist. No further
action shall be taken by C.R.L.S. or any of its attorneys or
employees in relation to the Fort Lupton Labor Camp until the
need for such a camp is established by a properly authorized agency
of the County of Weld, of the State of Colorado, the appropriate
agency of the United States of America and the Weld County Housing
157
Honorable John A. Love Page 3 November 3, 1969
Authority. C.R.L.S. shall cooperate with all local, County,
State and Federal officials in securing adequate housing and jabs
for all present trespassers in the Camp. C.R.L.S. shall do all
in its power to assist the Weld County Housing Authority to pre-
pare a feasible plan for such temporary or migrant housing as
Weld County Housing Authority shall find necessary for the 1970
farm season. No attorney employed by C.R.L.S. shall act for
any person or resident in the Fort Lupton Labor Camp unless such
person makes a written request to C.R.L.S. for assistance. The
person so requesting assistance shall be within the eligibility
rules of.0.E.O. C.R.L..S. shall make no further threats to the
Weld County Housing Authority to impede it in the enforcement of
its legal rights. C.R.L.S. is a legal assistance program founded
by O.E.O. The money for the program comes from the taxpayers,
including the farmers in Weld and Adams Counties.
As to C.R.L.S. general program, it will help all those falling
within the established guidelines of 0.E.0. C.R.L.S. is committed
to working with the Colorado Bar Association and all local Bar
Associations. The Colorado Bar Association and its member lawyers
are committed to the principle that the poor shall have equal
justice under law. By the same rule, neither rich nor poor is
exempt from the rule of law.
As President of C.R.L.S., I pledge the cooperation of C.R.L.S.
with the State and local Bar Associations, and the fine legal
assistance and legal aid programs which they conduct. I wish to
emphasize that I speak only as President of C.R.L.S. I cannot
and I do not speak for you, the Governor of Colorado, Doctor
Cleere, the Colorado Bar Association nor any of the local Bar
Associations in Colorado. My action today is as the chief
executive of C.R.L.S. and is subject to review of the members of
its Board of Directors.
With kindest personal regards, I remain,
Very truJ,� yours,
DJM:djk
David J. Mi
President
Colorado Rural Legal Services Inc,
'C7
NI.LEi2 nwn R1YYLE
'ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW
TELEPHONE NO. 352-9467
DAVID J. MILLER -ROBERT A. RUYLE-WALKER 0. MILLER
con
Mr. Jonathon B. Chase, Director
Colorado Rural Legal Services, Inc.
970 Aurora Avenue, P. O. Box 1367
Boulder, Colorado 80302
Dear Mr. Chase:
1004 A NINTH AVE.
P. O. BOX 749
GREELEY, COLORADO 80631
November 3, 1969
As of this day you are directed not to represent Migrants
in Action nor any of the migrants who are residents of the
Fort Lupton Labor Camp except as provided in the letter to
the Honorable John A. Love, Governor of Colorado, the Board
of County Commissioners, County of Weld, and the Fort Lupton
Housing Authority, a copy of which is attached hereto and
incorporated in this directive.
Very truly yours,
David
Colorado
Services
DJM:ih
MiLlerf, President
4a' 1 Legal
nc.
155
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