 Throughout November and December you can support OCVLC by participating in the 2017 Give Guide campaign! You can find our page at:
Inside you'll find exciting news about OCVLC's participation in Willamette Week's 2017 Give Guide, articles dedicated to Domestic Violence Awareness Month and a bio on our new Finance Manager.
OCVLC's attorneys and advocate will again participate in Parents of Murdered Children's Day of Remembrance. See the attached flyer for more information. OCVLC hosted our first Open House on May 4, 2017. Board President Steve Doell welcomed a large crowd of attorneys, advocates, and supporters of our work to our offices. Board Secretary/Treasurer Erin Olson detailed OCVLC founder and former Attorney General Hardy Myers’ illustrious career in public service to the people of Oregon as well as his dedication to improving the system response to victims of crime. Hardy’s family attended the event, which included the dedication of our conference room and the unveiling of a plaque honoring him. Retired Multnomah County Judge Jean Maurer was our featured speaker. Judge Maurer spoke of the important role attorneys can play in representing victims in criminal proceedings to ensure victims’ rights are protected. Notable attendees included Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, Representative Jeff Barker, District Attorneys Bob Hermann of Washington County and Rod Underhill of Multnomah County, the Honorable Erika Hadlock of the Oregon Court of Appeals, and the Honorable Keith Meisenheimer of Multnomah County (retired). Inside you'll find in depth information on OCVLC's work at the Gateway Center in Multnomah County, updates on community partners and Board membership as well as a cover article dedicated to the Parents of Murdered Children annual National Day of Remembrance event. 
Due to the amazing growth of our staff and service area OCVLC is moving into a larger office space. We will still be located in the Raleigh View Plaza at 7412 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy in Portland but are moving from Suite 111 to Suite 209.
The big move is scheduled for Friday, May 20, 2016 and phone/internet services will be interrupted during the morning and early afternoon. Please feel free to call and leave a message and allow a little extra time for phone and email replies as we get our new space set up and get back to business. Our April newsletter contains info about post-conviction advocacy for victims and the Oregon housing crisis.
Click here to check it out. OCVLC is pleased to announce the addition of two attorneys to our staff: Yazmin Wadia and Nelly Wright. After spending nearly two years clerking for the Honorable David F. Rees in Multnomah County Circuit Court, Ms. Wadia comes to us with substantial knowledge concerning trial advocacy and court practices and procedures. A graduate of Arizona State University and Willamette University College of Law, she served as the Public Interest Law Project president and received a fellowship to aid migrant farmworkers in Woodburn. Ms. Wadia is passionate about protecting the rights of crime victims within the justice system. She will be working primarily with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Multnomah County.
Ms. Wright began working and volunteering at a domestic violence shelter in Columbia County, Oregon when she was in high school. Working with survivors of domestic violence at a young age ignited her interest in victims’ rights and advocacy. After graduating from Lewis and Clark College she attended Willamette University College of Law. In law school, Ms. Wright clerked for the Marion County District Attorney’s Office, where she specialized in violation of restraining order cases. After law school, she worked as a deputy district attorney for five years, where she specialized in domestic violence, animal abuse, and sexual assault cases. As a prosecutor, Ms. Wright had the opportunity to work closely with children and adult survivors of abuse. Outside of work, Ms. Wright enjoys fishing, gardening, and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her dogs and friends. Last October OCVLC hired Amanda Burnett as their Victim Advocate and Administrative Specialist. Ms. Burnett graduated Cum Laude from Western Washington University where she was chosen as the Outstanding Graduating Senior for the Political Science Department. She began her career in advocacy with Allies in Change, where she gained extensive knowledge of the dynamics of domestic violence. Ms. Burnett is committed to supporting victims as they navigate the legal system and assert their rights. Inside you will find information about our recent expansion of services, our new hires, a legislative update, and a case study about protecting crime victims' private records.
Click here to access the January 2016 Newsletter (PDF) Thanks to donations from Cheri Rogers Tolar, Design Source Galleries and photographer Andy V. Lindblom our new office looks amazing! Their generosity has created a professional and welcoming office environment for our staff and the crime victims we serve. Like what you see? Check out more at: www.designsourcegalleries.com AndyVicPhotography.com Today, the Oregon Crime Victims Law Center (OCVLC) announced it is the recipient of the inaugural Voices for Justice Award. The National Crime Victim Law Institute’s Voices for Justice Award recognizes individuals and organizations in Oregon who fight to ensure that victims' voices are heard in the justice system. When receiving the news about the award, OCVLC Legal Director Rosemary Brewer said “OCVLC is honored to accept the Inaugural Voices for Justice Award. We strive to provide effective legal representation to crime victims throughout Oregon, to give victims a voice in the criminal justice process, and to provide support and assistance to those who find themselves in terrible circumstances. Protecting the rights of victims gives us all a more balanced legal system, and we are grateful to be recognized for our work.” Founded in 2009 by prominent activists in the area of crime victims’ rights, including former Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers, OCVLC is a Portland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for crime victims to ensure their independent voices are heard and their legal rights are protected. In its five years of operations, OCVLC has provided free direct services to approximately 600 crime victims throughout Oregon. OCVLC has also helped raise awareness and understanding of crime victims’ rights by educating criminal justice professionals and community members and by promoting legislation geared toward keeping victims safe and creating a more equitable justice system. The award will be formally presented at the National Crime Victim Law Institute’s Voices for Justice Reception and Award Ceremony. This event will be held tonight in Downtown Portland, and will feature Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum as the guest speaker and former Chief Justice Paul De Muniz as the emcee. Representing OCVLC will be members of its Board of Directors including President and Founder Steve Doell, Vice-President Shirley Didier, Secretary, Treasurer and Founder Erin K. Olson, Former President and Founder Hardy Myers, Member and Founder John Stein, and Member Peter Glazer. Also in attendance will be all three OCVLC staff members: Legal Director Rosemary Brewer, Administrative Director Cristina Damiani, and Staff Attorney Melanie Kebler. On October 21 the Oregon Crime Victims Law Center assisted the family of George and Charmaine Meyers in persuading the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision to defer the projected release date of inmate Jon Johnston for at least another two years. Johnston was sentenced in March, 1992 to two terms of life in prison for the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Meyers. In June of 1990, Jon Johnston and his co-defendant David Selders were stealing lights and batteries from road construction equipment in Umatilla County. Mr. and Mrs. Meyers drove up to the scene and stopped their vehicle. Johnston and Selders got into their truck and drove away, and the Meyers followed. As Selders and Johnston sped away, the truck went off the road and crashed. They got out of their truck as Mr. and Mrs. Meyers pulled off the road. The Meyers got out of their car, and Johnston, who was carrying a rifle, shot the unarmed Mr. Meyers in the head. Selders and Johnston then beat the couple, who were in their 60s, with rocks, and eventually shot them both numerous times, killing them. Selders and Johnston fled the scene and only turned themselves in several days later when it was apparent they were about to be arrested. In his exit interview, Johnston blamed his behavior on Selders, saying he only shot Mr. Meyers because Selders told him too. He also blamed the Meyers themselves, saying he thought they might be armed since it was not uncommon for people in Eastern Oregon to carry firearms. (The Meyers had no weapons with them). After considering testimony from Carlene San Martin, the Meyers' daughter, Rosemary Brewer, legal director of the OCVLC, and from Carine Jefferey, granddaughter of the victims, the Board, in a unanimous decision, found that the inmate has a present severe emotional disorder such that he would constitute a danger to the health and safety of the community, and that disorder cannot be sufficiently controlled. Johnston's new projected release date is December, 2016. Daniel Primus, District Attorney of Umatilla County, also participated in the hearing. OCVLC represents family of murder victim Erin Reynolds at Conrad Engweiler's parole hearing7/2/2014 The Oregon Crime Victims Law Center continues to work with victims in the post-conviction process of the criminal justice system.
In May 2014, Legal Director Rosemary Brewer represented the family of murder victim Erin Reynolds at the parole hearing of convicted murdered Conrad Engweiler. Ms. Brewer argued against Engweiler's release on behalf of Ms. Reynolds' brother. Also speaking at the hearing were Ms. Reynolds' parents, her sister, and brother. Deputy District Attorney Russ Ratto spoke on behalf of the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office. The Parole Board has continued the hearing until August to seek further information concerning the inmate. A victim of domestic violence recently sought assistance from the Oregon Crime Victims Law Center to terminate her apartment lease early. Because she lived with her abuser, the victim needed to leave the apartment for her safety. The victim's landlord told her she would be required to pay a termination fee as well as several months rent before the lease would be terminated.
Under Oregon law, a domestic violence victim has the ability to terminate a lease without a termination fee if certain conditions are met. Legal Director Rosemary Brewer assisted the victim in getting her lease terminated with no penalty. |
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