For The Defense | November 2014

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
DPD Logo

November 2014


DPD budget to get a closer look

dave, dwight, twyla

Concern about the two-year budget for the Department of Public Defense and potential staffing cuts became a significant issue in the last two weeks, prompted in large part by the Public Defense Advisory Board's 30-page report on the department's budget. The report was issued on Friday, Oct. 31. 

While noting the county's financial constraints, the 11-member board urged county officials to take "a cautious approach" and maintain DPD's current funding levels during the first year of the biennium. Reductions in DPD's budget, the report added, "should be data-driven" and take place only after the department has a case management system in place that will provide greater analysis about caseloads and enable staff to identify areas where efficiencies are possible.

The County Council decided to move forward with the Executive's budget, which could lead to the elimination of several positions within the department. But County Budget Director Dwight Dively, moved by testimony last week about the impact staff reductions could have on legal services, suggested the creation of an internal working group to analyze staffing needs and caseload levels and to look for efficiencies without compromising the quality of public defense.

The issue came to a head on Monday, the day the Council was slated to approve the county's 2015-16 spending plan. Dozens of public defense employees turned out for the meeting, many of them speaking eloquently about the impact staff reductions could have on public defense. Three members of the Advisory Board also spoke, expressing concerns about staff reductions as well. Then, during a recess, Executive staff and Councilmembers worked to craft an amendment that would bar lay-offs in the department until April 1, 2015. The Council unanimously approved the amendment before passing the two-year budget.

The amendment gives time for this new work group to analyze DPD's workload and the impact budget changes could have on clients and the quality of public defense, DPD staff said. The work group will be headed by Dwight Dively and DPD Director Dave Chapman and will include other members of both the Executive and DPD staff and a member of the advisory board.

Chapman called the creation of the work group and passage of the amendment "welcome developments for all who care passionately about the quality of public defense in King County."

A PDF of the advisory board's report can be found on the County Council's LegiSearch site. Go to this link, then click on the hyperlink that says "Public Defense Advisory Board Budget Report - 31 Oct 2014."  

Above: Dave Chapman, Dwight Dively and DPD public defender Twyla Carter in the Council chambers during a break in council deliberations. Photo courtesy of The Stranger.


'Roll of the Dice' helps DPD staff explore issues of equity

Dave Chapman

Dave Chapman, King County Public Defender

Several weeks ago, I joined my colleagues at the Department of Public Defense for a day of training. But this wasn’t your usual series of lectures or panel discussions. It was a daylong, experiential program that took an unflinching look at race, economics and the criminal justice system – in other words, what it’s like to be poor or a person of color in King County and get caught up in the law.

The training was called “Roll of the Dice,” named as such because of the way random circumstances can shape the course of one’s life. All of the participants became fictitious people, using weighted dice to determine the kinds of difficulties we faced and how skin color or poverty influenced our circumstances.

More than 200 people from DPD attended the training, including attorneys, mitigation specialists, paralegals and investigators. A few members of our new Public Defense Advisory Board also participated. For many of us, the results were not terribly surprising. Those who work in public defense frequently see the disproportionate impact our laws have on people of color or those with few resources. Even so, it was a powerful experience, made even more so by some of the statistics trainers presented

Consider this: African-Americans make up 7 percent of the population in King County but represent 36 percent of the average daily population in King County’s jail. Whites represent 63 percent of the county’s population and 54 percent of the jail’s average daily population.

Presenters also talked about the school-to-prison pipeline, as well as sobering statistics about education in King County. Eighty-five percent of the county’s white students, for instance, graduate from public high schools compared to 65 percent of African-American students.

At DPD, we’re looking hard at these issues, working to try to address them where we can. The use of therapeutic courts is an excellent way to confront the underlying issues that bring people into the criminal justice system. Diversion programs, such as a new one crafted to keep parents of young children out of prison, can break some of these cycles. Others in DPD are working on these issues in their spare time and as volunteers: Consider the monthly criminal records-sealing clinic hosted by one of our divisions, staffed by volunteer public defenders and investigators.

I left the training inspired by what I heard and more concerned than ever about the unintended impact our laws and policies have on the poor and people of color. Our department provides excellent representation to those who enter the criminal justice system.

Like others at DPD, however, I know that's not enough. We need to also work across departmental and jurisdictional lines to make sure our laws are inherently fair and just. That work is certainly happening, but much more needs to be done.

CONTENTS


STAFF HIGHLIGHTS

DPD employees are making a difference! Here's a look at some recent highlights.

Lisa Daugaard, DPD’s deputy director, was one of three civil rights leaders who received the 2104 Roberto Felipe Maestas Legacy Award from El Centro de la Raza, awarded to those Seattle leaders who are working to build the “beloved community” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called. Lisa and Diane Narasaki, executive director of the Asian Counseling and Referral Service, were recipients for their exemplary leadership as co-chairs of the Seattle Community Police Commission.

Abbey Perkins was quoted in a story by AP reporter Martha Bellisle about motions she and other attorneys have filed seeking to hold the state in contempt for failure to place defendants who are mentally ill in a state hospital for competency restoration. Those defendants instead sit in a jail cell for weeks on end. And both Abbey Perkins and Daron Morris were quoted in another AP story about mentally ill people who get charged with assault while being "boarded" in a hospital ill-equipped to help them. 

Real Change published a commentary in its Aug. 27-Sept. 2 issue by Mike De Felice, who supervises DPD’s civil commitment team. The commentary heralded the state Supreme Court’s Aug. 7 ruling that found that “psychiatric boarding” violates the state’s Involuntary Treatment Act. Another column by Mike – this one on the due process rights of mentally ill defendants – ran in the June 12 issue of the Seattle Times.

Byron Ward, a much-admired attorney who has worked as a public defender for 36 years, is retiring. "Your calm demeanor and professionalism have opened many doors which have allowed clients to have exceptional choices," Dave Chapman told him in a congratulatory letter. Everyone at public defense wishes Byron happiness as he begins this new chapter.

Public defenders work to build new relationship with Seattle Police Department's OPA

Public defenders are forging a new and promising relationship with the Seattle Police Department’s Office of Professional Accountability in an effort to ensure SPD understands public defense concerns about police conduct and that a forum exists to address them.

More than a dozen attorneys and investigators from the Department of Public Defense met with OPA director Pierce Murphy and OPA auditor Anne Levinson in September after a public defender filed a misconduct complaint with the office about an incident that occurred a year ago. Murphy didn’t change his stance on the complaint, which he said did not warrant investigation – nor did they expect him to. Even so, attorneys said, it was clear to them that Murphy was open to their concerns, saw the defense bar as important sources of information about police conduct and wants to foster an ongoing relationship with public defense.

“I left the meeting encouraged,” said Cat Elliott, a public defender in the felony unit of one of DPD’s four divisions. “He was surprisingly receptive.”

It’s particularly encouraging, Elliott added, because of the timing of the meeting. Murphy is new as the director of OPA – he started a year ago after an impressive career as an ombudsman in Boise, Idaho – and is already beginning to institute changes in the way OPA oversees police conduct, trains officers and sets policies that can affect decisions about disciplinary action. A new police chief is also at the helm, and public interest, in the wake of a federal lawsuit, is heightened.

“He’s got all the stars aligned to do a good job,” Elliott said.

Elliott said Murphy and the public defenders agreed to meet quarterly. “Our goal is to further a dialogue. To me, just having the ear of someone in a position to make changes is a great opportunity.”

Lisa Daugaard, DPD’s deputy director, agreed. "It's great that OPA is so open to defenders' viewpoint. We're not on the same page yet, by any means. Defenders see problems with police practices that, traditionally, the police accountability system hasn't taken very seriously. It's a welcome change for OPA to invite us to educate them about those." 

Daugaard, who co-chairs SPD’s Community Police Commission and is a leader in police accountability in Seattle, organized the meeting with Murphy and Levinson. She did so after learning about a troubling incident from a colleague in public defense who found that a police officer omitted exculpatory information in his report.

Twyla Carter, one of DPD’s felony attorneys, was representing a homeless man who was charged with Assault 3 after allegedly attacking an SPD officer who was attempting to wake him up and get him to move on. The officer said the homeless man swore at him, pulled him into the bushes and assaulted him.

But what one of the officers failed to put in the incident report was the exculpatory information captured on his own in-car video. Carter, after listening to five minutes of silence on the video, heard a different story of what happened from an eye witness – first, that the sleeping man didn’t know the person attempting to wake him was an officer and, second, that the officer kicked him in the head in an attempt to wake him.

“When we got all that information and played it for the prosecutor, the case was dismissed,” she said.

Carter was disappointed with OPA's response to her complaint. Because the officer noted in his report that witness statements were captured on his in-car video, thus making the information obtainable, OPA decided it was a training issue and a deviation from SPD’s “best practices” and only warranted supervisory follow-up. 

Even so, Carter, too, was encouraged by the meeting with Murphy. He acknowledged he hadn't fully understood the situation and made it clear he would be more open to information from the defense bar in the future. “Pierce is very approachable and open-minded,” she said. “And what matters now is what happens moving forward.”


In memoriam: Roger Freeman, 1966-2014

Roger Freeman

Those who knew him well said he lived life fully

Anne Daly, Roger Freeman’s boss at the Seattle public defender agency where he worked for 18 years, once asked him why he wore a suit and tie to work every day. “Out of respect for our clients,” he told her. He wanted his clients to know they were important to him, that they mattered as much as anyone else who walks into a law office in need of an attorney.

Such was Roger’s deep and abiding commitment to the poor and often marginalized people public defenders serve.

Roger Freeman died on Oct. 29, 2014, 20 months after he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He was on leave from his job as a public defender in the Department of Public Defense at the time of his death. He was also running for a second term in the state Legislature, where he represented the 30th Legislative District in the House. He was 48, a husband and a father of two.

Those who knew Roger were struck by his profound commitment to public defense. For the last several years, he worked in the dependency unit at Society of Counsel for the Representation of Accused Persons (SCRAP), now a division within DPD. As an attorney, it was his job to help parents who had lost their children because of state allegations of neglect or abuse get them back again. According to those who worked alongside him, it was his favorite area of law, a practice he loved because of his deep belief in family and his desire to see parents and children reunited.

“Family was so important to him, and dependency work is centered around the family,” said Lisa Paglisotti, an attorney at the SCRAP Division who worked closely with Roger. He also believed deeply in a parent’s ability to turn his or her life around. “He often said that whatever situation you’re in, it’s fixable, if you have the services,” she recalled.

Roger’s commitment went above and beyond skilled advocacy. Viviana Gallardo, an investigator at SCRAP who worked closely with Roger, remembered a time when a mother was about to have her home inspected by a state social worker, a critical moment in her effort to prove she was a competent mother. Roger went to her house and helped her clean it, she said. He helped people buy groceries, paint rooms, “whatever he could to help parents get their kids back,” Viviana said.

Roger also cared deeply for children, co-workers said.

He helped to start SCRAP’s Raising Our Youth As Leaders or ROYAL Project (in fact, he came up with the name), a ground-breaking project that provides mentoring and support to young people caught up in the criminal justice system. And again, he went the extra mile: Elinor Cromwell, an attorney who worked with him in the dependency unit, recalled a time Roger invited a teenage client who didn’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving to his home for the day.

“He was just one of the most compassionate human beings I’ve ever known. He cared deeply for his clients,” she said.

Roger was also fun-loving, witty and energetic, a man who loved life and lived it fully, friends said. Viviana said he would sometimes come into her office and toss a football in the air while analyzing a case. “He always had a smile, no matter what, and he was always prancing around in a suit,” she said.

Indeed, one of Elinor’s favorite photos shows Roger – impeccably dressed in a tailored gray suit and tie – doing a little two step, while grinning at the camera. “It really captures Roger,” she said of the photo.

In the spring of 2013, when Roger was diagnosed with cancer, he was given 30 days to live. Anne Daly visited him and his family a few days later and recalled his upbeat spirit and determination, despite his diagnosis. He’d beat the cancer, he told her, and go on to write a book and inspire others.

Roger turned those 30 days into 20 months, Anne noted, not long enough to write a book, but long enough to continue to do excellent public defense work, sponsor legislation in Olympia and show others what it means to live fully.

“He did not get to help others battling cancer, but he did inspire others – more than he could have imagined,” Anne said. “He inspired all he touched to live, have faith, have hope, be positive, help others, and to love.”  

Celebration of Life to honor Roger

There will be a Celebration of Life for Roger Freeman from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22. The celebration will be held at Our Savior’s Baptist Church at 701 S. 320th St., Federal Way, Wash., 98003. Please feel free to share this information with others, as Roger’s family welcomes anyone who would like to attend . 


'Tough Love' shows how a treatment court can help struggling parents change their lives

Tough Love panel

A panel discussion followed the screening of "Tough Love" at the Uptown. From left are Patrick Brown, Alena Ciecko, Judge Julia Garratt and Judge Patricia Clark. Photo by Leslie Brown.

Filmmaker Stephanie Wang-Breal wanted to give voice to a group of people who rarely have one -- parents who have lost their children to the state welfare system because of alleged neglect or abuse. What resulted is a powerful new documentary – at times tender, at other times raw – that offers an intimate glimpse into the child welfare system.

Called "Tough Love," the 83-minute film profiles two parents in two different parts of the country struggling to put their lives back together and to prove to court and state officials that they should be reunited with their children. It has particular meaning to people in King County. One of the parents profiled is a quiet, sturdy man named Patrick Brown, a North Bend resident who lost his daughter due to neglect and then went through a rigorous, two-year program at the King County Family Treatment Court to get her back. He was represented by two county public defenders, Alena Ciecko and Patricia Penn.

The film played to a nearly packed house at the SIFF Uptown Theater in September, a screening that drew judges, public defenders, employees from the Family Treatment Court and others to the Queen Anne theater. A panel discussion that included both Brown and Ciecko followed.

In the end, both parents were successful. The scene captured by the filmmaker at Family Treatment Court, when the two judges who oversaw Patrick's case said he had successfully completed the program and praised him for his tenacity and commitment, was tender: His young daughter sat on his lap, holding him tightly, as he emotionally thanked the people who helped him through the process.

Alena had already seen the film but said it was quite meaningful to watch it again, this time surrounded by her peers and colleagues. "It felt like a good reminder of the importance of the work that we do," she said. "We get caught up in the day to day and forget how much of an impact we can have on an individual's life." 

The Family Treatment Court just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Alena was glad Patrick was able to go through it. "I think the Family Treatment Court is the ultimate model and am so thankful our clients have access to it," Alena said. 


Trainings that make a difference

investigators

Investigators come together for training by leading expert

In a first since public defense became a department, investigators from all four divisions came together for three days of training by a leading expert in child interviewing.

The training was led by Dr. John Yuille, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia who has served as a consultant to law enforcement, child protection services, prosecutors and defense lawyers. He has testified as an expert in the courts of Washington, Oregon, California, New York, Illinois, Colorado and Florida, as well as many Canadian Provinces and has interviewed and/or assessed the evidence of children and adults in more than 1,000 cases of alleged sexual or physical abuse, sexual assault or murder. For this training, Dr. Yuille used lecture and video as well as small and large group discussion to cover the information. He answered numerous questions from the investigators, drawing upon his own wealth of knowledge as well as research by others. Evaluations of the training were uniformly positive. Investigators praised the training as “transformational” and “the best training I have ever had.” 

Above: Dr. John Yuille discusses interview techniques with DPD investigators. Photo by Leslie Brown.

Leo Flor

Experts in veterans services discuss how best to represent vets

Leo Flor, an attorney at the Northwest Justice Project who specializes in veterans issues and who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, led two Continuing Legal Education classes recently that focused on how public defenders can best represent defendants who are veterans.

His talk, “Alternatives to Confinement, Mitigating Collateral Consequences and Enabling Treatment and Self-Sufficiency,” explored the impact incarceration can have on a veteran, questions a public defender should ask veteran defendants and programs that exist that can help justice-involved vets. The talk also included an introduction to the new “Veteran Defendant Checklist,” a one-page guide that gives a public defender a list of issues to consider if he or she is representing a veteran as well as key contacts for potential referrals. It begins with a basic and critical question: “How do you know if your client is a veteran?” Other experts in veterans affairs and legal defense also spoke, including representatives from the VA’s health care and housing program, the state Department of Veterans Affairs and the King County Veterans Program.

Above: Leo Flor discusses veterans issues before a roomful of public defense employees. Photo by Leslie Brown.


Two DPD employees give it their all at ITA court

Brook and Henry

Henry Zimmerman and Brook Buettner make a 'remarkable team'

Every day, two DPD mitigation specialists work hard to find the resources and support clients need to avoid months of involuntary commitment in a psychiatric hospital.

It’s difficult work. The resources – especially for housing – are scant. But the stakes are high. Those who lack the kind of carefully crafted outpatient planning Henry Zimmerman and Brook Buettner piece together might find themselves committed to Western State Hospital for three months – far from home and the support of family and friends. Others might get turned out onto the streets, only to land back in the civil commitment process.

So Henry and Brook pursue every avenue possible to create a better plan for DPD’s civil commitment clients. Often, and against all odds, they’re successful. Mike De Felice, a supervising attorney who oversees DPD’s civil commitment unit, calls them “miracle workers.”

Henry, with 35 years of experience, “can take on the toughest case … and come up with great placements, getting our folks into safe and stable living residences,” Mike said. Brook, new to the department but with extensive experience in crisis diversion and social work, “hit the ground running and has already made a huge difference,” he added.

Together, they’re a remarkable team. “They understand what our clients are facing. And they’re both very approachable,” said Cynthia Skow, a mitigation specialist who supervises Henry and Brook. “Clients will talk to them when they won’t talk to anybody else.”

The two mitigation specialists come to the job with different sets of experiences.

Henry, who has a master’s degree in counseling and psychology, began working in the field in 1988. For nearly 20 years, he served as an independent consultant and expert witness on ways to formulate less restrictive settings for those facing civil commitment and develop alternatives to incarceration. By 2006, he was doing so much of this work for King County that The Defender Association, then a nonprofit law firm providing public defense services to the county, brought him on staff.

Brook came to the county in June of this year, adding much-needed capacity to the civil commitment court, the fastest-growing court in King County. Brook has two master’s degrees – one in Public Administration and another in Social Work – and most recently worked as a manager at DESC’s Crisis Diversion Interim Services, where she oversaw a residential jail diversion program. She also served as Social Services Director at Sea Mar Community Care Center and has written several articles about public health and human rights for peer-reviewed journals.

Ask them about their work, and they describe moving stories: A father who had struggled off and on with mental illness and was slated to go to Western State Hospital against his will until Brook found insurance that enabled him to receive community-based services and return home to his wife and children. An elderly Laotian woman for whom Henry was able to find specialized mental health-supported housing. Homeless people and professionals. Clients with both mental and medical issues.
Once their clients are stabilized, they often don’t keep track of them, but occasionally, they see remarkable successes. Henry recalled a client who went back to school and became a counselor and another who became a real estate agent.

“People work with us at a time in their lives of great vulnerability,” he said. “Hearing about how they pulled it together – that keeps me going.”

“I really have a passion for people living with chronic mental illness,” Brook said. “Society has failed them so much. So when we can help them reach their highest standard of life, we’ve done something good.”

Above: Henry Zimmerman (left) and Brook Buettner play a critical role at the busy Civil Commitment Court. Photo by Leslie Brown.


ROYAL helps young people chart a new path

Tiana and Champagne

One teen's story shows the power of this innovative program

A year ago, Tiana Stovall found herself in jail. She’d been there before but only for a day or two. This time, a more serious crime – assault – had landed her there, and she was slated to spend 21 days behind bars. Tiana was 16 at the time, a willowy, wide-eyed teenager who, in her own words, “was making a lot of bad choices.”

She also knew she wanted to turn her life around and “get out of the hole” she’d found herself in. So when someone from the ROYAL Project visited her in jail and asked her if she’d like to participate in the ground-breaking program, she didn’t hesitate.

Now, a year later, Tiana is enrolled in Running Start, is headed for graduation, is working with a coach to find a job and has “a vision board” that outlines her other goals for her life.

“I wouldn’t say it’s easy. Life isn’t easy,” she says, expressing wisdom beyond her years. “But I’m in a way better place than I was a year ago, and I’m proud of myself for accomplishing so much.”

Champagne Lewis, a case strategist for ROYAL, is thrilled by the changes she’s witnessed in Tiana. “I’ve seen her slowly take the driver’s seat of her own life. She’s advocating for herself, solving problems and thinking critically. I’ve really seen her grow.”

ROYAL was started in 1998 by Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons, a public defense law firm that’s now a division within DPD. Its acronym – crafted by Roger Freeman, a public defender who died last month – is powerful: Raising Our Youth As Leaders. And indeed, the organization pulls in life coaches and mentors to help young people take charge of their lives and, like Tiana, start making better choices. The organization, helmed by Debra Baker, works primarily with youth of color involved in the criminal justice system.

Countless studies have shown that those who are incarcerated as youth end up in the adult prison population later in life. ROYAL’s statistics show the organization is changing that sobering trend:  89 percent of its youth participants do not reoffend; 72 percent avoid the adult criminal justice system; 68 percent report improvement in school attendance; and 79 percent reported receiving the tools they needed to become productive members of society.

“ROYAL is clearly making a huge difference in the youth who we serve,” Debra Baker said. “I’m deeply proud of this program and the impact it’s having. Our results indicate that we are developing young minds and changing lives.”

There’s no question ROYAL has made a difference in Tiana’s life. During a recent interview, with Champagne at her side, she spoke openly about the difficulties at home that led to her run-ins with the law. Her home life, she said, “was really overwhelming. And I didn’t have anyone helping me figure things out.”

She ran away, got involved with drugs and alcohol and found herself in one bad situation after another, she said.

Her life today is a different story. With the support of a life coach, she began reading books and watching documentaries that underscored the importance of taking charge of one’s life. She created her vision board, mapping out the future she wanted for herself. She got internships with organizations focused on youth empowerment. And perhaps most important of all, she has begun rebuilding relationships in her family. “My relationship with my mom is good now,” she said, smiling. “I really love her.”

Tiana has also spoken publicly about her experiences, serving on three different panel discussions about youth in the criminal justice system. Her message is simple but powerful. “I tell them that just because they made mistakes in the past mean they will in the future,” she said. “Your past doesn’t define your future.”

Above: Tiana Stovall (left) has worked closely with Champagne Lewis, her case strategist. Photo by Leslie Brown.


Laurie Fall Morris: A beloved colleague

Laurie Morris

Laurie Fall Morris, a beloved colleague at The Defender Association Division and a dedicated champion of public defense, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 17, after a valiant battle with cancer.

Laurie attended the University of Washington, where she received a B.A. in Political Science and Economics in 1994 and was the recipient of the UW Outstanding Scholar Award. She graduated from Seattle University Law School in 1998.

Laurie worked at TDA for more than 16 years, first as an investigator and, after getting her law degree, as an attorney. She began her career as an attorney in Seattle Municipal Court, then worked in felonies, dependencies, the sexual offender commitment unit and other practice areas. She was the first practicing attorney to supervise investigators at TDA, a position she took because of her keen appreciation for the importance of quality investigation to case outcomes.

Laurie was committed to training on investigative methods for both investigators and attorneys, arranging, for example, an office-wide training by Dr. John Yuille, a highly regarded expert in forensic psychology. Colleagues saw Laurie as a talented problem-solver – an attorney who could collaborate with police commanders to remove obstacles to officer interviews and with hospital records managers to facilitate records production. She modeled attorney-investigator partnerships and worked to improve understanding and collaboration between investigators and attorneys, ultimately enhancing the work both do for clients.

In annual performance reviews as a supervisor, Laurie consistently was praised by both investigators and attorneys for her knowledge, compassion, humor, accessibility and ability to head off conflicts. Colleagues also praised her for the high level of practice she exemplified and supported others to achieve.

At her office, she's remembered for her grace, warmth and honesty and for the remarkable strength she showed in the face of her diagnosis.

Laurie is survived by her husband Daron Morris, deputy director of the TDA Division, three beautiful children, Isabella, Miles and Clara, and a huge family of friends and colleagues at TDA and in the entire public defense community.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center at Pier 66. Memorial donations can be made to an educational fund for Laurie's children or to support cancer research. To donate to the educational fund, send checks made payable to T. Rowe Price to Kim Gordon, 1111 3rd Avenue, Suite 2220, Seattle, Wash., 98101. Or send checks to the Children's Cancer Research Fund, 7301 Ohms Lane, Suite 460, Minneapolis, Minn., 55439, with "Laurie Kathleen Fall Morris Memorial Fund" in the check's memorandum line.