On January 20, Justice For Vets Director of Development and Outreach Matt Stiner joined Captain Brad Cooper, Executive Director, Joining Forces, Office of the First Lady and Barbara Thompson, Director, Department of Defense Office of Family Policy at the US Conference of Mayors Annual Winter Meetingas part of the Military/Community Relations Task Force. The Task Force convened the panel to discuss plans for assisting returning war heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan with jobs, Veteran Treatment Courts and other support services.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is comprised of mayors from 1,300 cities with populations over 30,000 and actively promotes the development of effective national urban/suburban policy; strengthens federal-city relationships; ensures that federal policy meets urban needs; provides mayors with leadership and management tools; and creates a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information.
“It was truly an honor to speak to the US Conference of Mayors concerning Veterans Treatment Courts,” said Stiner. “As the chief executive of their city, mayors are critical to the growth of Veterans Treatment Courts. I urge all mayors to work with local law enforcement officials and the courts to help establish a Veterans Treatment Court in their community. When veterans return from combat to the cities they call home and struggle with substance abuse and mental illness, they deserve not a pair handcuffs, but treatment and restoration in a Veterans Treatment Court.”
Former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor was instrumental in establishing the Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court, now a National Drug Court Institute Mentor Court. “As mayor, I felt compelled to find solutions for returning service members ending up in the criminal justice system or sleeping on the streets as a result of substance abuse or mental health disorders,” she said. “By collaborating with the VA, the local court system and veterans organizations, we found a solution in the Tulsa Veterans Treatment Court to help those who sacrificed for our freedoms.”
To watch the presentation on C-Span, click here
