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COMING MONDAY: New in town: Life on Fort Sill
Medical
marijuana
law
updated
BY KIM MCCONNELL
kmcconnell@swoknews.com
The laws governing medical
marijuana in Oklahoma con-
tinue to evolve, as new guide-
lines go into effect as the result
of legislation signed into law
by Gov. Kevin Stitt at the end
of the 2019 legislative session.
The changes mean new
emergency rules, which went
into effect Sept. 14, as well as
updates on current regula-
tions and new licensing cat-
egories. The new forms and
applications required for the
processes appeared on the
Oklahoma Medical Marijuana
Authority (OMMA) web site
effective Aug. 30.
State law gives OMMA the
authority to oversee issues re-
lated to the use of marijuana
for medical purposes, includ-
ing the licenses needed by
patients using medical mari-
juana, as well as the businesses
that dispense, grow, process,
manufacture or — one of the
newly expanded categories —
transport the substance.
The biggest change speci-
fied under House Bill 2612, ac-
cording to those who have to
help enforce the regulation, is
a requirement that businesses
hold a certificate of compli-
ance. That form specifies the
grower, processor, transporter
or seller has met six specific
criteria, as verified by the po-
litical entity that governs the
site where the business will be
located.
Within the City of Lawton
corporate city limits, that is the
license and permits division
of city government, the same
entity that controls the docu-
mentation associated with any
building construction, said
Community Services Direc-
tor Richard Rogalski. The is-
sue is much less clear for Co-
manche County, which has
no zoning or building regula-
tions. That means the county
doesn’t have those regulatory
offices, county commissioners
said in recent weeks as they
work through the licensing
issue being pressed by busi-
nesses who want to locate in
unincorporated parts of the
county.
The process poses specific
questions, which must be
answered “yes,” “no” or “the
political subdivision has no
applicable codes for which
to certify compliance at this
time.” Each question must be
dated and signed by the name
of the official who would be in
charge of that process. And,
OMMA said the documenta-
tion is required for all appli-
cations, as well as renewal of
licenses.
The questions key into zon-
ing and building codes: the
See Law, 2A
Volume 46, No. 8
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YO U R S O U R C E F O R I N F O R M AT I O N I N S O U T H W E S T O K L A H O M A
HOMELESS IN LAWTON
Military retiree Harold Davis, center, a member of St. John’s Baptist Church, 1504 SW N.H.
Jones Ave., has overseen its food ministry since 2011. Here he’s pitching in with Lawan Rivera,
on his right, point lead for New Haven Church, and members of that church who volunteer at
St. John’s feeding kitchen one day a month. Pastor Chad Fetzer said New Haven Church has
been volunteering there for two years.
Complacency obstacle to
reducing homelessness
BY MITCH MEADOR
mmeador@swoknews.com
Complacency may turn out to be the big-
gest obstacle to Lawton’s goal of reducing
homelessness to a “functional zero.”
“That’s it. That’s it,” Southwest Oklahoma
Continuum of Care Director Jervis Jackson
said when the millstone of complacency was
broached.
It’s as if people think the problem has
been licked. It hasn’t.
Monday through Saturday, the home-
less wend their way down Southwest 11th
from the homeless shelters to
the food ministry of St. John’s
Baptist Church. For years, lo-
cal churches and nonprofit
organizations have taken
turns working in the kitchen,
some for a whole week, others
one day a month.
JACKSON “You can see that migra-
tion every day,” Jackson said.
Recently, one church member took it
upon himself to have a television set up in
their lunchroom so that the homeless could
get in out of the elements and have some-
thing to watch while they’re waiting for their
meal to come out.
St. John’s is not alone in this endeavor.
Hungry Hearts serves meals twice a week at
First Christian Church. Pastor Jerry Dillard
of Faith-Based Church of God has regular
distributions of food and supplies for those
in need. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1193
is serving meals from noon to 3 p.m. the
second Saturday of each month, and Feed
the Children will be here to hand out food
baskets in November.
Drop in veteran homelessness
To date, Lawton has enjoyed great success
in its efforts to reduce homelessness, partic-
ularly among veterans. It saw an 80 percent
drop in homelessness over a five-year period.
Its working method — bringing together
all the helping hand agencies to achieve syn-
ergies, identify gaps and fill them — has
been adopted as a model for the four states
Index .
Abby 2D
Horoscope 2D
Schedule your
mammogram today!
Mitch Meador/staff
By Gary Reddin /staff
This is the first in a five-part series
examining the issue of homelessness
in Lawton. Today we look at the prob-
lem. Next Sunday we will look at the
causes of homelessness.
in Region 4 of the Association of the United
States Army (AUSA).
But, it has yet to reach its new goal of at-
taining “functional zero.”
“We’re not at functional zero yet. That’s
our goal, is to make it to functional zero.
We’re still pursuing it,” AUSA Fires Chapter
President James Taylor said.
Functional zero is reached when the num-
ber of veterans experiencing homelessness
within a community is less than the average
number of veterans being connected with
permanent housing each month.
Veterans Resource Center
“For us to get to functional zero and to be
a veteran homeless-free city, we have to get
this Veterans Resource Center up and run-
ning. And so we just have to hold the course.
We’ve been working on this for, what, about 10
years. And we’ve made a lot of progress,” said
Nate Slate, AUSA’s regional vice president for
veteran issues and longtime chairman of the
AUSA Fires Chapter’s Soldier Family Council.
The Veterans Resource Center he’s talking
See Homeless, 7A
.
.
Obituaries 8B Opinion 4A.
Sports 1B
Parade and
pride marked
second day
of 28th Annual
Comanche Fair’s
beginnings
BY SCOTT RAINS
srains@swoknews.com
With rain falling Saturday
morning to carry over from
the night before, the second
morning of the 28th Annual
Comanche Nation Fair started
out soaked to the bone.
Water-saturated teepees
lined the entry road onto the
tribal complex, 9 miles north
of Lawton. But with the ap-
proaching start time for the
fair’s morning parade, the rain
turned to sprinkles and soon
after, occasional drops as the
sun reached just above the
clouds.
The heavens would look out
for the Comanche people this
morning. But with the pros-
pect of seeing friends and rel-
atives and notions of making
more, a typhoon couldn’t keep
the Numunuu away from the
homelands.
Dusty Couch was getting
into a good position to watch
the parade with her grand-
daughter Treasure Cobb. Rain
wouldn’t dampen spirits. From
Lawton, Couch said she never
misses the opportunity to re-
connect at the annual event.
“Last year, family from Or-
egon we haven’t seen in years
came down,” she said. “We
come every year.”
Clint and Robert Taylor
Kennedy were serving coffee
and breakfast from their food
truck, Electric Eclectic Eats.
This was their debut on the
local food truck circuit. With
their truck located next to the
dance grounds, Robert said
events the night before made it
until around 8:30 or 9 p.m. be-
fore moving to nearby Watch-
etaker Hall to get out from the
elements. Prospects for sun-
shine, at least through the af-
ternoon, offered high hopes.
“The rain kind of put a
dampen, pun intended, on
everything,” Robert Kennedy
said. “It’s looking up today.”
Many looped up in hopes
and, after rain stopped, in
praise that the Great Spirit was
smiling upon the Comanche
people.
Smiles and boisterous
laughter rose when Larry Mo-
ralez and Pat Tahdooahnip-
pah met up. Moralez, of South
Texas, and Lawton native
Tahdooahnippah said the re-
connection found at the fair
is something that binds not
just Comanche, but all Native
Americans.
“For me, it’s keeping Native
tradition alive,” Moralez said.
“We’re all related.”
Tahdooahnippah said his
friend took the words out of
his mouth.
“I was going to say that,” he
said. “When we all get together,
we all meet friends.”
The sounds of laughter and
See Parade, 2A
.
.
Books 3D
f or
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2019 The Sunday Constitution | 7A

Local
THIS WEEK IN LPS
Monday
Crosby Park Elemen-
tary, Annual Goodwill by
the Pound drive begins.
Eisenhower Middle,
Academic Team, Math-
Counts practice and
Chess Club, 3:20 p.m.
Lawton High, College
Week.
Tuesday
Almor West Elemen-
tary, 5th grade to Discov-
ery Zone at GPTC.
Central Middle, Cod-
ing Club, 3:15-4:15 p.m.
Crosby Park Elemen-
tary, Meet & Greet with
principal and counselor,
5:30-6:30 p.m.
Hugh Bish Elemen-
tary, 5th grade to Discov-
ery Zone at GPTC.
MacArthur High,
Key Club, eighth hour;
9th grade All Region au-
ditions at TMS; Okla-
homa Promise Night,
6-7:30 p.m.
MacArthur Middle,
8th grade All Region
strings auditions at TMS,
3:30 p.m.
Wednesday
The above figures are from the last “I Count” campaign conducted Oct. 12, 2018.
Central Middle, FCA
– See You at the Pole,
The asterisks indicate statistics obtained in Lawton. The number from Lawton Public
8 a.m.; Open Doors 6th
Schools is from the start of the school year, and Southwest Oklahoma Continuum of
grade field trip to Medi-
Care Director Jervis Jackson says it generally tops 600 by the point-in-time count that
cine Park Aquarium.
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires in late January. The
Eisenhower High, Jos-
LPS figure is generated by school counselors, who include “couch homeless” (students
tens presentations – ju-
sleeping on a couch in someone else’s home), students living with grandparents, stu- niors, 8:45 a.m., seniors
dents living in substandard housing or places occupied by multiple families, and stu- at 9:45 a.m.
dents in actual homeless shelters. Andrea Winsett, the LPS homeless liaison, collects MacArthur High,
these figures from the counselors and presents only the total number to the “I Count.”
Statistics courtesy Southwest Oklahoma Continuum of Care To send E-mail to The Lawton Constitution,
FCA – See You at the
Pole, 7:15 a.m.; band to
Clinton Contest; GSA,
eighth hour.
MacArthur Middle,
FCA, 8:10 a.m.
Washington Elemen-
tary, 5th grade to Dis-
covery Zone at GPTC,
9:30 a.m.
Thursday
Almor West Elemen-
tary, Johnny Appleseed
activities during the day.
Crosby Park Elemen-
tary, Johnny Appleseed
Day for pre-k.
Eisenhower Middle,
Military Child Club,
8 a.m.
Hugh Bish Elemen-
tary, blood drive, 12
noon to 3 p.m.
Lawton High, softball
Senior Night.
MacArthur High, Na-
tive American Club, Vex
Robotics and Academic
Team meetings, eighth
hour.
MacArthur Middle,
yearbook pictures taken
in auditorium.
Friday
John Adams Elemen-
tary, Patriot Parade,
3:15 p.m.
Almor West Elemen-
tary, Frontier Army
School Days field trip for
3rd grade.
Crosby Park Ele-
mentary, Frontier Army
School Days field trip
go to www.swoknews.com
for 4th grade; 5th grade
to Discovery Zone at
GPTC.
Hugh Bish Elemen-
tary, Frontier Army
School Days field trip for
3rd grade.
Lawton High, Global
Character Day; Aloha
Dance and Clothing
Drive in South Court-
yard.
MacArthur High,
Homecoming assembly.
Pat Henry Elemen-
tary, Snack Attack; 5th
grade to Discovery Zone
at GPTC; JAG assembly,
3 p.m.
Washington Ele-
mentary, Student of
the Month assembly,
8:55 a.m.; Paw Mart,
intermediate; Frontier
Army School Days field
trip for 3rd/4th grades.
Woodland Hills Ele-
mentary, yearbook pho-
tos today; Student of the
Month assembly, PK-
2nd, 2:15 p.m. and 3rd-
5th, 2:45 p.m.
Saturday
Central Middle, NJHS
field trip.
MacArthur High,
Driver’s Education ses-
sion; Homecoming
Dance at Hilton Garden
Inn, 8-11 p.m.

Homeless
Continued from Page 1A
about would be located in the former
home of the Armed Services YMCA at
Southwest 4th and B Avenue. However,
a kickoff dinner for a campaign to fi-
nance renovations to the facility had to
be called off due to poor ticket sales. The
decision to cancel was made the after-
noon of Sept. 10, four days before the
dinner was to take place at Centenary
United Methodist Church.
Jackson said the committee is re-
grouping and trying to decide what to
do next to make the Veterans Resource
Center a reality.
“Lawton-Fort Sill could be a ‘func-
tional zero’ city. We’re a very patriotic
city in the Bible Belt. It’s obviously con-
sistent with our values and our patrio-
tism. And we need to be at functional
zero,” Slate said.
“For the Fourth Region and across
AUSA we’re viewed as a model, and
that’s very good, but we have to get to
functional zero because we should not
tolerate veterans being homeless in Law-
ton-Fort Sill. And I know no one wants
to. We just have to do the due diligence
to make sure that we bring this to frui-
tion,” Slate added.
Jackson believes some of the com-
placence is because the “I Count” cam-
paign rolls around this time every year.
“I Count” is a 24-hour point-in-time
census of the homeless across 16 south-
west Oklahoma counties, with particular
emphasis on homeless veterans.
Meetings to plan and coordinate “I
Count” were conducted with great zest
and much interest in the early years.
But as time went on, attendance lagged.
Now, says Jackson, he might have only
three or four there. Regulars like local
dentist Dr. Jack McKinniss know their
part by heart, and for them it’s more a
matter of “plug and play.” All it takes is
a phone call, and they can be counted to
be there for the event.
“But I desperately think at this point
just over the entire southwest region but
and click ‘Contact Us’ for a list of the staff.
particularly here in Lawton, where over
the last four or five years homelessness The Lawton Constitution’s home page:
has decreased by more than 80 percent. www.swoknews.com
“People talk a lot about the work that
we’ve done with veterans. But it’s been
that work that has led to the overall suc- Subscribe for
cess that we’ve had as it relates to home-
lessness. And so the decline has been 3 months $ 4300
consistent.
“Sometimes that gets lost. The mes- Get a FREE
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sage gets lost when you’re systematic in
your approach, as we have been. I mean,
we’ve done the same thing every year.” Clear
or
He outlined the four essential steps:
The fiscal year begins with an assess- Mesh
ment, the “I Count.”
“The point-in-time count is our as-
sessment tool. It gives us the ability to
look at the community, identify during
that one day the approximate number
of homeless people in the community,
and at the same time we’re trying to as-
sess the community’s capacity to meet
the need that we identify. So if we iden-
tify a hundred homeless people, do we
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“So everything that we do through-
out the course of the year is entirely da-
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collected.”
Next is to identify the resources
within the community to meet that
need. If they’re not there, it’s up to the
Continuum of Care to do whatever’s
necessary to create the resources. The
No. 1 resource requirement is housing.
Supportive services are No. 2, because
even as the homeless are being housed
they’re going to need a support system
to ensure their gains aren’t lost.
Third, “over the years we’ve been able
to get resources for prevention, which
helped a great deal. Because before, we
began trying to attack the problem of
homelessness without the ability to pro-
vide prevention services. But over the
years we’ve gotten that ability as well,
through the Emergency Solutions grant,
which gives us the monies to be able
to assist families who are about to be
homeless, so that we can end that state
of emergency before they’re actually

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we need to try to convey to this commu- homeless.”
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great success, and now is not the time to in Lawton, others elsewhere in the 16
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move forward and to try to put together tinuum of Care serves.

this final piece of the puzzle, which is the
Veterans Resource Center,” Jackson said.
“Maybe we just have not done a very
good job of relaying this message to the
public. … There has been consistent
change in the homeless community. Not
Mitch Meador/staff
A member of St. John’s
Baptist Church, 1504 SW
N.H. Jones Ave., took it
upon himself to get a tele-
vision set up in the lunch-
room of the church’s food
ministry so that people
who need to get in out of
the elements, as they did
on a rainy Sept. 13, have
something to watch while
they’re waiting for their
meal to come out.
The fourth and final piece of the net-
work is the coordinated intake system.
This system directly supports the Emer-
gency Solutions grant agencies to ad-
minister over $250,000 each year for
housing and prevention services.
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COMING MONDAY: Take me to the lake

580 Monthly in today’s issue: Saddle up for stories about cowgirls,

cowboys and life on the ranch in the October edition of 580 Monthly.

HOMELESS IN LAWTON Youth

sports
complex
proposed
for sales tax
programs
BY KIM MCCONNELL
kmcconnell@swoknews.com

Local supporters are work-

ing to finalize plans for an in-
door youth sports complex
that could be placed on city
property near Days Inn at
Northwest Ferris and North-
west 2nd Street.
The $13 million proposal,
which still is in the develop-
Photo illustration by Michael D. Pope/staff ment stage, was one of the
Homelessness has as many reasons as there are people. For those in it, the basics of food and shelter are found on the streets. first projects suggested in
early August when the City
Council began hearing pub-

Wage stagnation, lack of affordable housing lic discussion on a plan to ex-

greatest factors in homelessness
BY GARY REDDIN
greddin@swoknews.com
The two leading causes of homeless-
ness in the U.S. are insufficient income
and a lack of access to affordable hous-
ing, according to a 2018 report by the
National Law Center on Homelessness &
Poverty, a nonprofit organization based
out of Washington, D.C., that operates
programs across the country dedicated
to preventing homelessness.
The same report stated that 10.3 mil-
lion renters in the U.S., approximately
one in four, were classified as having “ex-
tremely low income” by the United States
Department of Housing and Urban De-
velopment. The same statistics revealed
only 5.8 million rental units were afford-
able to more than 10 million people.
According to Edie McKinley, the di-
rector of Lawton’s C. Carter Crane Emer-
gency Homeless Shelter, one thing that
often gets overlooked in reports on home-
lessness is how many homeless have ac-
tive incomes.
“I think people expect us to say it’s
drugs or alcohol, and it can be, but I can’t
even say that alcoholism or drugs is in
the top three reasons for homelessness,”
McKinley said.
McKinley said that, in her experience,
the two biggest drivers of homelessness in
southwest Oklahoma are wage inequality
and a lack of affordable housing.
“Lack of housing is a huge roadblock,”
McKinley said. “Especially when you
know rent is just skyrocketing here in our
local area and the wages are not keeping
up with the cost of living.”
According to the Oklahoma Policy In-
stitute, 15.8 percent of Oklahomans live in
poverty, or roughly one out of every six.
series examining the issue of home-
Those poverty rates are actually higher
in rural and small towns than they are in
major metro areas, and they trend above
the national average. Additionally, nearly
See Homless, 5A
tend two sales tax programs.
Extending the 2015 Sales Tax
Extension and the 2016 Cap-
ital Improvements Program
beyond their Dec. 31, 2025,
expiration dates would pro-
vide additional revenue that
could be used for new proj-
ects, said Mayor Stan Booker,
who has been guiding the dis-
cussions.
Among those projects is
one brought by three Law-
tonians who have spent their
own time to investigate simi-
lar complexes operated by the
Plano Sports Association in
Texas. The idea: build an in-
door youth sports complex to
serve youths in Lawton and
surrounding communities,
By Gary Reddin /staff while providing a venue for
sports tournaments.
This is the second in a five-part Brian Henry, one of the
three local men who have
been doing the footwork
lessness in Lawton. Today we look
on the idea, said the con-
at the causes. Last week we looked
at the problem. Next week we will cept envisions creation of a
non-profit entity to operate
look at the resources available.
See Complex, 7A

Abner Doubleday’s baseball International Festival

on display Saturday at Fort Sill

BY SCOTT RAINS
srains@swoknews.com

The boys of summer made

the best of a fall afternoon to
have a good time.
No, it’s not the baseball
you see in the run up to
the World Series, it’s more
akin to the way it was played
shortly after Abner Double-
day’s invention.
The annual ballgame
as part of Frontier Army
Days on Fort Sill’s Parade
Ground on Saturday pit- Gerardo Bello/staff
ted the mighty Cannonballs Members of the Fort Sill Cannonballs work to get to a ball on
against Troop L. the bounce to make an out against Troop L.
Scott Neel, curator of the the old style wool uniforms. Army post’s heritage, ac-
Fort Sill Museum, said the cording to Neel. From Jan-
The leather cleats and small
annual game is always a great
way to enjoy an old time base bill caps gave the players on uary through March 1869,
ball (old spelling) day out. each team the fitting look the 7th U.S. Cavalry, un-
A nice breeze and tempera- for the era of the 1870s and der Col. George Armstrong Gerardo Bello/staff

tures just cracking 90 de- 1880s that Saturday’s game Custer played ball against Allan, right, and Janell Avendano enjoy Saturday afternoon with their
grees made for more com- was modeled on. the 19th Kansas Volunteers children at Elmer Thomas Park during the International Festival. For
fort for the players wearing The game is part of the See Baseball, 3A Sunday’s schedule and more pictures see page 8A.

Volume 46, No. 9

Home delivery pricing inside.
©2019 Lawton Newspapers, LLC Index .
Abby 2D Horoscope 2D . .
Obituaries 8B, 3C Opinion 4A. .
Sports 1B .
Calendars 4D
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 The Sunday Constitution | 5A

Local

Homless
Continued from Page 1A
one in three Oklahomans
is employed in a job where
the median pay is below
the poverty level.
While wages stag-
nate, the cost of housing,
as McKinley pointed out,
continues to grow. Accord-
ing to the National Low In-
come Housing Coalition,
Oklahoma faces a shortage
of rental homes affordable
to extremely low income
households. The coalition
estimates a shortage of
over 65,000 rental homes
for extremely low income
renters.
“We have clients that
have incomes, but they
are at or below the poverty
line and finding afford-
able housing is difficult,”
McKinley said.
McKinley said the sys-
tem is even harder on in-
dividuals with previous fel-
ony convictions.
“We have a gentleman
here who was going into
his third month with us.
He’s got a job, but, because
of his past felony history,
he couldn’t find housing,”
McKinley said. “He finally
Courtesy photo
did with our assistance, est incarceration rate in the
so we’re excited for him, country, having recently
hopefully he’s going to be surpassed Louisiana. The
a good success story.” state’s incarceration rate is
Oklahoma has the high- statistically the highest in
the world when compared
to population sizes. Ac-
cording to Bureau of Jus-
tice statistics, 1.3 percent
of Oklahoma’s population
is incarcerated.
“We have a lot of felons
at the shelter. Felons have a
hard time finding employ-
ment and finding housing,”
McKinley said.
On average, individuals
spend around 12 weeks at
the Carter Crane Shelter.
The case managers give
each individual goals to
work toward and provide
them with the assistance
they need to stay on track.
“They don’t want to be
in a homeless shelter, and
we don’t want them to be
here, really. We want them
to be back on their feet
and living on their own,”
McKinley said.
The United States Inter-
agency Council on Home-
lessness estimates that, as
of Jan. 2018, 3,871 Okla-
homans experience home-
lessness on any given day.
Of that total, 327 were fam-
ily households, 313 were
veterans, 313 were unac-
companied young adults
between 18 and 24 and
908 were individuals fac-
ing chronic homelessness.

LPS superintendent application process opens Monday Read Dear Abby

BY KIM MCCONNELL
kmcconnell@swoknews.com
Lawton Public Schools
will begin accepting ap-
plications Monday from
candidates who want to
become the district’s new
superintendent.
The Lawton Board of
Education set the process
in place earlier this sum-
mer, working with the
Oklahoma State School
Boards Association (OS-
SBA) to launch the search
that will replace former
Superintendent Tom
Deighan. Deighan re-
signed from the district
in May to take the job of
superintendent of Dun-
can Public Schools effec-
from qualified candi-
dates. Applications will
be accepted through Nov.
8.
Once that application
period closes, the Board
of Education will meet in
special session Nov. 12,
where they will go into
executive session with an
OSSBA representative to
look at applicants and
choose candidates to in-
terview.
In the meantime, the
school board is soliciting
input from district pa-
trons. Three community
forums on Oct. 24 will
allow residents and dis-
trict employees to make
those comments in per-
son. An OSSBA repre-
daily in The Beat
survey for residents is in December, she said. job with Oklahoma City section.
available to complete on Officials have said that Public Schools). Retired
the LPS website: htpps:// means the new superin- LPS administrator Ken
w w w. su r ve y mon ke y. tendent could begin work Baden retired to the dis-
com/r/2020LawtonSupt- in the spring semester, trict to act as its chief op-
Search. Thomas said the although Thomas has erating officer, in effect
online survey will allow committed to working filling those two roles, un-
those who cannot attend through the end of the til new assistant superin-
a community forum to
share their comments,
2019-2020 school year, if
the new superintendent
tendents are chosen. (580) 351-9866
with questions geared
toward what stakehold-
must do the same for his/
her existing school.
AUTO ALIGNMENT Commercial • Residential
ers feel are the qualities
and abilities they want to
One of the new super-
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see in the next superin- expected to be selection Wheel Alignment & Balancing Take a Leak
tendent. of two assistant superin- Suspension Repair & Steering
School board member tendents, to replace for-
Kent Jester, a member of Dampers, Springs,
mer Assistant Superinten-
the school board’s search Struts, Ball Joints, Tie Rods,
dent Barbara Ellis (who
team, said the informa- Shocks, Bushings 908 SW 2nd St.
retired) and Assistant Su-
tion gathered by the sur-
vey and community fo-
perintendent Jamie Polk Mike Harrison, Owner 580-353-2055
(who resigned to take a (580)357-2234 509-SW Lee Blvd Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:00pm
rums will help school

October is Breast Cancer

tive July 1. The Board of sentative will moderate board members score
Education named long- public sessions at noon applications and develop
time Great Plains Tech- at the Hilton Garden Inn, the questions they will

nology Center Superin-
tendent Tom Thomas as
LPS interim superinten-
dent for the 2019-2020
school year, as members
work to find a permanent
superintendent.
The process to find
applicants formally be-
gins Monday when the
district and the OSSBA
begin taking applications
135 NW 2nd (during the
Lawton Fort Sill Cham-
ber of Commerce ed-
ucation luncheon) and
6 p.m. at Lawton High
School, 601 Fort Sill Blvd.
LPS employees will have
a chance to ask ques-
tions during a forum set
for 4:30 p.m. at Lawton
High School.
In addition, an online
Awareness Month
ask candidates.
Lynn Cordes, LPS ex-
ecutive director of me-
dia and technology ser-
vices, said school board
members expect the first
round of interviews to
take place the week of
Nov. 18, with a second
round set for the week
of Dec. 2 or Dec. 9. The
goal is to hire someone

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COMING MONDAY: New in Town: Celebrating cultural diversity

City Council to consider tort claims

Claims allege sexual
harassment by former
city attorney
BY KIM MCCONNELL
kmcconnell@swoknews.com
The City Council will formally ac-
knowledge receipt Tuesday of tort claims
filed by five female employees who al-
lege City of Lawton officials failed to
take action against former City Attorney
Frank Jensen, despite a long pattern of
harassment.
The women, all current or former em-
ployees in the City Attorney’s Office,
filed their tort claims Sept. 27, starting
the official count of the 90-day period
that the council has to act. Each claim
specifies a series of sexual or racial ha-
rassment and/or other inappropriate be-
havior, and each woman is seeking to
recover damages in excess of $10,000,
according to their claims.
Council members have 90 days from
the time the claims were filed to act,
meaning approving and settling the
claims or denying them. If the council
doesn’t take action in that 90-day period,
the claims automatically will be deemed
denied and the women could proceed to
the next legal level: a lawsuit in state or
federal court.
Council members actually will look at
— and have the option of discussing —
two items in executive session: the tort
claims filed by Melissa Clements, Denise
Ezell, Kelea Fisher, Kristin Huntley and
Megan Loftis; and Notices of Charge of
Discrimination that the City of Lawton
has received from the U.S. Equal Op-
portunity Commission on the women’s
behalf.
Because the issues fall under the
heading of pending litigation, they can
be discussed in executive session (mean-
ing, outside a public venue) but any ac-
tion the council takes must be voted on
in open session.
Although the pending litigation
would be filed with the council because
it is the city’s governing body, council
members also are involved because the
city attorney is one of four city employ-
ees who work for them (all other city
employees work for the city manager).
Jensen resigned as city attorney in Au-
gust and has a retirement agreement that
will end his tenure with the city in March
2020. In the meantime, he is a city em-
ployee who works off premises and re-
ports to the city manager.
In their tort claims, the five women
allege a pattern of behavior by Jensen
that constituted harassment and dis-
crimination, something they say the
city’s upper management was aware of
but took no action on, despite the fact
the actions have prompted at least 15
See Tort, 8A

HOMELESS IN LAWTON Saturday shooting

on Lawton’s eastside
under scrutiny
BY SCOTT RAINS
srains@swoknews.com
Lawton police blocked off
the area around a Saturday af-
ternoon shooting on the city’s
eastside but few official details
have been released.
There are unconfirmed re-
ports that a man shot his chil-
dren before turning the gun
on himself.
Police were called around
2 p.m. to the 100 block of
Southeast Trenton Road, just
south of East Gore Boulevard,
on the report of a shooting.
Upon arrival, officers secured
the scene and established a pe-
rimeter.
“The Criminal Investigation
Division was called out to pro-
cess the scene and interview
witnesses,” said LPD Sgt. Tim
Jenkins, information officer.
The police blocked off the
roadway for the scene to be
See Shooting, 7A

Michael D. Pope/staff
Tommy Frasier, left, receives a tray from Leon Jennings at the Salvation Army at 1306 SW E. Dining
facilities, laundry facilities and sleeping facilities are all available for Lawton’s homeless at the Sal-
Two murder trials bumped,
vation Army.
second-degree murder trail
Services are available set for Monday
BY SCOTT RAINS Delante Trevon Lawrence,

to homeless population srains@swoknews.com

The second week of the Co-

manche County trial docket
26, Lawton, is slated to appear
at 9 a.m. Mon-
day in District
Judge Emmit
will include a second-degree Tayloe’s court-
BY GRACE LEONHART murder trial but two capital room for a
gleonhart@swoknews.com murder trials slated to begin hearing to ad-
were bumped to the January dress why his
The Salvation Army Shelter, 1306 SW E, and is docket. case was moved
a busy place most of the time, said Maj. Joanna One of the first-degree mur- to the next jury
Robinson. der cases moved to the January trial docket. LAWRENCE
“In the winter, we have less people staying at the 2020 docket is slated to have a Lawrence
shelter, but in the summer we have a lot more folks hearing Monday morning to has been held on $1 million
because they can’t escape the heat,” Robinson said. address the issues causing the bond in the Comanche County
“We have about 10-15 people in our shelter right trial’s bump. See Docket, 5A
now. We take men and women but we also have a
family room.”
Robinson said there is a maximum stay of 10
days free-of-charge and after that, people have to
pay $10 per night.
“For that $10, we serve two meals, have showers
Sill soldiers interact
available and we have a large laundry facility,” she
said. “In fact, we reserve a time for homeless people
By Gary Reddin /staff
with e-sports pros
to wash and dry their clothes even if they don’t stay This is the third in a five-part se- BY MITCH MEADOR But in a world that puts
at this shelter. We even provide washing powder. A ries examining the issue of home- mmeador@swoknews.com high value on rapid-fire tex-
homeless person can even take a shower here.” lessness in Lawton. Today we look
At 6 p.m., the Salvation Army provides a meal ting and fast-paced electronic
at the services available. The first It used to be an insult.
that is open to the public. Check-in for the shelter is story looked at the problem in Law- The phrase was meant to gaming, to be “all thumbs” is
6:30 p.m. and breakfast is served at 7 a.m. and they ton. Last week we looked at the belittle boys too clumsy to hit high praise indeed.
have to leave the premises by 7:30 a.m. to find work. causes. Next week we will look at a nail on the head, or girls so And so Fort Sill Family
“Of course, some people are on disability or are the faces of the homeless. unhandy they couldn’t thread and Morale, Welfare and Rec-
See Homeless, 3A a needle. See E-sports, 7A

Volume 46, No. 10

Home delivery pricing inside.
©2019 Lawton Newspapers, LLC Index .
Abby 2D Horoscope 2D. .
Obituaries 8B .
Opinion 4A .
Sports 1B .
Books 3D

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2019 The Sunday Constitution | 3A

Local

Homeless
Continued from Page 1A
unable to work,” Robin-
son said. “Some volunteer
around the complex.”
Robinson also ex-
pressed the ongoing need
for volunteers. Several
church groups and civic
clubs are helping cook and
serve dinner, but more vol-
unteers are needed in all
areas, she said. A Sunday
breakfast is offered to the
public at 9:15 a.m. at the
Salvation Army Church.
“What’s so nice is that
anyone who cooks and
serves dinner doesn’t even
have to clean up because
we have people who can
do that,” she said. “The
people who are staying
here really appreciate what
we have to offer.”
There are several rea-
sons, Robinson said, that
people stay at the shelter:
families don’t want them;
they have mental health
issues; and sometimes
people are just passing
through and need a place
to lay their heads.
“People manage their
own medications and we
offer counseling for those
who want it,” she said. “We
also work with the Salva-
tion Army Drug Rehab in
Oklahoma City and it is
free to participants who
want help.”
Office hours are from
9:30 a.m. until noon and
1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The
Altus police arrest teen
for robbery, assault
BY SCOTT RAINS
Tiffany Escoe, executive director of Family Promise, shows how much room there is in
the dining room of the Day Center.
food pantry and clothes
closet is open from
9:30 a.m. until noon Mon-
day through Friday. To re-
ceive help with utility bills,
an appointment must be
made.
For more information,
call 355-1802.
Another shelter is
unique in that several
churches are hosts to
homeless families during
the overnight hours and
provide a safe place to stay
during the day.
Family Promise asks
for head and shoulder in-
local churches to partici-
pate in sheltering home-
less families, and volun-
teers take shifts to oversee
the shelters overnight.
Tiffany Escoe, a Lawton
native, has been the exec-
utive director of Family
Promise since Aug. 1.
“The volunteers who
help us are amazing,” Es-
coe said. “We have volun-
teers from Cameron, from
Fort Sill and from differ-
ent churches. We couldn’t
do this without our volun-
teers.”
Read Dear Abby and your daily horoscope
in The Beat section.
Michael D. Pope/staff
Escoe said that she
loves the community in-
volvement in this program
and that she gets to see the
action of the involvement
at work.
“We have an evening
meal for the folks and a
take-away breakfast,” she
said. “They come to the
Day Center and spend the
day. The bus picks the chil-
dren up for school from
the center and what’s great
about it is that they go to
the school where they
started the school year.”
Escoe also said that “We do a background
people who do not have check and a drug test prior
jobs work on their re- to them being admitted
sumes and look for jobs. to the program,” she said.
The center has curriculum “After I started, two fami-
that was created by Lead- lies came in and they have
ership Lawton-Fort Sill just recently left the facil-
Class 2018-2019. ity to a residence of their
“We teach the adults own. We have found them
about life skills, finances homes and jobs. The as-
and career choices,” Escoe sistance doesn’t end when
said. “They have a work- the families leave the Day
book to work from and Center. We help furnish
Family Promise also sets the homes with everything
goals for the clients. If they from furniture to dishes.
have job interviews, the Donations are always wel-
bus takes them.” come.”
Family Promise is For more information,
funded by the United Way call 353-7522. The address
of Southwest Oklahoma, is 901 SW 17th.
private donations and the The Carter Crane
Community Development Emergency Homeless
Block Grant Program, a Shelter, 1203 SW Texas,
U.S. Department of Hous- provides up to six weeks
ing and Urban Develop- of emergency shelter for
ment program. individuals and families.
“We can house up to 14 The shelter is a home-
people here and we do not like environment and
separate families,” Escoe provides all clients with
said. “There are over 200 case-management services
affiliates throughout the to help in gaining employ-
United States. The Fam- ment and housing. Clients
ily Promise Program has also are provided trans-
helped 950,000 people na- portation to employment,
tionwide since its found- medical appointments,
ing in 1988 in Summit, employment search, and
New Jersey.” other appointments in
The shelter aspect of the the form of Lawton Area
program is just one facet. Transit System (LATS) bus
Escoe said Family Promise passes. Necessary hygiene
also helps homeless fami- items are provided to all
lies get food stamps and clients during their stay.
Temporary Assistance for For more information,
Needy Families (TANF). call 580-248-0936.
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srains@swoknews.com
An Altus teen was ar-
rested for first-degree
robbery Thursday after-
noon.
Police responded to
an assault and battery
call around 4:20 p.m. in
the 1300 block of Willow,
according to Altus Police
Chief Tim Murphy.
“ T h e 1 5 - y e a r- o l d
male victim told police
he was walking home
when a vehicle stopped
and several subjects ex-
ited. One of the subjects,
who the victim recog-
nized, confronted the
victim and demanded
his slippers,” he said.
“ The vic tim refused
and while he was walk-
It’s Time
juries and later released. Large Wall Clock
28” Circumference
Police found the sus-
pect at a home in the
1400 block of North
Thomas and took him to Decorate
for Fall!!
into custody. He was
later released to a par-
ent’s custody following
the signing of a promise
to appear.
Police recovered the
Gucci slippers belong-
ing to the victim, Mur-
phy said.
Metal & Wood
Painted Decor
(USPS 586-080)
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 SUNNY 80•51 |
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INSIDE: Native American tribes tell their stories in Native Voices
COMING MONDAY: New in Town: A night out with friends in Lawton
HOMELESS IN LAWTON
Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel for the homeless is having cover overhead.
Two men share their
stories of life on the street
BY SCOTT RAINS
srains@swoknews.com
Being homeless is something that
happens for as many different reasons
as there are people.
They’re fending for themselves in
a world most people will never know.
Sometimes, it’s a life choice. Other
times, it comes from a life that leaves
you little choice.
From underneath a busy Lawton
street on the city’s west side, a 50-year-
old man named Keith makes his home.
Shaded from the sun, the breeze flow-
ing through the concrete tunnel makes
for sweet relief as temperatures reach
over 90 degrees a recent Friday after-
noon. Seated on his concrete bed, he
shared his reason why this is the life he
has chosen.
Homeless in Lawton
With help of her faith and
community support, Lawton
woman defies homelessness
BY HANNAH MAGINOT
hannah.maginot@swoknews.com
At 28, Chiclana Andino is a mother,
a daughter, a medical professional and
a strong Christian. She loves to learn
and to travel and has a long list of life
goals to include more college degrees
and learning to find joy in each day,
regardless of circumstances.
Three years ago, Chiclana Andino
was facing homelessness. How she
US Army Field Artillery Museum cannon demonstration
In front of the US Army Field Artillery Museum, Zane Mohler, Gordon Blaker, Harry Shappell, Aaron Siltman and Dilon Pestun fire a can-
non during a demonstration held Saturday at Fort Sill.
Volume 46, No. 11
Home delivery pricing inside.
©2019 Lawton Newspapers, LLC
O C TO B E R 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 | $ 2 . 0 0 | S WO K N E W S . C O M
ou defense rises to occasion — 1B
The Sunday Lawton
“If there’s any freedom in life, this
is as close to it as I’ve been,” he said. “I
don’t answer to anybody.”
Keith said if it were 200 years ago,
he’d be a mountain man or maybe even
a hermit. But here is as close as it gets. In
purgatory, he finds a form of paradise.
“This is about as cowboy as you can
get,” he said as he rested against the cool
concrete wall. “If there were big moun-
tains, I’d be on top of one right now.”
Surrounded by sparse belongings,
Keith said he doesn’t need much in life.
He has, for the most part, what he needs.
“I really don’t have much of a story,”
he said. “The Lord told me it was what
I’m supposed to be doing.”
Life on the streets followed owning
his own roofing business for 15 years.
After five years of crisis of thought,
See Street, 8A
got there was not her choice nor was
it something she ever envisioned for
herself.
But it was her reality.
One recent morning while sipping
coffee, Chiclana Andino’s caramel-col-
ored eyes shone brightly and her rich
laughter came easily, even as she shared
the painful story of her journey through
homelessness in Lawton.
A NEW ADVENTURE
Chiclana Andino grew up in Caro-
lina, Puerto Rico, a city on the island’s
northeast coast, near the capital city of
San Juan. Her childhood was a happy
one, and she described her family as
close-knit. Chiclana Andino’s parents
Index .
Abby 2D Horoscope 2D.
Medicine Park
Flute Fest and Art
Walk kicks off
with a breeze
BY SCOTT RAINS
srains@swoknews.com
There’s something about
a Saturday afternoon spent
walking through the Wichita
Mountains cobblestone com-
munity that makes the heart
full and the soul soothe.
That the weather offered a
perfect mid-60s temperature
and the sun shined like a smile
from the sky made the open-
ing day of the 11th Annual
Medicine Park Art Walk and
Flute Festival a hit for visitors.
The sounds of flute music and
the almost endless array of
vendors and artisans offered
the most laid back festival at-
mosphere possible.
Walking past the Riverside
Photo illustration by Michael D. Pope/staff Café, Medicine Park’s blues-
man in residence Big Pete
Piehnik serenaded diners as
well as visitors with a perfor-
mance of The Band’s “Up On
Cripple Creek.” It felt like a tra-
ditional greeting for the jour-
ney along Medicine Creek.
Full-blood Kiowa artisan
and flutist Patrick Redbird
said it couldn’t have been a
better start to the free festival.
“It’s going fairly well,” he
said. “We’re enjoying our-
selves.”
Redbird told of the Native
Dance competition earlier in
See Flute, 2A
By Gary Reddin /staff
This is the fourth in a five-part
series examining the issue of home-
lessness in Lawton. Today those
who are homeless and those who
have been homeless tell their sto-
ries. The first story in the series
looked at the problem in Lawton.
The second installment looked at
the causes. Last week we looked at
help available and next week we talk
about homeless students.
Gerardo Bello/staff
taught her to work hard, be honest and Crazy Flute’s Sandy Czerwiski
always take responsibility. plays the flute with accompa-
“’Your word is your law’ — my dad niment by Jack Hollan on the
always loved to say that to us,” Chiclana hand drum from the Bath Lake
Andino said. stage in the middle of Med-
At 19, she had graduated from high icine Creek Saturday on the
school and had a year’s worth of univer- first day of the Flute Fest and
sity credits under her belt, along with a Art Walk.
job and a car.
But she decided it was time for a new
adventure and bought a one-way plane
ticket to Lawton.
Chiclana Andino arrived in south- City’s 2nd
west Oklahoma in May 2011, at the be-
ginning of a summer that broke heat
Indigenous Peoples’
records across the state. Day designed
“It was super hot,” she recalled, chuck-
See Homeless, 8A to celebrate, educate
BY SCOTT RAINS
srains@swoknews.com
With Monday’s Indige-
nous Peoples’ Day celebra-
tion marking its second year
in Lawton, the meaning for
its reason remains the driving
principal.
Housed on what was once
part of the Kiowa-Coman-
che-Apache reser vation,
Lawton’s City Hall will host
the morning’s ceremonials
with a celebratory opening.
Beginning with the blessing
Gerardo Bello/staff
of the grounds, the connec-
tive spirit between the original
See Indigenous, 7A
.
Obituaries 8B, 2C Opinion 4A. .
Sports 1B
8A | The Sunday Constitution
Street
Continued from Page 1A
Keith craved freedom
without being forced to
conform to labels like
“dependable.”
“If I’m offered a job,
I’m expected to be de-
pendable,” he said. “I
don’t want to do that. It
feels like voodoo being
put on me.”
B or n on L awton’s
birthday, Keith said his
hometown is his home.
Under this bridge is shel-
ter. Despite heat over-
head, a tunnel of breeze
keeps things climate con-
trolled in this makeshift
home.
It’s been Keith’s home
for 1½ years. He spent
the prior three years at
another “squat” before
moving here.
Homeless
Continued from Page 1A
ling, “I felt like I was
drowning.”
She found a job at a ho-
tel on Fort Sill and made
friends at her new church.
She soon fell in love with
a co-worker, and the two
decided to get married. Al-
most exactly one year after
their wedding, the couple
had a son.
The next two years were,
for Chiclana Andino, nor-
mal — ideal, even. She
grew into her new role as a
stay-at-home mother and
was content spending the
days supporting her new
husband and child.
Everything was going
well — until it wasn’t.
TURNING UPSIDE
DOWN
One August Saturday
in 2016, Chiclana An-
dino came home from
a church retreat to find
her husband had left her;
there was no explana-
tion, no discussion. He’d
packed his clothes, took
the couple’s only car and
three days later, called to
say his wife and son had
a few weeks to get out of
the house they’d rented
together.
“I was shocked,” Chi-
clana Andino said. “I was
hurt. I was in disbelief.
I thought, ‘Why are you
doing this to me and my
son?’ ... Nobody gets mar-
ried to get divorced.”
She immediately went
to work arranging rides to
take her son to his early
headstart school and her
to classes at Platt College,
where she’d enrolled the
previous spring.
Then, the utilities com-
pany turned off the water
in the house. Chiclana An-
dino knew it was time to
go, though leaving was so
bitter.
“I left my memories, my
photos, my son’s toys,” she
said. “That house, to me,
represented my family, but
I had to walk away.”
One Sunday after
church, Chiclana An-
dino packed two bags and
headed to Family Prom-
ise, which connects its
guest families with local
churches who take turns
providing overnight beds.
Each day, Chiclana An-
dino got up, packed and
ready by 7 a.m. She and
her son would get in a
van that would then drop
them off at their schools.
She would go to class until
2 p.m., then walk to catch a
bus to pick up her son from
school and make it back to
Family Promise by 4, when
they’d load up their meager
belongings and be driven
to the next church.
The churches provided
dinner, which most days,
was Chiclana Andino’s
only meal. She often drank
a lot of water to trick her
stomach into thinking it
was full.
By the end of each day,
she was exhausted, physi-
cally and mentally. But she
Po l i c e h av e b e e n
friendly and often watch
out for him, said the lone
man. The only real treach-
ery faced, Keith said, is
when rainwater comes
rushing through the ca-
nal.
“There’ve been times,
luckily, I’ve woke up be-
fore the waters got to me,”
he said. “But it’s not that
bad, man. To me it ain’t.
I’ve got a roof over my
head and a door at both
ends.”
Food is something
Keith said is available.
He finds it where he can
and often goes to some
of the local churches
that feed people. Money
isn’t something he thinks
about much. If not happy,
at least, he said, he’s satis-
fied. Life is something you
continue to survive every
day until you don’t.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a
happy guy; I enjoy things,”
This is the fourth in a five-
part series examining the
issue of homelessness in
Lawton. Today we look at
the story of an individual
who faced and overcame
homelessness. The first
two stories looked at the
challenges and causes of
being homeless in Lawton.
Last week we looked at
services available in the
community. Next week
we will look at how lo-
cal schools are address-
ing homelessness among
youths.
was determined.
“I would show up to
school, I would show up
at church, lift my arms in
praise and then go back to
the shelter,” she said.
She didn’t want to gar-
ner sympathy, especially
from her classmates at Platt
College, where she never
revealed she didn’t have a
home.
“Outside those walls, I
was a newly single mom;
I was jobless, homeless,
black, Latina,” she said. “I
was all the minorities in the
world at once.”
Over and over, she had
to explain her situation to
authorities from whom she
sought assistance, like the
Department of Human
Services.
“Labels are really pow-
erful and stigma is really
powerful,” she said. “I knew
what they saw when they
looked at me — especially
when I opened my mouth
and I had an accent — and
I don’t blame them. They’re
just using the same ruler to
measure everyone by the
same stereotypes.”
But Chiclana Andino
refused to be a stereotype
or a statistic.
“I’m me — I’m not what
everybody wants to say I
am,” she said. “I’m the same
girl who left Puerto Rico
with hopes and dreams.”
MOVING FORWARD
After just 20 days at
Family Promise, she had
an approved housing ap-
plication, money saved for
a deposit and then a key for
her new apartment.
“Ooo, that felt so good,”
Chiclana Andino said, eyes
lighting up at the memory.
“I didn’t care if I had to
sleep on the floor, I was so
excited. It was one of the
best days of my life.”
Little by little, the apart-
ment on the east side of
town became a home, and
Chiclana Andino and her
son are still there. Every
time her rent goes up in the
low-income housing com-
plex, it means she’s earning
more money, so she cele-
brates.
In February 2017, Chi-
clana Andino graduated
summa cum laude from
Platt College. She did her
clinicals at Comanche
County Memorial Hospital
and was offered a job at the
Tomlinson Medical Com-
plex as a medical assistant.
Chiclana Andino wasn’t
without scars from experi-
encing homelessness.
Shortly after she left
Family Promise, Chiclana
Andino started regularly
seeing a counselor, which
Local
he said. “I’ve never been a
happy person. Happy isn’t
in me.”
A slender man wear-
ing a ballcap, a Pink Floyd
T-shirt and slim jeans, C.J.
looked into a dumpster
in search of something to
salvage or, hopefully, eat.
At 29, his path brought
him to Lawton by way of
Jacksonville, Fla.
“I’d been in prison for
a few years,” he said. “My
brother’s in the military
so I moved here to get a
fresh start, you could say.”
C.J. said his nomadic
life began with a hitchhik-
ing adventure that started
in Iowa. He traveled the
country for over a year
before returning to Flor-
ida. Once back home, he
stayed on the streets.
“I mean, why not,” he
said. “Once you’re com-
fortable with it it’s not so
bad.”
With his backpack
she credits with helping
her battle panic attacks and
“break down boxes” she’d
built in her mind about her
value and identity.
Chiclana Andino
also said her normally
free-flowing communica-
tion with God was stifled
while she faced homeless-
ness.
“I didn’t want to talk
to him,” she said. “There
wasn’t a whole lot of con-
versation in our relation-
ship.”
Since then, Chiclana
Andino has relearned to
rely on her faith to get
her through each day, re-
around her. Get read
gardless of what’s going on
“He’s my source,” she
saving o for t
said of God. “Now, when I
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stuffed with treasures
from the day’s hunt
through the city’s cast
offs, C.J. said he likes to
stay mobile. This life is his
through choice, in some
ways.
“If I really wanted to
work, I could get a job,”
he said. “But you can’t live
on a minimum wage. Be-
cause of my conviction, I
can’t pass a background
check for a good job or
even to move up.”
C.J. doesn’t stay on the
streets often. He said peo-
ple let him stay with them
on their floors or couches
and he’ll often trade work
around the house or items
he finds for shelter. The
stress of finding that shel-
ter can be great.
“I can’t tell you the last
time I slept in a bed,” he
said.
Money is made
through effort. Work is
work. C.J. said he finds
need peace, I know where
to get it. When I need love,
I know where to get it.”
At the suggestion that
she might be Superwoman
considering all she’s over-
come, Chiclana Andino
bristles. Any success she’s
had is owed to the Family
Promise staff, church vol-
unteers, her parents and
even the DHS employees
who made her feel labeled.
“I’m proud of my story
because it’s everybody’s
story,” she said. “Self-suffi-
ciency is a big lie. Yes, I did
it, but I didn’t do it alone.
... I would not be where I
y
am today without all those
who helped me get here.”
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items to sell or trade as bad people is conducive
well as food to sustain. In to the lifestyle.”
the end, he said he’s doing Like Keith, C.J. said the
better than many.
Lawton police keep an
“I make money out
here,” he said. “It’s what eye on those living out-
people throw away. They side the normal bound-
don’t know the value of aries. He appreciates their
their trash.” kindness.
“I find a lot of food,” “The cops are actually
he continued. “It’s not the pretty good to me and
best food, maybe, but it’s
something to eat.” others around here,” he
said.
C.J. said he’s among the
area ranks of many who C.J. said his key to
live outside the norm. survival on the streets in-
Finding allies and shelter cludes having a “low-im-
is something never taken pact mindset.” When
for granted. These jour-
neys can sometimes lead asked where he sees him-
to bad situations, he said. self a year from now, his
But you find a way to sur- answer carried uncer-
vive and to continue liv- tainty mixed with a sense
ing. of surety. That makes ex-
“There’s a lot of home-
istence on the streets bit-
less people in Lawton,”
tersweet.
he said. “It’s nice to have
someplace to stay; you “I don’t know,” he an-
meet a lot of people along swered. “Probably doing
the way. But being around the same thing.”
Michael D. Pope/staff
Miruam Chiclana Andino works as a medical assistant
in the Tomlinson Medical Complex at Comanche County
Memorial Hospital. Three years ago, Chiclana Andino
found herself facing homeless in Lawton. She found
assistance at local nonprofit Family Promise and went
on to complete her degree at Platt College, graduating
summa cum laude.
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COMING MONDAY: Hitting the trails

Chief speaks about city’s homicides

Lawton Police Chief speaks to the city’s homicide numbers, situations and community’s role in prevention
BY
SCOTT RAINS
srains@swoknews.com
In the past 10 ½ months,
Lawton has reached its high-
est number of homicides since
14 in 2013 and 16 in 2012, as
reported by the Lawton Police
Department.
According to the depart-
ment’s numbers, Lawton has 12
homicides on the books with
one ruled justified. There’s lit-
tle that connects the incidents
according to Police Chief James
T. Smith.
“If there’s anything linking
some of these together it is do-
mestic-related,” he said. “It’s like
that incident from a couple of
weeks ago where a domestic
turned into the man killing his
family and himself. That was
the result, unfortunately.”
Smith was speaking of the
Oct. 5 familicide and suicide
in the 100 block of Southeast
Trenton Road. Russell Herbert
Cliburn, 35, shot his children:
Emma Lena Mary Cliburn, 6,
and Kriston James Robert Cli-
burn, 5, as well as their mother,
Krystle Rose Marie Easley, 34,
before killing himself.
A domestic incident also
See Homicides, 8A

HOMELESS IN LAWTON Medicine Park

car show
puts ‘hot’
in hot rods
BY SCOTT RAINS
srains@swoknews.com

You couldn’t ask for a better

day or for a better turn out for
the Medicine Park Street Rod,
Muscle and Classic Car Show
Saturday afternoon.
With temperatures in the
low 70s, blue skies overhead
and cars on display from the
main stage to the Old Planta-
tion, it was a walk through hot
rod history.
“This is pretty cool,” said
Jason Mercer, of Union City.
“There have been a lot of vis-
itors.”
Mercer was showing a
green, 1972 model Chevro-
let pickup that was purchased
“brand new” by his father. The
all-original truck has drive
“800,000 or 900,000” miles
and is still humming, he said.
Photo illustration by Scott Rains/srains@swoknews.com
It still looks crisp as a fresh
dollar.
Following a day of confidence and security of shelter and food, a high school student makes the long walk to uncertainty where home
Showing for his first time at
for the night will be.
Medicine Park, Mercer said it’s
an event he’s looking forward

LPS uses various services to identify, to returning to.

Alicia Lobaugh and her
family from Altus were mak-
ing their first foray to Medi-

help its homeless students
BY KIM MCCONNELL
kmcconnell@swoknews.com
Lawton Public Schools works hard to
ensure a homeless child is just another
student — at least, while they are at school.
While the goal is to provide a variety
of services to address any problem that
would prevent a student from earning
an education, the most important thing
for many youths is that school provides a
sense of normalcy when life outside those
doors is anything but normal, said Andrea
Winstead, district liaison for the McKin-
ney-Vento Homeless Education Program.
The issue is important for LPS because
the insecurity of being without a perma-
nent home could be a detriment to educa-
tion — if educators allowed it. They work
hard to ensure it doesn’t, said Winstead,
explaining McKinney-Vento is designed
to identify homeless youth and provide
services in the least intrusive way. That
means a student gets help while preserv-
ing his/her dignity.
That’s why the homeless program is
referred to as McKinney-Vento, avoiding
labels that already self-conscious students
do not want.
Federal law has a specific definition
See related story 7A
of youth who are eligible for McKin-
ney-Vento: any student who lacks a fixed,
regular and adequate nighttime residence.
That may be students who are homeless
or in inadequate housing with their fami-
lies, as well as those who are unaccompa-
nied (a youth who meets the definition of
homeless and is not in the physical cus-
tody of a parent or legal guardian).
Winstead said the district begins its
work on the first day of school each year,
searching for students who meet the crite-
ria. The count is taken annually, and while
some students qualify once, others meet
the criteria over multiple school years.
Numbers fluctuate. Winstead said
when the LPS school year begins, the
count is about 400 homeless youths in
kindergarten through Grade 12. By Octo-
ber, it will be about 600. By the end of the
school year it could be about 800, based
on recent averages. When Winstead began
working in the McKinney-Vento program
a decade ago, 39 LPS students identified
as homeless in that first year.
The numbers reflect the multiple
See Homeless, 6A
By Gary Reddin /staff
This is the last in a five-part se-
ries examining the issue of home-
lessness in Lawton. Today
we examine the issue of Law-
ton Public Schools students who
are homeless. Last week those are
homeless and those who have been
homeless told their stories. The
first story in the series looked at the
problem in Lawton. The second in-
stallment looked at the causes and
the third story listed help available.
cine Park for the car show, al-
though it’s not their first visit
to the community.
“This has been very cool,”
she said. “There’s always a
good reason to come to Med-
icine Park.”
You could walk along a
row of cars and step from a
1930 Ford roadster to a 1966
Ford Mustang and follow on
to a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
without missing a beat. That
is, unless your heart skips a
beat at the sight of all the mus-
cle found in the motors.
A pair of rat rods — custom
cars with a deliberately worn-
down, unfinished appearance
— proved a stark reminder
that they are to stock and re-
stored cars what a chopper
is to a straight-from-the-fac-
tory motorcycle. In one word:
“cool.”
Lincoln Orr, 7, answered
“Yeah,” when asked if he was
going to be saving up for a
1954 Willys rat rod with a 327
Chevrolet Powerglide motor.
He knows hot wheels when
he sees them.
Roving groups of pinup
See Hot Rods, 5A

Volume 46, No. 12

Home delivery pricing inside.
©2019 Lawton Newspapers, LLC Index .
Abby 2D Horoscope 2D. .
Obituaries 8B, 3C .
Opinion 4A .
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6A | The Sunday Constitution
Homeless
Continued from Page 1A
definitions of homeless-
ness. According to the Na-
tional Center for Homeless
Education and the U.S. In-
teragency Council on
Homelessness, homeless
youth can be “couch surf-
ers” (grabbing a temporary
sleeping spot with friends
or extended family), living
with their grandparents,
in substandard housing or
places occupied by multi-
ple families, in homeless
shelters, living in motels
or those in other tempo-
rary arrangements.
Winstead said that for
a majority of children —
especially the youngest
ones — the driving issue is
single mothers who have
lost their housing through
economic hardship. It also
might be parents who are
incarcerated or on drugs,
or students who were
thrown out of their homes
or chose to leave. It could
be situations where a single
mother with three children
is staying with a relative in
a one-bedroom home.
“It’s not fixed,” Winstead
said of the nighttime resi-
dence.
The largest population
of homeless children are
under age 5, Winstead said,
citing national statistics. In
Lawton Public Schools, the
greatest number of home-
less students are found at
the elementary level; the
least, in middle school.
While the cause may
be important, Winstead
said her program’s goal is
to identify youths so they
can be helped.
“We look for them,” she
said, explaining it’s not an
easy task because home-
lessness is a delicate sub-
ject and some children and
their parents/guardians
don’t want to talk about or
admit to it.
Homelessness puts a
child at risk, in more ways
than one. That’s why the
services provided under
McKinney-Vento and the
district at large are varied.
The district has two
mentors at the high school
level who work with unac-
companied youth, check-
ing on them in school to
ensure they are doing well
and offering needed help
(taking someone to a fa-
cility for a shower, for ex-
ample).
Some schools take it a
step further. Jervis Jackson,
director of the Southwest
Oklahoma Continuum of
Care, said Lawton High
School used a federal pro-
gram to purchase a washer
and dryer, making it avail-
able for students to clean
their clothes. It’s another
step toward helping youth
fit in with their peers, Win-
stead said.
Help can mean ensur-
ing transportation (an eas-
ier goal for secondary stu-
dents who can use their
student IDs to ride LATS
for free), and making cer-
tain youth have clothing for
school (school uniforms
are provided through
McKinney-Vento) or for
extras such as gym shoes
or school jerseys.
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Common signs that may help identify a
homeless youth:
Lack of continuity in education: Aattendance at many different
schools, lack of records for enrollment, inability to pay fees,
gaps in skill development.
Poor health/nutrition/hygiene: Lack of immunizations and/
or records, medical and dental needs, chronic hunger, fatigue,
lack of clean clothes for several days, poor personal hygiene.
Transportation and attendance problems: Erratic attendance
and/or tardiness, numerous absences, inability to contact
parents, lack of participation in extracurricular activities.
Lack of class participation: Incomplete or missing homework,
lack of basic school supplies, concern for safety of belong-
ings.
Social and behavioral cues: Change in behavior, poor/short
Scott Rains/staff
attention span, poor self esteem, difficulty trusting people,
old beyond their years, protective of parents, need for immedi-
A washer at Lawton High School is prepped, as a staff member helps a student clean
ate gratification. a load of laundry. A federal program allowed the school to add a washer and dryer for
students to use, one of numerous services that Lawton Public Schools provides in its
Reactions by parents/guardians or child: Anger or embarrass- efforts to help its homeless youth.
ment when asked about current address, mention of staying
Winstead said, of those
with grandparents, other relatives, friends, or in a motel.
outside the program, citing The National Center for Homeless Education
Source: KcKinney-Vento Homeless Education Program
a program goal of provid- reported:
ing a routine the children
don’t have elsewhere. 27,087 homeless children and youths in Oklahoma in 2016-
It could be as simple as readily identified by an ob- “Things may be falling 2017.
hygiene products, Win- servant driver who watches apart at home, but they 86.4 percent were doubled up (living with another family)
stead said, motioning to where a student gets off the still have the same school,”
6.8 percent were in shelters, transitional housing or waiting
stacks of supplies that line school bus, or a cafeteria she said, adding that while
for foster care
the walls of her office. 4.9 percent were unsheltered (living in cars, parks, camp-
worker who often sees a some students may be grounds, abandoned buildings)
Referring to the popular student without a lunch couch surfing, “they still 1.9 percent lived in motels/hotels
Angel Tree program that tray, she said. Through it come to school each day.”
provides Christmas gifts all, the district works to There are definite indi- U.S. Interagency Council on Homeless reported:
to younger children, Win- ensure a discrete and con- cations that effort to keep
stead said LPS and the Fort 26,268 homeless students (meaning, in school) in 2016-
fidential approach that students linked to educa- 2017 school year.
Sill Patriot Spouse’s Club doesn’t readily identify a tion is working. 3,807 were unaccompanied minors
cooperated on a program student. “Ninety-one percent Only two other states in the region have higher numbers:
last year to provide gifts for “Kids don’t know what Texas, with 115,676 homeless students and Missouri, with
of our students graduate,”
high schoolers. Students 32,133.
McKinney-Vento means,” Winstead said.
were asked to provide some
details about themselves,
such as their favorite snack
and where they would like
a gift card to. The program
worked to fill those needs.
Winstead said the $20
gift cards were a special
treat in the 100 gift bags
that were prepared, al-
lowing teens who weren’t
use to spending money on
themselves to buy some-
thing “wherever they
wanted.”
Some schools have
taken it upon themselves to
create food pantries to en-
sure their students get fed,
something Lynn Cordes,
LPS executive director of
media and technology ser-
vices, said can be viewed as
an extension of the Back-
pack 4 Kids program. Not
every helping hand comes
from food pantries. Cordes
said there are teachers in
almost every school who
have used their own money
to buy food when they re-
alized a child was hungry.
Welcome
Supplies provided to
children through these
Thomas Joseph,
programs share a common MD, FRCSC
Get theSurgeon
Upper
thread: clear vinyl back-
packs. Just as the Back- Orthopedic
pack 4 Kids program does,
McKinney-Vento puts its
supplies in the same back-
Hand on Your
Southwestern Orthopedics
5610 SW Lee Blvd.
packs that many school-
age youth carry, allowing Bone & Joint Health
Lawton, OK 73505
students to blend in rather
than stand out. presented by
Winstead isn’t just fo-
cused on youths. She also Thomas Joseph, MD
is the person who ensures Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon
LPS employees recognize Medical School Specializing in
homeless children. Chris tian Medical College
Punjab, India
October 22der| 5:30
Knee, hip & shoul joint repl- 6:30 pm
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Orthopedic Trauma
While teachers are im- Toledo, OH
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2019
Homeless LGBTQ+ teens, youths of color face extra hurdles
BY HANNAH MAGINOT
hannah.maginot@swoknews.com
When it comes to
helping marginalized
youths facing homeless-
ness, Charise Walker is
on the front lines.
A d om e s t i c v i o -
lence survivor, Walker
founded Helping
Women Win in 2015 to
help reduce “violence
by improving support,
housing, and education
for underserved women
and girls across Okla-
homa.”
“I came to this work
as an advocate and ex-
pected to mainly help
women,” she said, “but
... I have realized some
of the people most im-
pacted by violence,
LPS plans superintendent forums
BY KIM MCCONNELL
kmcconnell@swoknews.com
Lawton Public Schools
has scheduled two public
forums this week to seek
comments from residents
about the district’s search
for a new superintendent.
Public forums are set
for 2 p.m. Thursday at
Shoemaker Education
Center, 753 Fort Sill Blvd.,
and 6 p.m. in the audi-
torium of Lawton High
School, 601 Fort Sill Blvd.
A third forum, designed
for LPS staff, will be held
at 4:30 p.m. in the Law-
ton High auditorium, dis-
trict officials said. The ses-
sions will be moderated
by a representative of the
Oklahoma State School
Boards Association (OS-
SBA), which is helping the
school board in its search
for a new superintendent.
Participants are asked to
bring their smartphone or
tablets, if they have them.
For those who can’t
attend the forums, the
district has an on-line
survey set up to collect
comments. That site is ac-
cessible through https://
w w w. su r ve y mon ke y.
com/r/2020LawtonSupt-
Search. Interim Superin-
Trump drops plan
to host G-7 at Doral
BY ZEKE MILLER AND
JILL COLVIN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON —
Responding to sting-
ing criticism, President
Donald Trump on Sat-
urday abruptly reversed
his plan to hold the next
Group of Seven world
leaders’ meeting at his
Doral, Florida, golf re-
sort next year.
Trump announced a
rare backtrack Saturday
night after facing accu-
sations that he was using
the presidency to enrich
himself by hosting the
international summit at
a private resort owned
by his family.
“Based on both Media
& Democrat Crazed and
Irrational Hostility, we
will no longer consider
Trump National Doral,
Miami, as the Host Site
for the G-7 in 2020,”
Trump tweeted. He said
his administration “will
begin the search for an-
other site, including the
possibility of Camp Da-
vid, immediately.”
The striking rever-
sal raises further doubts
about the position of the
president’s acting chief
of staff, Mick Mulavney,
who held a press con-
ference Thursday an-
nouncing the choice of
Doral for the summit.
trauma and homeless-
ness are youths.”
According to Walker,
many LGBTQ+ teens in
Lawton find themselves
homeless after coming
out to families who don’t
accept their identities.
“Their only option
is to hopefully find a
friend who will allow
them to sleep in their
home,” Walker said. “But
that still means they’re
homeless, or they don’t
have anyone and they’re
sleeping on the street.”
For Walker, the chal-
lenges facing incarcer-
ated teens and homeless
youths of color or who
identify as LGBTQ+ are
especially daunting.
“There’s so many bar-
tendent Tom Thomas said
the questions are geared
toward what residents feel
are the qualities and abili-
ties they want in the next
superintendent.
School board member
Kent Jester, a member of
the board’s search team,
said the information gath-
ered by the forums and
survey will help school
board members score
applications and develop
the questions they will
ask candidates. The dis-
trict began accepting ap-
plications from superin-
tendent candidates in late
September and will accept
them through Nov. 8.
Board members will
meet in special session
Nov. 12, where they will
go into executive session
with an OSSBA represen-
tative to look at applicants
and select the candidates
they will interview. Board
members have said they
would like to have a can-
didate selected by De-
cember, with the winning
candidate to begin work
in January or, potentially,
at the beginning of the
2020-2021 school year
when it begins July 1.
Thomas, who was ap-
pointed this summer to
He insisted his staff had
concluded it was “far
and away the best phys-
ical facility.” Mulvaney
said the White House
reached that determina-
tion after visiting 10 sites
across the country.
In the same press con-
ference, Mulvaney ac-
knowledged a quid pro
quo was at work when
Trump held up U.S. aid
to Ukraine in exchange
for Ukraine’s investiga-
tion of Democrats and
the 2016 elections. Mul-
vaney later claimed his
comments had b een
misconstrued, but not
before drawing the ire of
the president and frus-
tration from other senior
aides.
Trump had been the
first administration offi-
cial to publicly float the
selection of his property
to host the summit when
in August he mentioned
it was on the short-list
and praised its facilities
and proximity to Miami’s
international airport.
His comments, more
than a month before the
official announcement,
drew instant criticism
from good governance
groups and Democrats,
who said it raised con-
cerns that Trump was
using the White House
to boost his personal fi-
nances
Local & Nation
riers to them seeking
assistance,” Walker said.
“They face so much dis-
crimination, even from
organizations designed
to help.”
She also said applying
for assistance programs
like Medicaid or SNAP
(food stamps) can be dif-
ficult as an unaccompa-
nied youth.
“We need to change
the way that organiza-
tions, agencies and even
businesses that claim to
assist people who expe-
rience these issues re-
spond to them,” Walker
said. “For example, ev-
er yone doesn’t have
identification or a birth
certificate.”
Helping Women Win
serve in the district’s top
administrative spot, has
committed to serving
for the entire 2019-2020
school year, said Lynn
Cordes, LPS executive di-
rector of media and tech-
nology services.
The board of educa-
tion established the pro-
cess this summer, seek-
ing a replacement for
former Superintendent
Tom Deighan. Deighan
resigned from the district
in May to take a job as su-
perintendent of Duncan
Public Schools.
Cordes said the school
board expects the first
round of interviews to
take place the week of
Nov. 18, with a second
round set the week of
Dec. 2 or Dec. 9.
Deductible
Your Deductible
Screenings:
Screenings:
MRI
MRI or
or CT
CTscan
scan
Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy
Bone
Bone density
densitytest
test
Sleep
Sleepstudy
study
Procedures:
Procedures:
Hip or knee replacement
Hip or knee replacement
Hernia surgical repair
Hernia surgical repair
Ankle or foot surgery
Ankle or foot surgery
Wound care
Wound care
The Sunday Constitution | 7A
doesn’t track the adults overall quality of life for steps into the gap with
or youths it serves who these populations would us, that would show that
identify as LGBTQ+, but definitely be the starting we have a chance,” she
Walker said that’s chang- point,” Walker said. She said.
ing. simply doesn’t believe In 2 0 2 0 , Wa l k e r
“We track whether one individual, organi-
hopes to connect more
women or men expe- zation or business can resources under the
rience violence, abuse, solve the problem of vi-
umbrella of Helping
trauma, homelessness olence, abuse and home-
Women Win to better
— we do not track their lessness for youths in serve Lawton’s youths
identity or orientation, Lawton.
who face homelessness,
so that makes it really “We all need to sit
but in the meantime,
difficult to say ‘This is down and hold hands
the number,’” Walker and sing ‘Kumbaya,’” she she’s encouraged just to
hear more chatter on the
said. “We’re trying to said, “because there’s no
work on putting a num- way we can fix this with- subject.
“When I started, no
ber and a name and a out us all working to-
face on this issue.” gether.” one wanted to hear this,”
Walker said. “But people
So, how does the com- Walker also believes
are starting to open their
munity help local mar- local government is a
ginalized and homeless crucial part of bettering ears, and that will open
youths? the lives of local home- hearts, which will ulti-
“A city-wide com- less youths. mately open doors for
mitment to improving “If the City comes and people.”
Nov. 12th 2019
VOTE
LINDA
CHAPMAN
City Council Ward 3
VOTE FOR HONESTY, INTEGRITY
AND RESPECT
• CIP Extension: I support extending our capital
improvements in order to fund vital items needed for Lawton
to grow.
• Population: In the past few years, Lawton has lost
population. This fact has an important issue with city revenue,
retail and the housing market.
• Infrastructure: We need to continually maintain and
update our streets and sidewalks, water plant, sewer lines
and other forms of infrastructure.
Paid for by the Committee to elect Linda Chapman 803 NW 41st, Lawton, OK
utsmart
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