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In Memory of a Friend
By Troy P. DeCohen, Advisor, Project United


Julius B. Green was a man of respect and dignity; he was a man I considered as a friend. I met Julius not long ago on the telephone. I had heard of him and the Peer Specialist Program at Howie The Harp Center. I heard of him through the members of the program I worked for, Project United Peer Advocacy Program of Western United Community Renewal. When I spoke to Julius I had mentioned to him that our program needed support to develop the peer-training component. Julius stated that he would come by and meet with us to make the assessment and tell us what we need to work on to develop and affect the program. This was the start of our relationship; it went from business to friendship.

Julius and I met for the next year and a half, two or three times a week, sometimes for business or for personal discussion. We would talk about recovery from drugs and alcohol and about our daily struggles to maintain our well-being. We would talk on the phone at night to discuss future plans. Julius was always thinking and working on how to improve the mental health community. We would go to conferences together or meetings and fight for the consumers' right to choose as well as receive adequate mental health treatment. Julius was a fighter and a true advocate in every sense of the word. Julius never thought of himself but always of others.

Julius believed that people who are challenged with mental health issues need support, need to be enlightened, and have the right to live healthy and productive lives. Not a life prescribed by doctors and providers, but a life that they have decided to live with the possibility of choices. Julius believed in self-help as well as treatment but that the consumer needed to have the right to choose instead of being forced to choose. Julius was a man that I loved and respected, and he was a man that I learned from, and I considered my friend.


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Let Me Pass
By Gregory Hicks

The following was a speech delivered by Gregory Hicks at Julius B. Green's memorial.


Dear family members, friends and colleagues of Julius Green, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Green for the first time at his graduation from the peer specialist center cycle number two. I was enrolled in cycle number three and participated as an usher and recited some poems that allowed Julius and myself to have a meeting of the minds.

I remember Julius' words of encouragement as he addressed all that were in attendance that day. Throughout the years I've had some very impressionable memories of working with Julius. Although we didn't always agree, we still respected each others' right to disagree and remained friends.

I will always respect Julius and the work he did for people with and without a mental diagnosis. I've developed a lot of my competitive spirit from Julius Green. He inspired me to push myself, not only by what he would say but what he had already accomplished.

So, Julius B. Green will never die to us who were touched by his work and presence. I would like to recite a poem that reminds me of Julius' love for people:

I expect to pass through this world but once.
If there is anything I can do, you better speak up.
Let me not delay or neglect anyone.
For soon my time shall come and I will not pass this way again.
Let me pass.

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Julius Green Memories
By LaVerne Miller, Director, Howie The Harp Center


I first met Julius when I was hired as the Center's Director in May 1996. At the time Julius was working as a service coordinator at Community Access, Inc. In 1999, Julius was hired as the Center's Assistant Director. Julius coordinated the Center's Employer/Provider Technical Assistance Project. Sine its inception this project has provided technical assistance to over 50 mental health care providers and staff.

Julius felt that it was important to work closely with Employer/Providers in helping them to recruit, hire, integrate and promote consumer staff in the workplace. Julius' experiences with his supervisor while he was a service coordinator helped shaped his commitment to the project. He believed strongly that consumers, consumer-staff and other staff should collaborate together in an effort to make services more responsive to the needs of the consumers.

Julius always placed the initials P.S. after his name. P.S. stood for Peer Specialist and Julius was extremely proud of this accomplishment. The center is committed to continuing the groundbreaking work the Julius did. He is irreplaceable, but the values that he imparted upon all us have become an integral part of the work that we do at the center.


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Why Suicide?
By Danny Frey


Death is one of the most frightening things out there, but it is less frightening to those of us whose lives are filled with heartache and pain and loneliness.

Julius Green was our MICA Issues columnist in the past. I treated him like any other columnist by pursuing him for material. Eventually he became a hard man to reach. Leaving messages for him at home or with his work voicemail or E-mailing him was getting me no closer to him than not trying at all.

I remember after the late Ken Steele publicized an ad looking for a MICA Issues editor for New York City Voices, Julius Green was quick to respond. We were excited to have him since he was famous as an advocate with the Treatment Is Working campaign where his photo was plastered all over city subways and bus stops.

Here is a funny story: we printed Julius' first submissions after we got them and later he left a message on our voicemail saying that he could not find his work in our newspaper. He said he worked really hard on that material and that we broke our promise. I called him back and told him to check section B more carefully. He found his work printed as we promised and apologized wholeheartedly, repeating over and over again how sorry he was for his mistake.

Julius Green committed suicide. He was a man who struggled with chemical dependency and a mental illness, but you would never have known because he was tall and strong and well dressed and successful.

Recently, my friend Beatrice (not her real name) attempted suicide soon after my last conversation with her where we laughed and everything seemed okay. I thought about her and how she was prior to her attempt and wondered what were the warning signs? I felt like I was not a good enough friend for not being able to recognize them. It sucks to feel helpless under these circumstances.

Why would anyone commit or attempt suicide? I suffer through phases of depression, but I never contemplated suicide. During Awakenings Support groups sometimes we hear from someone about being tormented with suicidal thoughts. We don't need to be reminded about how easy it is to kill ourselves by these suicidal thoughts. Life must surely be bleak for those of us who attempt or succeed to commit suicide.

There seems to me to be only one cure for suicidal thoughts and that very obviously is happiness. We need to love somebody and have that love returned. I think it is just that simple whether you are gay or straight or something in between. All you need is love.

We mourn the loss of Julius Green and let each and every one of us hope we never experience that kind of despair.