By Capt Joseph R. John, November 7, 2019: Op Ed #455

The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is calling for the support of homeless Veterans, at a rally to be held on the corner of Wilshire Blvd and San Vincente in West Los Angeles, CA on November 10, 2019 at 1:00 PM; the day before Veterans Day, November 11th.  The timing is appropriate to bring attention to the estimated 4,500 homeless Veterans sleeping on the streets of Los Angeles, among the 60,000 homeless people sleeping on the streets of the City and County of Los Angeles.

The below listed flyer includes a statement by the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC, calling for authorities to take action to provide housing for homeless Veterans sleeping on the streets of Los Angeles.  The VA has a very large parcel of land in West Los Angles that was deeded to Veterans in 1888 for the purpose of developing housing for homeless and disabled Veterans.  Instead of providing housing for homeless Veterans, The Department of Veterans Affairs inappropriately developed the Veterans’ land as a public/dog park, rent-free, for the benefit of wealthy residents of Brentwood.  Senator Feinstein’s and Congressman Lieu’s (D-CA-33) won’t support construction of housing for homeless Veterans on Veterans land being used for a park for their wealthy supporters in Brentwood.

The City and County of Los Angeles must take action to preclude the spread of Medieval diseases by exterminating the rapidly growing rat population; rats can be the source of typhus and bubonic plague, which is spread by fleas who infest the rat population.  Citing Federal Health and Safety Laws, and Federal Environmental Statutes, the Mayor of Los Angeles and the Governor of California have the authority to direct city and state employees to remove the rubbish, tents, drug paraphernalia, needles, and human waste from the streets of Los Angeles.

Sixty thousand homeless people in Los Angeles County should be moved to a safe and secure tent city on vacant county owned land east of Los Angeles, and treated for their behavioral problems by Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County, and California State Health Services.  The Mayor, with the financial support of the Governor, should take the necessary steps to provide behavioral health treatment to deal with the known causes of homelessness------mental health illnesses, substance abuse disorders, and alcohol dependency.

We encourage the residents of Los Angeles County to attend and/or financially support the rally in West Los Angles on November 10th, it is designed to mobilize support for, and to protect the health of residents in Los Angeles County, who are faced with the possibility of having  a very serious health crisis, as a result of the inaction by the Mayor of Los Angeles and the Governor of California.

To avoid a very serious health crisis, we strongly encourage Mayor Eric Garcetti to work with the Governor and cite Federal Health & Safety Laws, and Environmental Laws to authorize them to take immediate action to move the homeless population to a tent city east of Los Angeles, to provide Behavioral Health Treatment for the relocated homeless population, to exterminate rats, and to dispose of rubbish, tents, drug paraphernalia, needles, and human waste, in order to clean up the streets of Los Angeles.

Copyright by Capt Joseph R. John. All Rights Reserved.  The material can only posted on another Web site or distributed on the Internet by giving full credit to the author.  It may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without the permission from the author.   

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COMMITTEE TO RECALL MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES 

ERIC GARCETTI

ID #1419545 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        MEDIA CONTACT: (213) 446-2980

NEWS RELEASE

RALLY: IMMEDIATE HOUSING FOR HOMELESS VETERANS NOW! 

Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti Promised Former First Lady Michelle Obama he would End Veteran Homelessness by 2015 

LOS ANGELES, California: On November 10, 2019, a rally will take place to recall the Mayor Eric Garcetti. The location is West Los Angeles corner of San Vicente Blvd. and Wilshire Blvd., at the Veterans Park, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Petitions will be available for signature.

According to leading Los Angeles homeless veteran advocate Robert Rosebrock, who is the founder of the Old Veteran Guard and hosted more than 600 rallies fighting for veteran housing: “Los Angeles has somewhere between 4,000 to 5,000 homeless veterans. A specific number difficult to identify because many veterans will not identify as homeless or accept government services.” 

Rosebrock states, “On July 14, 2014, one year after becoming Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti made a public promise to then First Lady Michelle Obama, personally guaranteeing her that he would end Veteran homelessness in Los Angeles by the end of 2015. Eric Garcetti is a reservist, and more than five years after making his infamous and disingenuous promise to the First Lady and homeless Veterans, Los Angeles is still our nation’s capital for homeless Veterans as he remains “Missing in Action” and needs to be charged with “Dereliction of Duty,” i.e., recalled and removed from the public trust, posthaste.”

Captain Joseph R. John, USN (Ret.), founder of Combat Veterans For Congress urges immediate action to house homeless veterans. “The Unites States has more than 23 million Veterans. Combat Veterans and wounded warriors return from battle haunted by the scars of war. Some of our brave heroes become afflicted with PTSD, causing a war within so devastating, 22 veterans per day commit suicide. Others abandon home, family, job and good quality of life, ending up on the street, becoming homeless. PTSD overtakes homeless veterans and coping mechanisms like alcoholism and drug abuse become the beginning of a downward spiral, ending in squalor and even death.”

Alexandra Datig, petitioner to recall Mayor Garcetti states: “Mayor Garcetti has failed on his promise to house homeless veterans. I am the daughter of a Purple Heart, Bronze Star decorated veteran, who carried the deep scars of war and became homeless. I can’t think of anything more heartbreaking than watching your family fall apart before your very eyes. Once the ‘battle within’ takes hold, all you have once known and loved about a parent disappears. Though progress is being made at the Veterans Administration, Mayor Garcetti has failed to address re-entry into the community at the local level after war and combat. Garcetti has also failed in his support of veteran families.”

Committee Member and recall petitioner David Hernandez states: “For the benefit of all Angelenos, the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti must be replaced with a Leader who has the ability to address the crisis of Homelessness, Criminal Vagrants, Mentally Ill and the blight threatening the health and safety of all the residents of Los Angeles.” 

            Committee Member and recall petitioner Benito Bernal: ”As a lifelong Angeleno, I was raised to care and serve for the needs of others. The homeless crisis today in Los Angeles with all the added rules and regulations imposed by our Mayor, make it impossible for us as volunteers and even our LAPD to protect and serve those very needs. If our Mayor is unwilling to admit his failures and yet still put up barriers for others to help those in need, then it’s time for him to step aside and let someone else get the job done. It’s time that we as citizens demand that the profit margin tied into this issue be exposed and removed from the equation. This way help and change can take place for all Angelenos”

Committee Members and recall petitioners Rick and Robin Marcelli: “Having been born and raised in Los Angeles, we have never seen our city in such utter ruin. Without hesitation, we blame this ruin on Mayor Garcetti and his mismanagement of our City. Garcetti’s plans seem only to support his career agenda and pocket, but do not take care of people who truly need the help, nor protect the law-abiding tax paying citizens.”

The Committee to Recall Mayor Eric Garcetti will send out an advisory on upcoming rallies in the coming weeks.

For more about the recall visit: www.recallthelamayor.com

For more about The Old Veterans Guard visit: The Old Veterans Guard

For more about Combat Veterans For Congress visit: www.combatveteransforcongress.org

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Please stay tuned: 

 
Next event in the works, Skid Row Thanksgiving March/Rally (tentatively planned for one week (Saturday) before Thanksgiving).