Everything for President, Nothing for Veterans

Jay HandalLetters, OP-ED

A mural in L.A.'s Skid Row. Photo: Stephen Zeigler / lataco.com

I find it interesting that the motion by the Los Angeles Alliance of Neighborhood Councils called upon the City of Los Angeles, with all of its resources, to declare a state of emergency.

The idea is to unify with the VA and open a large-scale Crisis Humanitarian Relief Project on the West L.A. Veterans land in order to immediately house and care for thousands of disabled, homeless Veterans..

Yet no response or action.

But yesterday the city unified with the Obama administration, using all of its resources to close down streets and what-not for President Obama’s fundraising trip.

This costs Los Angeles more than $1 million a day. It will not be reimbursed by either the Democratic National Committee or the White House.

Further, on Sunday the city will unify with the L.A. Marathon organizers, using all of its resources to accommodate the Marathon demands with street closures and bus re-routings.

Yet today, homeless Veterans and all homeless remain outside of the Veterans West L.A. gates.

They sleep on sidewalks and in cardboard boxes, no better off than before.

Maybe the President needs to walk the streets of Skid Row and West L.A.

That way, Los Angeles City would be sure to clean it up before he took the walk.

Mr. Handal, chair of the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council and co-Chair of Los Angeles City Budget Advocates, may be contacted at sgrest@aol.com