[Feb. 16, 2016, Letter to Robert A. McDonald, Secretary, Dept. of Veterans Affairs]
Attn. Secretary McDonald,
On Sunday, armed VA police officer R. Garcia, badge #4958, drove a government vehicle onto the public plaza outside the Los Angeles VA, intervened in our peaceful 413th consecutive Sunday Rally on the L.A. County public sidewalk and ordered me to remove my small American flag displayed at half-staff on the front fence out of respect for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
This gesture was in accordance with U.S. Flag Code §175. Position and Manner of Display — “The flag shall be flown at half-staff from the day of death until interment of an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.” To the contrary, Sunday all of the American flags at the Los Angeles VA were disrespectfully not in compliance.
Officer Garca ordered me to remove my half-staff American flag. I informed him that I never will surrender the American flag to anyone. He said it was coming down and that I would be cited. But he was unable to recite what VA regulation I was supposedly violating.
Officer Garca called for backup. Two more armed VA police officers showed up with a list of VA regulations.
For the record, there are no VA regulations prohibiting the display of the American flag. You know this, all the bureaucrats at the Los Angeles VA know this. Yet the VA police continue to issue falsified arrest citations declaring the American flag is a “placard, or materials such as pamphlets, handbills, and/or ” and then illegally confiscating our American flags. Unlawfully, unpatriotically, they incarcerate them in the “evidence storage room” at VA police headquarters.
Sunday was the LA Marathon and the first time it was not “illegally” run through the Los Angeles VA, and this blocked feat was accomplished after years of staunch opposition and effort by the Old Veterans Guard.
Yesterday was obvious ramped-up retaliation against the Old Veterans Guard, me in particular, as Officer Garca’s conduct was contrary to the mannerism of previous VA police officers.
VA police officers have been respectful and cooperative toward me, just as I have always been toward them.
Officer Garca’s conduct was aggressive, disrespectful, sarcastic, arrogant, demanding, dishonest and illegal.
I photographed and videotaped the VA’s illegal intervention to our Sunday Rallies as evidence while fficer Garca smirked. He posed and told me to get his “good side.” \ He told me to get plenty of photos of his new Dodge Charger VA police car, which I did.
Question: Why does the VA have money for new VA police squad cars but no money for destitute, homeless Veterans who belong inside on property deeded in their behalf?
Why can’t the VA police ride bicycles like many of the Santa Monica police do?
Officer Garca kept unnecessarily ordering me to “stand here, stand there.” He said if I did not cooperate with his orders – which I did – he was going to place me under arrest and have me jailed.
It was clear Officer Garca was on a vendetta as he intentionally tried to intimidate and provoke me with his self-serving minutiae. This was troubling since he was giving me unreasonable, unnecessary orders while armed with a weapon that was un-strapped in his holster. His aggressive attitude became concerning for my safety and well-being since no superior officers were present to oversee his misconduct.
Correspondingly, our hanging the American flag is incredulously considered an “Emergency Heads Up” (Alert 2) by the VA. Officer Garca was definitely acting and reacting with hostile aggression.
Last week, a captain and sergeant of the VA police came out to issue a counterfeit citation and unlawful confiscation of my American flag, but they were professional and civil during their unauthorized activity, and their weapons were strapped in their holster.
Mr. McDonald, this was the eighth falsified citation and illegal confiscation of my American flags. This one was flying at half-staff for a deceased Supreme Court Justice, in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code.
Was this aggressive defiance a political message?
In addition to issuing aggressive and unwarranted orders and making false demands that I surrender my flag, Officer Garca demanded that I put my camera down, demanded my Social Security number, as well as my phone number, which have never been requested heretofore during these sham interventions while we are exercising our First Amendment rights.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Rosebrock
Director, Old Veterans Guard
U.S. Army, 1965-67
Mr. Rosebrock may be contacted at rrosebrock1@aol.com