Change.org - Stealing veteran land

The land used by the Los Angeles Veterans Association was donated to specifically house veterans—which it did, until the 1970s, when the VA closed all housing operations and started leasing to private companies instead. Since then, they’ve made millions and even been ordered by the court to end the leases. But they still haven’t replaced the housing they owe to the city’s thousands of homeless veterans. Sign the petition now to help solve LA’s notorious homelessness crisis. Return the land to veterans for veteran housing. STOP land fraud and illegal leases! 790 have signed Vets for Success’s petition. Let’s get to 1,000!

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In 1887, Arcadia Bandini De Baker, donated prime West LA real estate to our veterans to be used for veteran housing. The VA has had countless plans to provide housing to our disabled homeless veterans but through all these years and plans nothing has ever come to fruition. They claim it’s due to funding issues. Instead, they have made MILLIONS on ILLEGAL LAND LEASES. Millions that have not benefited our disabled homeless veterans. If the VA is making millions from these land leases, it brings to question if their claim to funding issues has any precedent over the situation at all. Our veterans have been denied housing and resources, and pushed out off of the land that was solely intended to house them. Our veterans are now camped out along the fence of the west LA VA on the sidewalks forming what is known as “Veterans Row.” For decades this has been an ongoing fight. We are asking our communities to take a stand to put an end to this. Once again, the wealthy, political people of power, are manipulating the situation to benefit them and line their pockets. Meanwhile, we have veterans in need, living quite literally in the gutter. We are demanding the West LA VA hold true to their promises, and designate the property to house our disabled homeless veterans. No more excuses of funding issues, no more illegal land leases to UCLA buildings, Jackie Robinson Stadium, the elite private Brentwood school and their athletic facilities, the list is long. In 2013, a federal judge ruled these “leases” to be Null and Void! However, in 2015 that win was short lived and those leases were renewed for another 10 years! We cannot allow this to keep happening. Veteran homelessness is an epidemic with a perfectly good solution of using the land intended to house them, to HOUSE THEM. Let’s hold these people, organizations, and the VA administration accountable and force them to do the right thing for once. In the last 6 months there have been two homicides outside the gates of this West LA VA campus on veterans row. If they had been doing things the way they claim to this would never happen! Let’s get things rolling in the right direction so no more veterans are added to this list. Let’s help our veterans get what they so rightfully deserve! No more “looking the other way,” “no more ignoring it hoping it will just go away.” It is not going to go away! Take a stand for our nations hero’s. They fought for us, now it’s our turn to fight for them.

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