Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans,

A front-page essay in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times is about the recent Bel-Air fire that destroyed multi-million-dollar mansions, and a homeless encampment purportedly nearby that is accused of starting it.

Since the purported homeless encampment apparently vanished in the fire, the Times went across the 405 Freeway and took a photo of a homeless Veteran encampment outside the VA’s Eisenhower gate alongside San Vicente Boulevard, adjacent to Brentwood.

This gives the deception and illusion that Veterans could have started the fire.

“A Parable of Inequality in Bel-Air” … http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-belair-homeless-20171214-story.html

The Times story does not state that the location of this homeless Veteran encampment is right next to the Los Angeles VA.  It certainly is not next to Bel-Air.

These Veterans have been living outside the VA.  They should be housed inside the VA and not disrespected as somehow a problem to society.

On the contrary, the neighboring society is the problem.

They have kept Los Angeles our nation’s capital for homeless Veterans by allowing the VA to misappropriate Veterans land that was deeded as a National Home for disabled and homeless Veterans.

The 950-word essay does not mention the word Veteran once except in a photo caption.

Nor is there any mention of the plight and struggles of homeless Veterans.

Instead, the photo links the possibility of homeless Veterans causing the Bel-Air fire in the article because a photo is worth a thousand words.

Mr. Rosebrock may be contacted at rrosebrock1@aol.com