Aug. 8, 2015
Martha Groves, Reporter, Los Angeles Times.
Dear Martha,
Three minutes after I sent you an e-mail this morning respectfully requesting that you consider reporting on a worthy solution of providing emergency humanitarian housing at the Los Angeles VA for thousands of war-injured homeless Veterans, you fired back. You falsely accused me of criticizing whatever, and “to come up with a solution to satisfy the concerns of all.”
Really?
Who are “the concerns of all” whom you believe are entitled to solutions? I mean, other than the powerful ingrates you cater to instead of looking out for disabled Veterans for whom this land was exclusively deeded?
You didn’t even take time to read the attached motion approved by the 96-member Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition and the letter from Vietnam Veterans of America, Region 9 (California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines). The documents declared a state of emergency, requesting VA approval to provide crisis shelter on this land.
When someone of the stature of Rafer Johnson says we have a state of emergency for homeless Veterans in Los Angelesthat is newsworthy.
The fact that six months before the second ACLU lawsuit was even filed on June 8, 2011, you found it newsworthy to report that I had declared “One of the least expensive and most rewarding investments will be to build temporary shelter and start to immediately bring homeless veterans onto the grounds and help them get back into society as productive citizens.”
Yet in today’s flippant email, you write: “It’s a huge problem in need of visionary action.”
Agreed.
Correspondingly, in your same Jan.19, 2011, article you found it newsworthy to report that “Robert Rosebrock, a veteran and activist, accused the VA of mismanaging the property at the expense of veterans. He said Los Angeles has become the “homeless veteran capital of the nation because veterans have been exiled from their very own home.”
You went on to report that “he has urged neighboring residents to support his plan to replace many obsolete buildings with a ‘grand veterans home’ with new resident towers, dining halls, healthcare and rehabilitation facilities, a veterans’ college and other amenities.”
Back then, you certainly considered this to be visionary action that could satisfy the concerns of all.
Martha, the record clearly reflects that I have not changed. You have.
You did just what I expected and took the bait.
I knew you would never write anything about an upstanding humanitarian citizen, a unified 96-member neighborhood council and a large and prominent Vietnam War Veterans organization, all in consortium that there is a state of emergency for homeless Veterans in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles VA property is the solution.
Instead, you tried to falsely spin what I had said and called it criticism of the very criminal activity that is going on behind closed doors with VA property.
Let there be no misunderstanding, you and the Times only care about protecting and glorifying untrustworthy politicians and greedy self-serving special interest groups.,
You don’t give a rip about thousands of impoverished Veterans who have had their deeded land stolen by the rich and are forced to live homeless and hungry.
Ultimately, when the perpetrators behind the biggest land fraud scandal in American history are exposed, the next biggest story will be the cover-up of this scandal by the Los Angeles Times.
Sincerely,
Bob Rosebrock
Director, Old Veterans Guard
God Bless America and the Veterans Revolution!
Ms. Groves (Martha.Groves@latimes.com) replied:
Thanks for your thoughts, Bob.
I think it’s easier to criticize than to come up with a solution that would satisfy the concerns of all.
It’s a huge problem in need of visionary action.
Martha
Mr. Rosebrock may be contacted at rrosebrock1@aol.com
