FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GORDON DUFF: FEAR AND LOATHING IN LOS ANGELES: BRENTWOOD SCHOOL SMACKS DOWN HOMELESS VETS
FATCAT PREP SCHOOL USURPS LAND FOR HOMELESS VETS
LOCKED OUT!
By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor
How did the Brentwood School, whose tuition rivals Ivy League universities, end up with a billion dollars of land designated for the 20,000 homeless vets of Los Angeles? Simple, a single VA employee turned it over to them. Why would the VA involve itself in such an obvious “reverse Robin Hood” deal, stealing from the poor and giving to the rich?
Veterans Today contacted the Brentwood School, asking them if they offer scholarships for children of disabled veterans or any other preferred scholarship for children of veterans or the military based on the fact they are located on land largely owned by California’s veterans (not the Department of Veterans Affairs). They chose not to answer. Their literature contains no mention whatsoever of such a program or in any way honors the veterans on whose land they have located their campus.
The children of the school aren’t at fault. None of this is their doing. The veterans are happy the children have one of the most valuable playfields on Earth. Children deserve no less.
However there is only one patch of land. As much as children deserve world class tennis, on courts built on land meant for veterans housing, homeless vets deserve housing, deserve it enough for the US government to decide to spend 3.2 billion dollars to correct this massive injustice
.
If anyone were to wonder why so many veterans are homeless and the VA seems to be able to do nothing about it despite the endless millions spent, the VA managers devoted to the Brentwood School, managers who employ police to chase homeless vets away from land meant to house them is the reason.
The Brentwood School is as secretive as Skull and Bones. We know Governor Schwartzenegger’s children attend. The alumni and supporter list is unavailable but satellite photos of veterans land no veteran is allowed to walk on, show that the bulk of the West Los Angeles facility deeded for veterans housing and available for development is covered with tennis courts and soccer fields for the children of the rich and famous.
It also seems that the student parking lot is also on land designated for housing homeless vets.
With such distinctive uses for veterans land such as the infamous dog park, a reeking public animal waste site, and the proposed “Veterans Park” referred to by veterans groups as Brentwood Country Club Annex, none would have been possible had it not been for the allocation of the only tract of land with potential for housing development being given to the least deserving people on planet Earth.
When examining the satellite photos of the running tracks and tennis courts, the soccer fields, baseball diamonds and school parking lots, try to picture the housing meant to be there and the veterans who sacrificed so much having their land stolen from them in such an underhanded and despicable manner.
Veterans Today Senior Editor Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran and regular contributor on political and social issues.
Related Posts:
Short URL: http://www.veteranstoday.com/?p=9482
Posted by Gordon Duff on Nov 22 2009, With 0 Reads, Filed under Vet News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
COMMENTS
To post, we ask that you login using Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail in the box below.Don't have a social network account? Register and Login direct with VT and post.
Before you post, read our Comment Policy - Feedback
Fraudulent Conveyances, discrimination, and Negligence
In any tort court this WOULD be simply a case of illegal trespassing? AH BUT THIS LOS ANGELES! And the defendants are the rich and famous, and the powerful and wealthy. Should not matter. I believe that is why America has lost, what, over 6,000 active duty military members, and countless thousands to war wounds, and thousands more of their children, mentally confused, because of two wars in which America is trying to bring democracy to those regions. BS, and a whole story that history will present as a fraud (Depending on which corporation (I mean which party actually writes such the history). But still, it just happens to still be taking place I hear.
This matter is a case of (1). Fraudulent Conveyance, (2). Discrimination against the plaintiffs; the homeless veterans, and the legal and rightful owners. (3). Negligence committed by the local and state authorities who have done nothing to stop this illegal activity, which is part of their official duties.
I’m currently outside the mainland USA and given that vantage point I see a city, a state, and a country (mainland) which has gone basically crazy. Sad thing is California law schools hand out law degrees and thousands of graduates go around pretending to be lawyers. Isn’t there even one who is a veteran who would file this compliant with the Federal Clerk of the Court in LA or for this matter any city in California?
It’s so simple! According to Federal filing guidelines one needs to file according to the, ‘Federal Rules of Civil Procedure”, an individual can do this alone. A homeless veteran can use the address as his/her property and have a USPS (P.O. Box) as their mailing address for filing purposes. Remember the phrase, “Oh, you want to make a federal case out of this?” Well. YEAH.
Look, once actually filed attorneys will come out of the wood work just for the publicity. It is Los angles! Just can’t believe no one has filed on this matter. I’m not a licensed attorney therefore I cannot legally give advice nor do anything that appears that I am presenting myself as a lawyer or attorney. I’m just a simple guy who reads a lot. I’m also a disabled Vietnam veteran who lives in Florida and I will be the long shot United States senator from Florida in the 2010 election.
I promise all of you that should I win this horse race, I mean election to the United States Senate I will, as a matter of national constitutional right, introduce a bill to seek relief on behalf of all the disabled homeless veterans affected and effected by this land grap. This is even outside the eminent domain legislation.
This is so outlandish that perhaps a Hollywood producer or director might even consider making a small documentary regarding this reckless and illegal activity. This is a fight that can be won, but someone must, I repeat, must file a complaint in a federal court to start the action. writing about is a start but filing in the blanks on a federal complaint form and servicing all the parties who are to be the defendants is the action required.
Gordon, surely Bruce can file this action on behalf of the people. Relief sought is the return of the land to the legal owners, now. Also, relief in the sum of one billion dollars would be appropriate in this matter. Of course the district judge will deny the case hearing but then that is where the appeal process begins. Eventually this case may rise to the United States Supreme Court. supreme court where public opinion and perhaps the decision of the judges, given the facts, will allow the plaintiffs to prevail.
Only in America huh? No one is above the law! expose this in a court case. Sempre Fi….Fight till you die. George Lovenguth
Thanks for an excellent and timely article by Gordon Duff and excellent follow-up comment by George Lovenguth. The truth is getting out there!
We must all unify and demand the immediate removal of Ralph Tillman, VA bureaucrat-in-chief and contracting officer who negotiated and signed off on this sweetheart deal, as well as all other land giveaways at the Los Angeles National Veterans Home. Tillman is running out of Veterans property to give away in West Los Angeles and now he is giving away buildings and land at the Sepulveda VA.
Tillman must be stopped and held accountable for his egregious crimes. In brief, Ralph Tillman makes Benedict Arnold look like an American Patriot.
Moreover, Henry Waxman needs to be voted out of office as he has been the elected public servant and entrusted steward for 36 years to oversee this sacred land, yet he has helped facilitate all of these sweetheart deals, including the recent 16-acre, billion-dollar parcel for a public park, rent-free to his wealthy Brentwood backers.
It is such a major crime that billion-dollar parcels of land is given away to the fat-cats living in multi-million dollar mansions while there are 20,000 homeless Veterans in Los Angeles. This is Veterans’ rightful “Home” and this land must returned to Veterans and for Veterans use only, posthaste.
Go online to google, search for the federal courthouse click on “”çlerk of the court”, or better yet; goto:
go HERE:: http://www.uscourts.gov/forms/uscforms.cfm?ShowAll=Yes
step one: look over list of filing forms
step two: create a folder on your desk top screen and copy and paste the appropiate form into it.
step three: email my attorney the forms as an attachment to: legal@LoveBooks.pro
my attorney, a former navy seal who now only has one eye will review and assist in educating you to the correct filing procedure
One of you folks in LA area or central California will be the actual filer.
You will also file for a waiver of the court filing cost due to hardship.
once filed, the court clerk must (by law) assign a docket number to the complaint.
A judge will determine if the case is valid and his or her clerks will comb through the complaint looking for any errors in the submitted complaint to throw it out. this is why it is so important to file correctly the first time. I’m talking about dotting “i’”and crossing ‘t’. At the federal level more cases are dismissed due to improper filing formats then the facts. just the way the legislators made it over the years to justify their outragous fees.
So, goto the link and pull the forms that apply to this situation and send them to my legal dept. This is a group effort people, not a class action but a group effort to make sure this filing will be updated and correct to the letter and the day!
Communication is the key and ego’s go out the door. get with it or get out. I will assist via my legal dept. my attorney is doing this for free and for educational guidance for you, the filer.
george lovenguth sempre fi…we fight till we die. over and out, for now.
I believe every person who reads this ought to pick up the phone and call TOLL FREE 866-272-6622, ask for one of your Senators, then call back and ask for the other, then repeat the call again and ask for your Congressman, then repeat and call Congressman Waxman’s office.
With each call ask your Senators and Congressman if they support giving away Sacred Veteran Land, or support keeping and using it for it’s intended purpose.
Then call Waxman’s office and complain that he’s in the largest Veteran populated area and why can’t he get off his ass to do something decent for a change!
Veterans need to STOP relying on their National Chartered Service Organizations to do a damn thing, they won’t! They’re salaries, perks and benefits are paid with OUR Tax Dollars, along with their National Headquarters, Office Furniture, Equipment, etc. so they’re NOT going to rock the boat and lose all their wonderful pay, perks and benefits!
Veterans NEED to unite as one to help get the job done, vs. sitting back and complaining!
“Roger that’, Jim. You have provided a good and decent reminder on how to proceed in this, our action to re-take what is ours. complaining dosen’t get the job done. Time to get busy guys and now ladies or all will be for naught and the next taking of disabled veteran rights will be huge.
This is only a hump in the road but how we deal with it and those back door service reps and those back stabbing elected and appointed representatives will determine our futures. and I’m not talkig stock futures, that’s their world, I’m talking about our futures, the lifes of all veterans, especially the disabled veterans across America.
for those eading, follow the advice given by Jim; do it now, don’t keep thinking about it. Remember THE ADAGE, HESITATE YOU LOSE.
SEMPRE fI…FIGHT TILL YOU DIE. GEORGE LOVENGUTH
Laws don’t mean much to the Hollywood Israeli crowd out in California. You might as well get used to the idea that you are a Palestinian also now days. Were there any olive trees on the land to bulldoze?
At this point I would like to say I called one of the numbers on this site for a VA refinance and I am going through the process. Credit cards were eating me alive. I hope it goes through.
The property is still owned by the VA isn’t it? Did anyone see what that piece of land was doing before the school developed it? The VA is making millions of money each year off of what was once a little area of unused property. Not only unused, but seemingly unusable at the time. Certainly, there weren’t any plans on developing that land for housing was there?!
It would be interesting to find out if there were any plans for that land before the school was able to lease it out.
I have many family members that have served this great country and that are war time vets. Fortunately, none of them have had the hardship of becoming homeless.
This piece of land should have homes for the many homeless vets that wander the VA grounds there on a daily basis.
I was fortunate enough to put a UCLA baseball uniform on at Jackie Robinson Stadium there on the VA property and to also coach Brentwood’s baseball team on the VA property as well. I have no idea about the politics of the decisions that led to the sports complex being developed, but I do know that before that complex was developed, that land was doing absolutely nothing.
Hopefully the millions of dollars in lease money for that land are going towards the benefit and treatment of the men and women at the VA facilities. If not, I say all of the administrators there should be fired and well,,,,some more should be done to them as well.
It would be great if the money that the VA received from Brentwood would go into some type of account that would be later used to develop that land for the housing of our homeless veterans.
I may be wrong about the land-lease thing, it has been quite some time since I have been involved in the Brentwood athletic program. I left during the development of the land, but I am quite sure that there was some type of lease agreement.
Yes, the land was leased to the school for 99 years. Before Brentwood School developed it it was an empty lot for at least as long as I lived in the neighborhood, which at that point was 17 years. The author of this article called Brentwood School to ask a nitpicky question about scholarships. If the author wanted to get the facts straight he would see that the VA is profiting highly from the land lease so much so that they have built many new buildings on the rest of their underdeveloped property. If you live in the Los Angeles area you can take drive around and see that the VA is mainly parking lots and grass. If they need housing, there’s more than enough space to build it.
Also, the VA has so much land available that they have a golf course (pictured in the photos). Please research your articles more and commenters such as Mick, your anti-semitism disgraces our proud country.