Interview Three Homeless Vets, Veterans Skid Row Los Angeles

Jonathan Ortega, on assignment for another PBS project, came upon three homeless vets on Los Angeles' Skid Row. Recently, LA Mayor, Eric Garcetti had public announced the City and VA commitment to have no more homeless vets in LA. A commitment Mike and his forgotten friends fail to see happening. So often the homeless are ignored or invisible. This 7 minute short gives them a voice. Please take the time to listen.

[@12lilacbushes]

This Veteran deserves everyhting he needs..

[@MithridatesVI32]

Very underated video.

[@hiramhill3220]

Mike you have a wife and kids im a FUCKING 11-B SO YOU KNOW WHAT I DO AT WAR IVE BEEN 2 THE VA I HAVE Level black ptsd tbi ect GOT IN 2 REHAB AND IT DIDNT WORK WHEN I HEARD MY LITTLE GIRL SAY DADDY NO GO GET ME AND I HAD TO LEAVE HER I GOT HER BACK AND WILL NEVER BE 2 HIGH OR DRUNK 2 SEE AND PLAY OR JUST TALK TO MY LITTLE GIRL I WAS YOU 11 YRS AGO BUT AFTER I GOT MY CHILD HER LOVE IS ALL I NEED MY EX WIFE LEFT US 4 HERION NEVER MADE IT BACK DONT LET THAT FAKE DEAMON BET YOU BROTHER YOU JUST GOT TO START HEARING THE PEOPLE WHO LOVES YOU I KNOW YOU CAN GET CLEAN AND GO BE THE HERO YOUR WIFE AND KIDS KNOW LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE REAL BRIGHT BROTHER YOU GOT THIS

[@freshstart3555]

Russell Britt Yes Sir

[@onelife7247]

💖

[@ganktuh]

It's a letdown to realize you were never fighting for your country to begin with...the banking cartel wins again

[@Jimothy-723]

no more blood for israel.

[@ndn2589]

This is sad i feel sorry for these ppl

[@raulcruz6601]

Feel sorry for your country because these is a creation of your government

[@richardbowers3647]

Military time served! The service taught me work ethics & be on time! "If you have time don't waste it!" Says Benjamin Franklin.

[@raulcruz6601]

That was back then. US now is a corporation. For profit only

[@cenote100]

Victory mentality! Help yourself

[@nicholson2099]

Military can’t keep needles out your arm. Whether you do ten deployments or none.

[@adrianperezchica2478]

I just noticed that too smh😒

[@johnnye6090]

I'm a vet. These guys need to police there own shit.

[@garygerard4290]

I look around and all I see is a whole lot of people saying don't blame me - Don Henley

[@thebrock12]

If he wanted to be clean he could be

[@patrickmorley4955]

Don't judge people if you've never been in their shoes and don't know what their going through. It's hard enough to battle substance abuse but to add PTSD on top of that. I doubt he enjoys being homeless and not seeing his kids grow up. I'm disheartened by your comment. This lack of understanding is why there are not more programs and better programs to help homeless and anyone dealing with mental health problems.

[@jakeN645]

it's a tough situation for him and others like him no doubt, but this particular guy said he had MediCal, so it actually would be very manageble for him to get into a rehab. so maybe he doesn't want to be strung out on drugs living on the streets, but he also clearly doesn't want to go through rehab. and your just making as big of an assumption as the comment you replied to. he's assuming the guy doesn't want to be clean, and your assuming he does and neither comment is based in anything.

[@lamontbiddle522]

i work down here and some just don't want help and its sad

[@marylougeorge9890]

@@patrickmorley4955 Amen!!!

[@freshstart3555]

Keep Grinding. Fuck what your Mind is Telling You. I'm Only clean n sober 16 months. Really in this moment. I hear Fear, Sense Of Entitlement. Like Nike said, " Just Do It". Although I have not been in the military I've experienced these very same things I finally just got tired quit feeling sorry for myself and f****** did what it had to do what I had to do I made the decision stay sitting down that s*** or get up and move forward

[@goneburnforher]

You got a wife and Kids, man, forget the bullshit drugs, and live a good life

[@FDSeoul]

PTSD is not joke, Drug and alcohol abuse is no joke. I hope they get their shit together soon. Peace.

[@triple_gem_shining]

ive heard quite a few vets that went to afgan or w/e came back with heroin addictions because the soldiers would use it there to deal with pain or w/e and some couldnt kick it when the ycame back

[@marylougeorge9890]

Ty 4 being real & hving a heart.

[@onelife7247]

Yes!! Heroin production and abuse of it is a HUMONGOUS, age-old issue in Afghanistan, Pakistan and neighbouring regions but nobody wants to address it.

[@frankvillegas9308]

Can have gotten alot o help from the VA since I got back, VA put me in treatment the same day and was given an apartment at 90 days and now I'm waiting for my VA home loan

[@jamescarrington5130]

You are both liars. The VA is not helping. 20 years as a disabled homeless veteran tells me much more than your dishonesty. Why are there so many victimless crimes, if you defended our right to the pursuit of happiness? How do we feel free while fearing a seat belt ticket, as a prelude to a search & police brutality? The day you die is better than the day you were born. (true for us all)

[@msjessica]

Hi thank you for posting this.. I wanted to ask if this video was recorded near the date of publication? April 21, 2015. I would love to use it for part of my school project if thats okay.

[@happyidiot90049]

+msjessica Thanks for your interest. This video was shot about a month before I edited it and posted it on KZbin. If you use any of it in your school project, please credit Jonathan Ortega who shot the piece and me (Beverly Baroff), who edited it. This piece is part of a longer project Jonathan is doing as part of his graduate studies at Woodbury University.

[@msjessica]

Thank you very much!

[@Angry.General1461]

I DON'T FEEL SORRY FOR THEM WORTHLESS BUMS!!!! ITS THEIR DAMN FAULT THEY WANT TO BE LAZY, DO DRUGS AND NOT BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE!!!! LET THEM SUFFER!!!!

[@ataseallle7594]

Well Said. Nice to see some intelligent comments. When you get sick and want help from a hospital, I hope they tell you to stop being lazy and piss off out of there bed. Cause every homeless fuck woke up after living a life of luxury and said "you know what, I'm gonna throw it all away, I think I will start smoking crack an see what its like to sleep on the pavement". I guess some people love the internet! They wouldn't be able to say this to there face - down on skiddy row :) Nice to see you can copy an paste, ya repetitive peace of shit.

[@michaelbrown5566]

The more that people see Veterans that are homeless, the less likely they will be to enlist in the military

[@LA-ish]

This was not shot on skid row in downtown Los Angeles as the title suggests. They're in downtown Oakland, likely right around 8th & Hope St.

[@happyidiot90049]

We are a Los Angeles documentary production company and the interviews were shot in downtown Los Angeles by one of our former Grad students, Jonathan Ortega who also lives in Los Angeles. Not Oakland.

[@LA-ish]

OK. But why the footage of a Baptist church from Oakland? [5:56]

[@happyidiot90049]

never been to Oakland

[@newnotification30]

The interview was shot on the corner of Hope and Washington. If there is footage that is not from the location then it is just stock footage but no big deal. The veterans that are interviewed are not being truthful. I am a veteran and I know that what they are saying is not true. I was on drugs and drinking a lot of alcohol living on Skid Row but when I decided to stop getting loaded the VA opened every opportunity for me to get off the street. There are no drug treatment programs for veterans on Skid Row, only temporary Transitional Living programs. The only veterans that get housed on Skid Row are veterans that do not want to address their substance abuse issues and just want a place to lay their head for a while. When the veteran decides to get his life together people would be amazed at how much the VA offers. The veterans interviewed are just low-lives want to blame other people for their bad choices in life

[@weedermann]

Vets...bring PROOF OF VETERAN status and go to LAHSA. Tell them you are homeless and want help to get off the street.

[@jayybee2074]

Tuff Bud You are so stupid. Don’t you think they tried that? Moron

[@michaelbrown5566]

I tried that two years ago and i am still homeless

[@raulcruz6601]

Is all propaganda to get donations. The government wants them to stay poor and the shelters keep a revolving door that sweeps money every time it turns. In exchange politicians get donations. See how it really works?

[@jamescarrington5130]

The VA, 211 & LAHSA has not helped a bit. I have been disabled, & homeless, as a veteran, for 20+ years. Now what?

[@jamescarrington5130]

You can get a meal & a haircut at these stand downs, but any other help is just empty promises.

[@tarasmith6314]

go to building 500 at the VA in brentwood. they can put you in building 210

[@valentino226]

GPD (Grant per diem) thats what a veteran that has a substance abuse problem can use to get into rehab for free.

[@johnpatrickkelley4247]

Majority of homeless veterans did not complete their commitment or enlistment

[@chadjazeera9960]

Do you have a source or link to back that up?

[@prestonpfeil981]

French r remember when my car was stolen on tve veterans parking lot near 118 building. Police would not even take a police report

[@hauntedhistory8788]

this is why you don't do drugs everyone ! you have a choice on life ! why can't the three of them put there money together and rent a house ! they don't try !

[@marylougeorge9890]

U hv no idea about real life & trauma. Pray u never r faced w PTSD.

[@vickieatmon359]

If you have a honorable discharge.. ..GO TO THE VA! There is Help for you, but you hav to help yourselves! Good grief!

[@jamescarrington5130]

Just another ignorant liar.

[@weedermann]

"Jonathan Ortega, on assignment for another PBS project..." Sounds like a good gig...how much do you make, Jonathan? You keep up with those vets? They have good housing and a source of income yet?

[@alaskaboomer6143]

Fat forward to Dec. 2017 The numbers are now worse,,,

[@jamescarrington5130]

June 2020 & it is worse now than ever before. Covid-19 has taken away public bathrooms & any place to wash our hands. 20+ years as a homeless disabled veteran has taught me that their promises to help do not really mean much, they're just hoarding for themselves.

[@thomaswest2785]

Garcetti, this was made in 2015 and you were committed to no more homeless vets. Did you actually do anything at all?? On August 3rd, the city is preparing to clean out Veterans Row in front of the LA VA. Displacement of our veteran community isn't a solution!

[@diamondintheroughiamthelaw9682]

They can use their vet benefits to buy land in KY. Why waste in LA? 😮‍💨

[@josemarrer0]

People go to a war in other country to kill inocent ... This is w/ they deserve. Karma is Real.

[@cathyt144]

The words " homeless" and " veterans" should NEVER be used in the same sentence. Its horrible the way our country and the VA treats our veterans. No respect .

[@alfredosandoval2943]

Project ? For what just help them with food maybe 4 days in a hotel give him work don't just talk too much

[@sssserdd4294]

You join army for the benefits? Or you join the army becuase u wanted to serve and protect the country? Who you fighting for?

[@raulcruz6601]

People join for benefits and a paycheck. Everybody fool. Nobody is attacking us

[@doncornell6893]

lol, vets whatever. that white dude talking looks like he's only been on the streets for 6 months. over here they start turning dark. i bet ya he's going right back to hid momma's lol

[@tristanc5937]

Don Cornell where's your respect. Don't matter if it's only 6 months homeless which u don't know is true. He's a homeless veteran

[@brianellsworth4767]

We don't know if he is a vet. Drugs alcohol are a problem. I don't care if he a vet . He needs help and he is a US citizen .but how can help them without helping them to get high. Give him a nice place and give him a job . It won't help him. He must come in on his own and we ask where might that be ...??? We have Americans with severe mental problems and we have not found an answer yet. PTSD is a problem ,but do think we have that many with PTSD or a growing drug problem . both are important.

[@frankzheng5286]

It's a letdown to realize you were never fighting for your country to begin with...the banking cartel wins again