Rafer Johnson - Champion for Ending Veteran Homelessness in Los Angeles

Fellow Veterans and Friends of Veterans Sad news on the passing of Rafer Johnson, America's legendary Olympic Decathlon Champion and Civil Rights Activist who nearly six years ago challenged the Los Angeles VA to declare a "state of emergency" for homeless Veterans and to use the nearly 400 acres at the largest VA in the nation to resolve Veteran homelessness in LA.

Rafer Johnson, 1960 Olympic decathlon champion, dies at 86 A Champion for our U.S. Military Veterans who are homeless and hungry in Los Angeles, Rafer served in the National Guard during the Vietnam War era. Rafer was a loyal supporter of the Old Veterans Guard and our Mission to "Bring Our Homeless Veterans HOME.". Three weeks before the VA's infamous "settlement agreement" signed on January 28, 2015, Rafer gave a compelling speech before the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition that consisted of 96 communities as he called on the City of LA to work together using much of the VA's land to accommodate our homeless Veterans in Los Angeles. A unanimous Resolution was passed by the 96 Council members in support of his challenge. It's nearly six years later and the Los Angeles VA bureaucrats at the top level have failed in every measure imaginable to honor Rafer's rightful request, as well as honor the 2015 "settlement agreement's" #1 Promise to end Veterans homelessness in Greater LA by the end of 2015 and beyond. Attached is an overview of Rafer's January 3, 2015 challenge to the VA. Rafer Johnson was unquestionably one of the most honest and genuine persons you could ever meet and his life was spent trying to help others, particularly the less fortunate. On the other hand, high-level VA bureaucrats continue to lie and dishonor the settlement agreement and abuse our homeless Veterans, proving to be clearly some of the most dishonest and disingenuous individuals imaginable -- more astonishing -- they are retired high-level officers of the U.S. Military.

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When you have the privilege of working with Rafer Johnson and then have the misfortune of working with top-echelon entrusted VA bureaucrats, it's clear to see there is a huge, huge divide between the two and the subsequent victims are our disabled and homeless Veterans Earlier this year, Rafer's wife donated $250 from the Johnson Family for a 10x14 walk-in tent and cot at the original Veterans "Pride Row" on San Vicente Boulevard next to the VA. Recently, these high-level VA bureaucrats essentially "stole" 12 walk-in tents and cots that were donated by generous and compassionate individuals. During a phone conversation with the two top Los Angeles VA officials on November 16, we agreed the tents would be established for a Vietnam Veteran Tent City and isolated from the rest of their own muddled and disarrayed collection of crawl-in pup tents on the Grand Lawn. True to their distrusting form, these VA officials completely violated our mutual agreement and we have no idea where these 12 tents are located. As mentioned, when you have the honor and privilege of working with someone as honest and trusting as Rafer Johnson and then are forced to deal with some of the most dishonest and distrusting individuals at the VA, it is difficult to comprehend because there is such an extreme difference. But then again, Rafer was 86 when he passed and hailed from a far-different era of today's younger, deceitful and self-serving ingrates. Thank you Rafer Johnson! God Bless Rafer Johnson and the United States of America! American Icon Rafer Johnson and Neighborhood Councils (PDF)