The Merced County Veterans Alliance's mission is to provide information and resources to assist in developing a strong voice to take to our government representatives. Through education, support, and dialog with experienced advocates, we hope to engage communities to resolve issues that have gone unheard –sometimes for decades. As allies and veterans of the different branches of the military, we have the desire to establish places where equity, safety, and inclusion are created in our communities. Our goal is to change the current flavor of exclusion by our City and County representatives, who seem to have an agenda that has not been inclusive of all communities and their citizens. We fought for this country and the Freedom our citizens enjoy, but our government representatives abuse it. As Veterans, we are now faced with battling against government officials' agendas that have made it difficult for us to enjoy our liberty and freedom. It is a shame that we fought for this country only to come home to continue fighting for our rights. We are a small group and want to share what we have learned in our struggle to obtain equity and safety for the Veterans Memorial Hall building in Merced. What we have learned are the necessary steps to move things forward through the agenda of our representatives. We have also received some training from a local activist whom we will be presenting on video in the near future as a resource for community development –should the community want. We are not here to take up anyone's personal causes. We do, however, want to share the lessons we have learned to assist others in this advocacy/justice work. This blog is intended to share information and connect communities and their citizens to transform Merced County into a safe and equitable place for all residents –whether you are a Veteran or not.
“If nothing changes then nothing changes”.
Veterans Issues: The Merced County Veterans Alliance was created in response to the neglect and failure to provide adequate services for Merced County Veterans. The Board of Supervisors failed to provide an equitable and safe public building for all Veteran organizations and for the public to meet and enjoy. They have poorly managed the Veteran Services Office; housing for Veterans without homes, and suicide issues that hover over returning soldiers as they attempt to transition from military to civilian life. We hear only the words that express a “thank you” with no substance or action that demonstrates any appreciation. There is minimal assistance provided for returning military personnel. These are but a few of the issues we have uncovered. We will continue to post information as we receive it.
Community Issues: During a 10-month period in 2023 of attending all but a few Town Hall/Board meetings, we found the following concerns: marginalized communities were not present, and advertisement was poorly done for the Board of Supervisors Meetings. We saw no postings and did not receive any mailings, nor did we hear of any information on local channels. It is unclear if any information was advertised in Spanish or in any other language pertinent to communities of color or those with disabilities. We also learned that there is potential corruption happening with the millions of dollars that are given to Merced County to assist communities in need. In order to change this, we must take an active role. This blog is a space to express those concerns and develop something that can help us all.
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