Veterans in Harlem Home Cite Violence and Vermin

[Rose Siding]

The brick six-story home for veterans on East 119th Street in Harlem looks clean and sturdy from the outside.

Step inside, however, and you find yourself in a dim, dispiriting flophouse that its occupants say is a disgrace to men who have served their country.

"We've got a problem going on in there," said Ron Allen, 52, a hulking former Army clerk who has lived in the home since 1992. "Everything is breaking down."

Residents say elevators shut down once a month. They say the hot plates in the kitchen do not work. They say there are roaches, critters in their beds and rats that run loudly through walls and ceilings.

The police are investigating the August killing of Gilberto de la Cruz, a tenant who residents say was beaten to death in his room.

In a time of war, the country and its political candidates have praised veterans. America's servicemen and women have been congratulated for their courage and courted for their vote.......

http://nytimes.com/2004/10/17/nyregion/17harlem.html

[jukes]

1. when they can no longer use us

we're ignored & discarded.