Old Town San Diego is pitting neighbors against veterans

"We have an opportunity here to care of the people who took care of us" and that is the way most people feel but some Old Town residents are more interested in what they want instead. Some say it shouldn't be near a school? What this is all about is a matter of how people look at things. Out of fear, they reject the men and women who dared to go where these people sent them. Out of love, others view it as what is possible to help these men and women live better for the rest of their lives.

Center planned for Old Town San Diego is pitting neighbors against veterans

By Marisa Agha
Special to The Bee
Published: Monday, Feb. 20, 2012

SAN DIEGO – Old Town San Diego is known for its vibrant shops featuring Mexican crafts, restaurants with strolling mariachis and rich history as the birthplace of California.
But debate about a proposed veterans facility geared for those with post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury has pitted neighbors against veterans in this military town over whether the historic neighborhood is where the veterans center should be.

San Diego would host one of five facilities the Department of Veterans Affairs is creating nationwide to serve these veterans. The others would be in Atlanta, Denver, Miami and Philadelphia.

"We have an opportunity here to care of the people who took care of us for the last 10 years," said Debbie Dominick, the proposed center's director. "It's also an incredible opportunity for our young people to learn about heroes."
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Old Town San Diego turned ugly