ODVA Spring 2024 comments

AI Generated Transcript

My name is Logan M Isaac, I was in the Army 20206 got out as an E5 paratrooper and uh Ford Observer for the artillery when I got out I started pursuing higher education and uh used VA Services uh across a couple of different states landed here about a year ago and I'm really interested in the question of why why some vets aren't self identifying um and propose that we have there's another way to think about suicide prevention that isn't getting enough exposure and that's civil rights from the federal level on down uh our civil rights as veterans members former members military dependents are a hodg podge of poorly enforced um statutes Municipal codes um here in the state of Oregon uh we are not protected the closest we come is employment under ORS 659 a082 our neighbor to the South California uh recognizes military families as a fully protected class however uh at the federal level as well uh veterans and military families haven't asserted those rights they haven't expect or they we sometimes are surprised to learn that employment discrimination housing discrimination um is occurring but we keep it silent because we've been taught to shut up and drive on um I think human dignity is uh the missing link I suppose for suicide prevention I'd like to see Oregon come up to speed with California and also uh encourage and Advocate at the federal level for not just civil rights to be passed but those laws that do protect us to be enforced for example the hate crimes prevention Act of 2009 included an entire section sections 4712 that extended similar protections to service members their families up to 5 years after discharge the Department of Justice at the federal level does not know about this law has never enforced it and its agents have no idea when I've called and asked for information but it's been in place uh since 2009 and we still haven't gotten hate crimes protections for our community because individuals who are targeted usually by what we'll call domestic terrorists uh do domestic terrorism charges are easier to uh get a confession a conviction um but hate crimes are explicit intended to protect our entire community so individuals are getting spot check protections but our community as a whole is uh going through is falling through loopholes I don't know how much time I have left and I'll try and avoid identifying information um but I there have been a uh the again at the federal level I'm only mentioning the federal because Oregon doesn't have a similar protection uh it's called VEVRAA is supposed to extend employment prot protections to Veterans however its enforcement agency the ofccp receives more complaints from veterans than any other complainant and has since 2004 more veterans are complaining of employment discri discrimination to the Department of Labor um than any other complainant but veterans and vevra complaints are receiving the lowest record of findings of Merit essentially the Department of Labor doesn't believe V when they complain of employment discrimination 13 of those complaints since 2004 have come from the state of Oregon because Oregon does not protect veterans from employment discrimination Oregon does not protect uh from hate crimes or bias incidences either on paper um and I'd like to see that closed and I'd like to see Oregon be an example for the federal level to not just put them in law as California has but to advocate for a comprehensive enforcement of veterans and service memb civil rights uh to include the EEOC which excludes veterans from its protection the dep the Department of Housing and Urban developments office of fair equity and opportunity also excludes veterans so for example uh income discrimination you have one more minute s thank you um I know a veteran who used his VA disability income to apply for an apartment the apartment manager was very like formal and te's crossed and eyes dotted that that landlord didn't believe a federal document the VA compensation letter that I receive as well he held up that application for a highly sought over apartment that represents incum discrimination there's no protection but I think it it's clear on its face that examples like these are uh are affecting veterans every day and I would like to think that Americans and oregonians are willing to step up to the plate and start closing those loopholes thank you very much

Vice Chair: [inaudible]

Logan M Isaac: If I could respond I think what happened was atrocious um my father is a Vietnam vet he spent he was he was on the Enterprise for uh an enlistment that he volunteered for to avoid the Infantry um and he never hid it from me or anybody in our family but he also didn't talk about it and I think what happens with my generation we've the pendulum is swung so thank you for your service has become for me and most of the Vets I talk to which are mostly the kind of vets that Tina works with it's a hollow sentiment and it acts to just continue to conceal the fact that we don't know what to do with vets and we haven't and Veterans because it's a passable identity I'll become a civilian and try and get whatever benefits that I should be deserving I won get into any of my personal um case stuff here but um when civilians find out they'll say that I'm hard to work with and they'll have all these excuses for not giving me equal treatment and the only thing that I think uh the only facet I think I have is the law so I can't pursue anything in Oregon there's a case that I'm about to start in California but it's it's incredibly subtle and Sinister um and I don't think what happened to you has gone away it's just changed form.

Vice Chair:

LMI: I was a trained research and I've been a state home dad for five years and that's that's what gave me time and now I'm ready to step up and start start forcing those loopholes closed if I have to

OR DVA Director: Logan they I do um I just adding on very quickly to what our vice chair shared about our V veterans which for those of us who are um younger veterans I myself from a veteran I did not identify that at the beginning I have a hard time identifying myself uh even now but women veterans lgbtq CL veterans um also have challenges and and it is something that we should talk more about and do more about we have we do have advocacy here but there is a Statewide um issue in that regard and a national issue in that regard and so I want to acknowledge that that is that is absolutely true you mentioned civil rights um and I would very much like to um just either myself or someone on my team follow up with you in that regard but I'll share with you quickly and this isn't a style it really it's just for awareness there is a civil rights division um within the department of J small shop but they do work and they actually have a new crime hotline um that I can try to get information to you about and I'm and myself and my team are actually really uh closely working with the employment department and I'm I'm happy to bring up and they may well be aware um but I'm happy to bring up in my next meeting with with the director some of the uh employment discrimination points that he made I can say that my son is a veteran and to at that isso finding positions that take them and tell them that they're veteran everybody here knows that it's absolutely not supposed to be the case so didn't share too much personally but just to let you know this is a these are very um important points and I appreciate that.

LMI: if I may just closing uh remark I learned uh as a uh a white siset male Evangelical um that bias and Injustice are only as strong as their weakest link um the more I spoke up as a veteran the more I was told to decenter myself um as a white guy as uh CIS uh uh Mass presenting like but this if Martin said a threat to Justice anywhere is a threat to Injustice everywhere um and if if there's a black veteran and say that landlord just didn't want to rent to black people they could fully legally say every veteran is a baby killer and that individual would have no recourse um and so a threat to Justice anywhere is a threat to Injustice everywhere and I think it begins and ends with better friends uh here in our states thank you for and for letting me go on.

ODVA Director: I appreciate thank you Logan.