James Edward Becton III testifies on accountability and follow-up

Indeed.

Thank you very much.

Last time I met you were in the spring.

It's great to see you again.

Indeed, my good brother.

And all of you, I give you gratitude and thanks.

Good afternoon.

I am James Edward Becton III.

Becton, if you will.

I'm an artist, a disabled veteran, once of the Army, department head at Chemical Corps as well,

entrepreneur, founding executive artistic director of the Becton International Black Theater and Arts Consortium, sitting here right now as a proactive citizen,

and in tandem as a proactive advocate with Fibro veterans and all the other veterans to give note and gratitude to you all who have taken the time to make time to bring this issue to the light of day at this time.

After having served to protect this nation's ideology, which has been under assault for reasons quite antithetical to the very contract and constitution that I,

we, did in fact both vocalize, sign, and exercise, some of us too, expiration,

I experienced.

homelessness, not once but twice after coming out of the service, and at no aid or assistance did I get from the VA because a part of that was VA issues.

I am an artist.

Both of these times I was enveloped and nurtured by my community of artists, and had it not been for that said community, I could have very well been a tenant in this here facility that we are investigating right now.

We are all here today because of care, accountability, and taxpayer dollars.

The care, a transitive verb, is because we are concerned enough to be here, as we all are, to make this note.

Accountability, or in this instance, one of many, a severe lacking of accountability.

Our taxpayer dollars, the very ducats we've been mandatorily relinquishing since our first W-2s, the very cash that is taxed upon receipt,

taxed to spend, taxed to save, taxed to pass down, taxpayer dollars that are functioning everywhere in our faces, but here at our home.

In our own backyard.

This is on a micro level, an exhibition of what's happening on a quite macro level.

This is an issue regarding the lacking and fulfillment of a contractual obligation to properly remunerate with care the very citizens and service members, veterans of these United States.

Upon my introduction to Representative Wong, his immediate rebuttal to me was, I work for you.

And that is exactly the correct answer.

And as we all sit here today vocalizing and testimonializing why this is important, I'm here to give you all gratitude again for taking up the reins.

We, as service members, look to you as elected-led service members to do the right thing for we the people.

And we're making our voices of support for these actions taken here today.

So I thank you kindly, truly, for your time and attention, for being proactive in dealing with these issues that don't only just deal with veterans, but everybody.

But today it's about veterans, and I give you grace for paying attention.

And this is what I said to you when I met you last time.

Good, sir.

The only thing I requested of you was follow-up and accountability.

And the fact that we are here today, these many months later, means exactly that, that you are exactly following through.

And I give you all grace and gratitude for it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Becton.

I do hope when Councilmember Wong told you that, you at least wished him a happy birthday.

Oh, well, I'm wishing you a happy birthday now, brother, because you're doing the do, and that's exactly the representation that we're needing.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Becton.

All right, I believe we have one final gentleman in person, and I'll apologize in advance if I mispronounce your name, but it's Rana Bissassar.

Please correct me.

Is that correct?

All right, great.

All right.

Have a seat and begin whenever you're ready, and then we'll move over to the Zoom testimony.

You can turn the mic on, keep it close to you.