Making a Difference: Santa Cruz Veterans

gang shooting. a second defendant, edmundo pulido, already took a plea deal and was sentenced last year.. the start of his trial comes on the five year anniversary of cruz’s death. yesterday, people came together to remember him at a ”100 mothers vigil.” cruz’s mother expressed love for her son but also wanted to share a message for the community. *maria alcantar/ mother of azahel cruz”salinas is full of violence and a lot of innocent people are dying and that’s why we’re here my son was one who inside a home died because of violence.”* a park has since been dedicated in cruz’s name. now for some positive local news… gonzales high school won first place in the english section of the monterey county migrant speech and debate competition! this is the first win for the school. the team was made up of five girls. the next stop for these ladies will be the *state speech and debate tournament in monterey. that happens in mid may.. congrats! p-t-s-d, chronic homelessness and alcoholism.. these are just some of the challenges veterans face after service. but thanks to volunteer support, help is available. here’s more in today’s making a difference. *trt:outcue::*2817 “a year ago i found myself homeless and unemployed.”it’s been an eventful year for army veteran mitchell horton.mitchell horton/ volunteer for veterans service day/ 1829 “in my history, i’ve spent the nights on the streets. i know what its like not to have a roof over your head.”for 20 years mitchell had no place to call home. after his service ended, he struggled to find permanent work.unaware of potential services, he was forced to live life on the streets. mitchell horton/ volunteer for veterans service day/ 1829 “i know what it’s like to be in cris mode and not have any food, comfort or shelter.” until last year, when mitchell came here to one of the santa cruz veterans service days. nat, greeting veteransevery wednesday, 21st century vet provides a varity of services including a meal. leslie cone/ volunteer for veterans service day/ 1428 “when someone comes in we offer them medical, assistance to file a claim, we guide them to housing, find jobs, help with bus fair.” once a week, volunteers