Veteran's Affairs Plus discusses the issues that veterans in Las Vegas deal with on a daily basis. Your host, David L. Washington connects listeners with relevant community resources and information that they need to help veterans or themselves.
Wesley Knight 0:00
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Music 0:42
what's going on good day
Dave Washington 0:48
Las Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs, plus on 91.5 jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington, your host. We'll have Miss Evelyn Pacheco on the show shortly, but I got a few remarks I need to make, just to ensure that we're keeping our public informed. I did tell you guys a few weeks ago that I was going to have asked Wes to rerun the show with the Goodmans, but instead of this week, I'm going to have that done at the end of the month, actually, because I've had some other programs or other shows that we had to get some stuff in from a time constraint standpoint. So I wanted to encourage those firefighters out there that aren't aware the Carl homes, ed.org, that's the Carl Holmes executive development program that will be at Dillard University June 1 through the sixth. So if you want to move up through the ranks, that's a program to go to to sharpen your skills, if you would. And along those lines, we also give out scholarships each year. And to fund that scholarship, we do a golf tournament, actually at Dillard, not a dealer, but in New Orleans on the weekend, the Saturday after the graduation at EDI. But also we're going to add a new piece to that fold of raising funds for our scholarship program, and that is a scholarship fundraiser Memorial golf tournament, honoring our ancestors, our deceased brothers, Chief Herschel Clady and William Spike Jones, both of those brothers passed away, and they're well respected individuals, so we thought it would be good to with the with the approval of their families to use their names in order to raise funds for charity golf tournament again, to fund the Carl homes executive development Scholarship Fund, where we have our program, and we're Summer Institute once again at Dillard University. With that, I'm going to now ask who has been on the show before, and we're going to get on his more times than you may think, because of the wonderful job she's doing for women in trades, and that is Miss Evelyn Pacheco, Hey, Miss Evelyn, how are you doing, young lady, I
Evelyn Pacheco 3:06
am great, and thank you for having me on your show. I appreciate it. Wonderful,
Dave Washington 3:11
wonderful. Well, we we know that you're doing great work, and certainly we want to get you back on to talk to our listening audience about the wonderful things that you're doing, but first of all, give them your background from a military standpoint, and then we'll go into what you're doing with this dynamic work that you're doing at this point in your life.
Evelyn Pacheco 3:32
No problem. As of July 3, I am proud to say that I am 100% disabled. Very proud to say that I am a female that got out of the military, Army and 92 and was a light wool mechanic. 63 Juliet went to Fort Jackson and did, did Aberdeen Proving Grounds. But when I was done, I just didn't finish doing, you know, I mean, I just kind of dropped out. And I think you're getting having kids and and didn't even think about it, didn't even know of my benefits and all that. So finally, about a year and a half ago, I started working on that, and I have it, and I'm 100% today, but I'm very proud of that so and I have really been in the veteran community, really supporting veterans, but but also looking at women housing that we don't have here in this state.
Dave Washington 4:37
Wow, that's great work. Absolutely great, great work that you're doing. So out after military, when you got out, had children, etc, what made you or what inspired you to, hey, you know what, women are not getting a fair shot? What can I do? What inspired you to? To do that. When
Evelyn Pacheco 5:01
I started Nevada women in trades in 2018 it really brought to the center fold right of what women don't have, what not challenges. It brought them challenges, right? It brought again about housing, about about job training. Then I found out that we have 24 women veterans that are up in Florence McClure prison, which I thought was horrible, that what are we doing? Are we helping these women? Are we talking to these women? Do these women know about being able to file for claims? Do these women know about voting. Do these, I mean, all of it, you know, and found out that there's really not a support system for these 24 veteran women that are up in Florida, or any reform for that matter, right? Even in veteran court, Adam been very much more engaged in veteran treatment court that's in Henderson. There's veteran Treatment Court, Justice Court downtown. There's there's veteran treatment court in North Las Vegas. And these are veterans that them, you know, had coming around hard times, but it's a very intense program that they do, but they need volunteers to be mentors for these veterans, and I go as a support system, right? Do you know? Again? Do you know about claims? Do you need help with jobs? And I, I help all the veterans, like I said, but specifically I talk to the women veterans that are in justice, veteran court. Matter of fact, there's justice, veteran court tomorrow morning and and by getting in this to create Nevada women trades, I really, again, didn't realize there was a whole lot more to this. It wasn't just getting these women jobs. It was like, again, the challenges, right? Do they need housing? What if they need their high school equivalency and need that first? Or what if they need a place to live before they can get a job. I mean, I found out, wow, because,
Dave Washington 7:04
you know, whatever. Let me stop you, because you know, as I mentioned already, you've been on this show before, young lady, you are doing a phenomenal job. And what I'm finding out now is you have branched out. You went to the you ain't waiting nobody to check your website. You going out there. God bless you. Go ahead. I just had to say that. Go ahead. Well,
Evelyn Pacheco 7:26
I that's what I saying. You know, that's what I was saying. Like, I realized that it was more than me starting a nonprofit to help women in the community to get jobs. It was like, wait a minute, there's a whole lot going on out here, right? And, and, and I'm only one person, so that means I had to get more community partners. But it's always like, Well, wait a minute. What about those that are in assembly positions, commissioners, senators, those that are actually are supposed to be helping with housing for veterans that are supposed to be helping like we need to start holding them accountable, and not just vote for them and say, Hey, let's do this right, but also come back and say, You said this, this and this, and hold them accountable to what our needs are in the community. Now I'm talking about just Nevada. I'm saying, Yeah, okay, my focus is Nevada. What are you doing for Nevada? How are we making sure those in our community are getting what they need and everything? So I just had another graduation and been working very closely with historic West Side school, Marcus sherfield, who is Doug, who's head of the youth it program over there. And wow, he's been really a big support. I can say shout out to him. And in the city of Las Vegas for we had our graduation there, we have four out of five women that are going to get in the trades. We went through our six week program, and it's just been lovely. You know, we still, we got seven union partners. We actually got mining partner now too for mining, because the big mining titanium that's getting ready to happen here in Vegas, and electrical cars, and the manufacturing is getting ready to happen here. There's some big money that's here now, and infrastructure money that's here that a lot of people don't know about for even businesses, women, businesses can get ahead because of this infrastructure money that's coming black owned women, businesses can get ahead because of the infrastructure money that's coming here to this town. We just got to figure out, you know, who to tap into it with, but it's just been such a humbling process of going through my six week program this time. And these women are very smart out here. The thing is, we just need to get the information out like you're doing right now, helping with getting the information out here. That Nevada women in trades has a program that helps women, all women, to be able to get into these apprenticeships. And it's, it's not just off and a goal and you're going to get an apprenticeship. There's like, a whole process with that too. They're not just letting you go in here and make 120 G's a year, right, going down like that. No, gotta
Dave Washington 10:21
put some gotta put some sweat in, in in this whole atmosphere that that you're dealing with. Well, congratulations. Because when you say that you graduate several women and they are actually getting into a job, that is great, because some of them will probably make careers out of what they're doing. And I think it's fascinating that you're doing this, and we certainly wish you the absolute best as we move through 2025 so this is outstanding stuff that you're doing. Evelyn, continue that great work. So what's your website? Again?
Evelyn Pacheco 10:52
My website is info, I n, f, O, at Nevada, spells out, W, I t.org, that's my email. Y'all My website is www dot Nevada spelled out, W, I t.org, so That's nevadawit.org and info@nevadawit.org is our email, and once a year we have this pipeline program, we start you need to email and so you get on the list, and come next October probably will be before that September, I'll send out emails and let you know when we're going to have the application process. And October, about the third week in October, we'll start a new class. Is Monday through Friday, for six weeks for Saturdays with your OSHA, your forklift awareness in your those are the certifications we help you with. We help you with your resumes. And it's, it's you. It is your syllabus. You go by, I mean, it's a real intense program and, and it's not just, you know, if this, you want a career, then that's fine. If not, then this is not for you, because we're taking this very serious. So you know that has a background and what you do firefighters, so
Dave Washington 12:15
generally speaking. So it's a six week program. How many seats do you have available for folks to
Evelyn Pacheco 12:23
we have up to 15 seats available. Okay, we again, you go through a process, application interviewing, and you have to go through that. It's in person, application you fill out. We don't have anything online. And like I said, it's six weeks, and it's an intense program. But again, this is a career. This is not McDonald's. Y'all no pun on McDonald's, not McDonald's in Walmart or K Mart or whatever here, right? So
Dave Washington 12:55
your program, you do the six week program only once a year, yes, and I would imagine that it probably has to do with funding and just having the staff to do it. You know, this is such a great program, and having 15 available seats, I don't want to because my wife sitting over there. She was saying, there you go. He finished jumping into something else, but some kind of way of I'm gonna try to reach out and ask other folks how they can help you, and I know funding would be one of them, because to me, such a dynamic program needs to be ran more than once a year, and I'm talking about it at least twice. You know, at least twice that'll be at least 30
Evelyn Pacheco 13:38
to do this, because a lot of times women again, they're like, Oh, yeah. But then they like, Wow, I can't wait till October to do this program. Well, sorry, we it's the way it is. Because of we got to pay for the OSHA things. We got to have a person that's teaching
Dave Washington 13:58
Evelyn, I'm going to have to get you back on again, because you're such a great guest, you can roll. And Wes, gave me the he gave me the finger. It wasn't middle finger, but he said, Yeah, one minute. Evelyn, thank you so much. So give that, give that website again, Nevada. Information on them.
Evelyn Pacheco 14:13
The website is W, I t.org, and info at Nevada wit and also, we have a black women civic engagement this weekend at historic West Side from 10 to one. We also have a black women veteran round table next month, February 8 at the same place, the historic West Side from 10 to one, and we have a women in trade. March 15 at the same location, historic West Side school from 10 to one. We got panelists and everything and having real conversations. All right,
Dave Washington 14:43
Ellen, we thank you so much. I know I got attorney, former city attorney, brian scott, sitting, and he's going to be my next guest, and you're infringing upon his time, but he won't have you arrested. So thank you so much. Evelyn, we're going to get you back on again, because, Evan, you're doing some outstanding work. And when you're doing that kind of work, we should use every platform to help people. So thank you, young lady, take care of yourself and happy 2025 my wife, thank
Evelyn Pacheco 15:09
you for having me on here. All right, New Year. All right. Thank
Dave Washington 15:12
you. This is Veterans Affairs, plus on 91.5 jazz and more. On the other side, we have former city attorney Brian Scott. You.
Once again, good day Las Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs, plus on 91.5 jazz and more. I always say that I'm excited, but I'm truly excited because me and this gentleman, we worked together. I was in the fire service, and he was in the city attorney's office ultimately became the city attorney for the city of Las Vegas. So we're very proud of you, young man, thank you. And I didn't know where you had come through, because I didn't know a lot about your background, but I wanted you here today to talk specifically about Dr William Bill selling and what a great guy he was, and he's an ancestor now, but at his, at his service, when I heard you speak, I'm like, Man, I gotta get him on Veterans Affairs, because the plus side of Veterans Affairs where we could talk about any other things that we think that are important, right? Marsh and I both been known Sherry, Cherie and and Dr seller for years. So I said, I want to honor this, this gentleman, man. And I was trying to get you guys in October, but I just had so much with my health going on, jumping all over me and stuff. But you're here now. I am here. Let's talk about, well, first of all, give folks a little bit about your background. Okay,
Brian Scott 16:35
thank and first of all, thank you, chief. Happy New Year. Thank you for having me on the program and to talk about a great man. Dr, William W Sullivan, my name is Brian Scott. As you said, I was the former Las Vegas City Attorney. I've lived in Las Vegas since 1970 my dad was in the Air Force, and so we moved here from Miami, Florida, where I was born. And so moved here in 1970 at age three, been here, moved to North Las Vegas, lived there for what, went to Rancho High School, Jim Bridger junior high, Lincoln Elementary, and went to unlv class of 1988 degree in business management. I am the first African American city attorney for the city of Las Vegas in its 119 year history. I was the first African American State Bar president the State Bar in Nevada in 2016 17. I was the first African American president of Clark County Bar Association 2005 and then the first African American president of the Clark County Bar Foundation in 2006 and
Dave Washington 17:32
let me say this, and no offense, because i You were at the men's only lunches. Yes, let me say this to to people. And I want everybody to understand this. It's not so important that you be that you were the first black but one thing I heard that you did is you brought others up. Yeah. So tell folks a little bit about that, then we go, then we're gonna get into Dr Sullivan. And
Brian Scott 17:52
that directly came from Dr Sullivan, so his biggest thing was to uplift others. So somebody helped you, help the person behind you to get along as well. And so my desire, at this point in my life, and has always been, is to help people who look like me and people who don't look like me, who don't have opportunities to help them as well, because Dr Sullivan helped me tremendously. And so I say, but for he and my mother, I wouldn't be where I am today, because he's the one who really taught his kids, I say his kids as Upward Bound kids, to be the best that they can be, to try things that they've never tried before, and to uplift those people who are coming behind. Don't just make yours and leave them behind, that's right, but to uplift them as well. Yeah, you
Dave Washington 18:36
know, I got a couple times he asked me to come out and speak at Upward Bound program. Excited and to your point about helping others offer my staff, and I will always acknowledge former Councilwoman Annette Boggs, McDonald, Dr Lawrence weekly, because they had me installed as the interim. Well, they said Acting Chief. I said, No, I want to be interim. That means I'm the chief in between. Now it's a whole different animal, but off of my staff came two blacks that became fire chiefs, two whites became fire chief. And like you say, you have to give people who may not get an opportunity, that opportunity to stand up and stand tall, go get it.
Brian Scott 19:18
Yes. And the one thing I always dislike is when people say, Well, no one applied again, but you're not going out there to get those people that are qualified. And sometimes people are so tired of being rejected that they no longer try. And so the whole important point. And so when I was city attorney, I became city attorney in 2020 after being in the office for I was in the city attorney's office for 27 years, I was in private practice for five years prior to that, joined the city attorney's office in 1996 worked my way up from being a deputy city attorney doing litigation to then the assistant city attorney in 2005 the Senior Assistant City Attorney after that, and then becoming city the city attorney in 2020 Yeah. And I was the only person of color when I became city attorney in 2020 I was the only person of color as an attorney in the city attorney's office out of 25 attorneys. Wow. And there were no female attorneys in the Civil Division out of 25 attorneys. And so I made it my point in 2020 to make the office more diverse. And again, it wasn't a quota, it wasn't.
Dave Washington 20:22
And a seed was planted by Dr Sullivan, correct, and further cultivated, I would imagine, by others as as well as him. Because I, you know, Dr Sullivan, he, he, he'd helped the push
Brian Scott 20:35
he would. And Doc sacrificed so much and this, and, you know, I could have retired two years prior to the time I did. I retired on August 10, 2023 I actually purchased five years and actually ate into that money to stay longer, not because I had to, but because I wanted to, because my main goal was to diversify the office, because I knew that a government office shouldn't reflect one view, and it should be inclusive of everyone, not only LGBTQ, but African Americans, Hispanics, Caucasian everyone, everyone has a seat at the table. And so I stayed two extra years in order to do that, I poach from other agencies. Sorry, Dave, I poach from other agencies. I poached from the private sector, and I got really well qualified attorneys to work in that office. Right when I left, I had two, I had four women in the civil division that were lawyers, well qualified lawyers. Two were African American. One, it worked for the EEOC as a litigator who was in the city of City of Henderson, city attorney's office. I poached her because I knew she was being underutilized there, right? And then I found a woman from the Richardson and Cummings with the private law firm. And again, these were well qualified attorneys who are still there to this day and are doing well. One of them is now the chief of the litigation department
Dave Washington 22:02
attorney, I always laugh, and people say this, please
Brian Scott 22:06
never. And so I even did a process where I had a two interview system where I interviewed them with the person they were going to work with or work under, and other people from the office, and then in the second interview, if we said we like that person, I wasn't even in the room, so we had the receptionist, the the paralegal, people that were going to work with this person to then go and ask them, and they could ask him any questions they wanted. And they did that, and it came back, and that was the person that they wanted to work with. That is
Dave Washington 22:37
an excellent approach. In fact, I know a lot of agencies. They also have community folks. I've been on fire chief, you know, Assessment Center, processes, captains, etc. They have labor, of course, they have citizenry, and that gives you a different dynamic in terms of them learning and listening to a person. Do we want them to be the head of our fire department? Right? What is their mentality and how do they feel about community? And like you said, that community involves all the different folks, right? Gay, straight, black, white,
Brian Scott 23:10
and working in a government office. I mean, you need to reflect the community in which you're because
Dave Washington 23:14
that money is coming from a community that's tax dollars that we're sucking up, and then we just want to look like one group? No, you can't
Brian Scott 23:21
do that. And as the city attorney, I also had a criminal division. So we, we prosecuted all of the civil, criminal misdemeanors in the city, be they, DUI, domestic violence, code enforcement issues. So, so it ran the gamut of those kind of things. So again, you wanted people not to just represent one particular culture or ethnicity. You wanted everyone represented so because I think that promotes justice in the system, absolutely where the system has always been deemed as being biased. Sure.
Dave Washington 23:53
Now you you have a T shirt, I do explain and tell us. When did this occur? And on behalf in honor of the legacy of Dr Sullivan so
Brian Scott 24:04
recently, the Center for Academic Advancement, sorry, I'm sorry. Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach was named in Dr Sullivan's honor. Doc passed away. We called him doc absolutely helped 10s of 1000s of underprivileged first generation kids to become successful. We have everything from politicians, lawyers, doctors, psychiatrists, I mean the word a PhD, head of departments, and all of us who were first generation students or students who were we all were, I think we all had something to give, and Doc saw that in us. So now it's now it's called the UNLV. Dr William W Sullivan, Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach. And so I met Dr Sullivan in my sophomore year of high school at Rancho High School in 1982 and so I was working at the Summer Youth Employment Program at that point. Was working in one of the buildings. I saw these Upward Bound students were so confident and I was very shy as a kid. And. People will never believe that now, because I talk too much, but I was very shy. And Doc, you know, we applied. There was no online applying. You had to go in person and apply. We went to classes on Saturday. All we got for doing that was a $10 and a bus ticket. And so going from UNLV, North Las Vegas to UNLV took literally two hours going and two hours back. And to do that on a Saturday, we were students that were really committed to academic excellence. We were taught just, you know, just communication skills and everything that we need to know. Let me just
Dave Washington 25:35
stop you right here, because, you know, the older folks, yeah, I walked two miles in the snow, and we're but you did two hours
Brian Scott 25:44
on a bus. This is literally Yes. I remember the busses used to stop at the Lady Luck right outside the Lady Luck casino downtown. And I did that same thing going to college my freshman year because I didn't have a car. My mother was a single. Mother was a work I just
Dave Washington 25:59
want people to know, yes, that's true that those points of like the old folks said, I walked in the snow for two miles riding a bus. Yes, two hours each way. Yeah, oh, that's committed. It
Brian Scott 26:11
really was. And we got to spend the summers in the dorm, so five or six weeks in the dorms, where 50 of us were selected and we were stayed at the dorms. We went to classes in the mornings. We worked on campus or worked off campus. Wow, and it really and so the and the job that I had at UNLV when I was a high school student, I had that job all the way through finishing college. So I used to work at the UNLV center for education and educational psychology, and really taught students how to become psychologists or become have a master's degree in counseling. And so I was a research assistant in office aid there, and I worked that job the summer, and as well as all four years of college, excellent. Yeah. And so doc, doc was a really big driving influence for all of us, and I think that he sacrificed so much for us that I think it almost kind of rubbed off on us that we would sacrifice to uplift others like he did for us. Great work.
Dave Washington 27:07
Well, I did check over there. I got two people. My wife is the assistant director over here. We got two minutes. So that went quick, please absolutely, you know, just summarize again on Dr Sullivan, because I think what you guys or whomever came up with this idea to name this happen, man, kudos to them
Brian Scott 27:27
so. Dr Sullivan, I guess, was a driving force behind a lot of our the students who didn't have fathers, the students who were first generation students, the sacrifices he made for us, the lessons he taught us, where it's just such a degree that all of us, I think, who knew and loved him, made sure that we modeled our lives after him. I've done so much so that I've actually changed my trust to reflect a giving a gift of $100,000 to the Dr William W and Cherise Sullivan Family Scholarship. So that tells you how much I love this guy, and so I love my money, but I wanted to guarantee that students after me had the same advantages that I had, which are to be involved in a program that was so vital and so important to students who just don't have that opportunity, and to give them that chance. And so. So if anyone wants to donate to that scholarship fund as well, you can go through the UNLV foundation. Just look for the Dr William W and Cherie Sullivan Family Scholarship, and you can donate there online. That
Dave Washington 28:32
is great work. Las Vegas. I am so pleased and excited to have had former city attorney Ryan Scott in the house, and he was a student of the upper bound program under the leadership of now our ancestor, Dr Willem, William Bill Sullivan. What a great guy will so thank you so much. Miss him a lot. Yes, thank you so much. Thank you, Chief. I appreciate it. Once again. This is Veterans Affairs, plus on 91.5 jazz and more. And I'm pleased and honored to have had the attorney in the house. And like I said, I worked for City of Las Vegas for 33 years. He was there. When I was there, I retired at 56 What were you 53
Brian Scott 29:10
I was a 56 I could have retired at 54 but I stayed All
Dave Washington 29:15
right. Thank you so much. Appreciate you. Thank you.
Music 29:40
Oh, all the smoke in the air till they hate when they stare all the pain that we bear.