Monday, June 15, 2020
Only $300,000 of the savings would go to social services and other programs favored by activists. The rest — $800,000 — would go to filling a city budget deficit caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The mayor's plan would further reduce the police budget by shifting an additional $800,000 to other parts of city government. The Department of Public Works, for instance, would take over parking enforcement duties, and the police department's data analyst would be paid for with Innovation & Technology Department funds.
Weinberger announced the proposed changes on Monday, three weeks to the day after George Floyd, a black man, died in Minneapolis police custody. Floyd's death has spurred a nationwide reckoning over racism in policing, a conversation that Weinberger said is long overdue.
"I share the sense of urgency that the protesters and hundreds of individuals who have called in to public meetings over the last week have shared," he said, referring to recent meetings that featured hours of public comments on "defunding" police.
"At the same time, there is a risk of moving too quickly," Weinberger continued. "If we make errors in how we proceed here, we could really undermine our goals by losing our good officers and making cuts that have unintended impacts."
Tags: Mayor Miro Weinberger , budget , Burlington Police Department , Web Only , Image
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Gov. Phil Scott issued a statement denouncing the defacement as an "effort to fuel hate and division."
"This act of vandalism only reinforces that we’re not immune to racism, divisiveness and hate in Vermont," Scott said in a written statement. "We must redouble our efforts to dismantle systemic racism and bigotry, and stay united as Vermonters."
House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero) had joined the volunteers who painted the message.
"While it is easy to be disgusted and angered by the vandalism of these anonymous cowards, for me their actions reinforce the need to address head-on the racism and white supremacy right here in our communities," she said in a statement.
Tags: Black Lives Matter , Statehouse , Montpelier , vandalism , Web Only , Image
Saturday, June 13, 2020
The group marched past the Hoagie Hut in Bellwood Plaza chanting, "Black lives matter" and "No justice, no peace!" before reconvening in a grassy area along Prim Road for rousing speeches about the legacy of American slavery in the country's criminal justice and economic systems.
"They are just a piece of the systemic racism, covert and overt, in our community," co-organizer Evelyn Monje, a 17-year-old Winooski High School student, said of the restaurant.
Saturday marked the third consecutive weekend of protests held in cities and towns across Vermont where attendees have called for a radical reimagining of public safety. Similar rallies have sprouted across the country in the weeks since police in Minneapolis killed George Floyd on May 25. Also on Saturday, hundreds of people in Montpelier helped paint Black Lives Matter in capital letters on the street in front of the Statehouse.
Tags: Evelyn Monje , Olivia Pintair , Mugabo Thierry Uwilingiyimana , Hoagie Hut , Colchester , Gary Vetters , black lives matter , george floyd , police reform , defund the police , police divestment , Web Only , Image
Thursday, June 11, 2020
"We believe it is time for Vermont to join the growing movement to defund police departments, in light of the historic, systematic racism and other forms of bias that are well-documented in policing and use of force," wrote Rep. Diana González (P-Winooski), Rep. Selene Colburn (P-Burlington) and Rep. Brian Cina (P/D-Burlington) in an open letter published Wednesday.
Tags: defund police , Selene Colburn , Tim Ashe , Brian Cina , Diana González , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
The commission will reconvene at 6 p.m. on Wednesday via Zoom.
The city scheduled Tuesday's meeting last week on short notice in order to fast-track adoption of the new policy, which seeks to increase accountability and reduce police violence.
Tags: Burlington Police Commission , George Floyd , use of force , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
The public comments lasted nearly six hours.
"Our people have been struggling to be heard for hundreds of years, and tonight we're going to take our goddamn time," said Emiliano Void, who introduced himself as a black Burlington resident whose great-grandparents were slaves. "Please help us," he said.
The board, which is composed of Mayor Miro Weinberger and four city councilors, is in the midst of crafting the budget for next fiscal year. One after another, the activists stated their case.
"The times are changing, and these demands will not go away; they will only get louder," Holly Greenleaf said. "If you truly want to be leaders in this, we need to act now."
Though many speakers added personal touches, most quoted a list of demands published by the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, a group led by people of color that advocates for policies to dismantle systemic racism. The group is also asking that the city stop using police on truancy calls and that the department fire Sgt. Jason Bellavance and officers Joseph Corrow and Cory Campbell, all of whom had violent interactions in 2018 and 2019.
Tags: Burlington Police Department , George Floyd , Minneapolis , Mayor Miro Weinberger , budget , Burlington City Council , Jennifer Morrison , Web Only , Image
State lawmakers are scrambling before the session winds down to assemble a package of bills that could change how police use force, how agencies report race data and more. A key senator also said he plans a push to include funding for body cameras in the Vermont State Police budget, calling it long overdue.
"We must do it now," Sen. Dick Sears (D-Bennington) said Monday from the virtual Senate floor, referring to the body cams.
Tags: Vermont legislature , police reform , police use of force , deadly force , lethal force , H.808 , Dick Sears , Debbie Ingram , Anne Donahue , Tim Ashe , Mitzi Johnson , Vermont State Police , body cameras , race data , Web Only , Image
Sunday, June 7, 2020
University of Vermont student Noel Riby-Williams, 20, and recent Montpelier High School graduates MaryAnn Songhurst and Mandy Abu Aziz, both 18, organized the event. They set out to honor George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were both killed by police this year, along with others killed by law enforcement officers over the years.
Floyd died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest. Taylor was shot eight times by police who burst into her apartment in Louisville, Ky.
Protests have sprung up across the country since Floyd’s death, including many in Vermont. On May 30, protesters gathered in front of the Burlington Police Department. This past week, events have been held in Winooski, South Royalton, Newport, Milton, Springfield, St. Albans, Rutland, Essex Junction, Waitsfield, Bellows Falls, Morrisville, Colchester and other municipalities.
Tags: black lives matter , protest , george floyd , breonna taylor , montpelier , noel riby-williams , Web Only , Image , Slideshow
Friday, June 5, 2020
"I feel considerable urgency to put this new policy in place," Mayor Miro Weinberger said during a Friday press conference.
The mayor announced the plan as the nation continues to reckon with the death of George Floyd, who was killed last month in Minneapolis police custody.
Interim police Chief Jennifer Morrison implemented two provisions of the proposed policy earlier this week: Officers must now intervene when they witness misconduct or excessive force, and they must deescalate situations as much as possible.
"Whenever possible, officers will seek to slow things down. Not every situation or subject can be deescalated," the policy reads. "Conversely, officer behavior can escalate a situation. Officers should not intentionally escalate situations unnecessarily."
Deputy Chief Jon Murad said the current policy mentions deescalation just once, but the proposed version does 18 times.
"When we can give more emphasis to the things that matter to us, it really does affect the way in which officers work in the field," he said.
Tags: Burlington Police Commission , use of force , Burlington Police , Web Only , Image
Thursday, June 4, 2020
The activists also called for the city to fire Burlington police officers Jason Bellavance, Joseph Corrow and Cory Campbell, all of whom were involved in violent altercations with members of the public, particularly black men, in 2018 and 2019. A change.org petition demanding that the department fire the three cops has netted more than 70,000 signatures.
"Anything less than defunding and redistribution perpetuates fear and violence in our community, as we've seen across the country," Lydia Kern told the board. "If this seems radical to you, I challenge you to simply start thinking about it as the right thing to do."
Tags: Burlington , Mayor Miro Weinberger , Burlington Police Department , Web Only , Image