Council Democrats Unveil Burlington Forward
Over the past several weeks President Traverse and members of the Democratic Caucus have been working on a plan, Burlington Forward, we released on Friday morning to the public and intend to formally bring before the Council on Monday, August 3rd.
For me, and I think for the many residents, downtown workers, and business owners who attended our press conference, this is an exciting moment for our city that I hope shifts us to make more substantive, measurable progress with a variety of growing public safety concern. In recent weeks this has included a violent sexual assault at City Hall Park, unprecedented and unabashed drug dealing and open use, gunfire incidents, and the recent cancellation of our 150-year traditional Sunday concerts at the Battery Park bandshell due to safety concerns for our community band members. I have personally spent roughly 8-10 hours in the past few weeks walking the garages, alleys, streets, and City Hall Park to have a full understanding of the situation and help small business owners who are begging for help now. I’ve talked to numerous workers, many of whom are high school students and young adults in our community, who are fearful, have been threatened, and continue to experience harm just trying to go to and from work. We can’t be okay with spending $150,000,000 on a new high school for them to thrive in, while also allowing their downtown to become dangerous and unwelcoming for them to have their summer and after-school jobs in. I want to note that our police are woefully understaffed, especially when accounting for officers who are out on injury or other leaves. We only have 4 officers on during the day, 5 during the evening/night, and 2 after midnight--covering the entire city. I am so grateful for their continued service in light of the severe staffing shortage.
Let me be crystal clear–this is not about criminalizing homelessness as the Seven Days seemed to oddly and inaccurately reflect. This is about holding people–all people–in many different ways. In fact, as Chief Burke shared in his report to the Public Safety Committee a few days ago: roughly 20% of all police incidents (so far 1,500+) are the result of less than 90 individuals and 40% of those individuals self-report having housing. He also shared that those people just simply will not comply and, as I believe the data will show in due time, are not following up with their restorative justice options. We also just allocated roughly $1 million this year for additional affordable and supportive housing projects around the city.
I was incredibly appreciative and moved by Councilor Carpenter’s comments–a 40+ year veteran in social services and affordable housing, who said on Friday that she has never felt so alone and that we need help now. I felt that very deeply and our downtown workers and business owners are saying the same thing.
Take time to learn about the plan that we are bringing forward as the start of a conversation with the Progressive Councilors and Mayor, which you can find on this great website built by Councilor Barlow! We encourage you to write to us with any thoughts, feedback, ideas, or concerns you have about anything in the plan–this is a living, breathing document as of now and we are bringing forward for you, your families, and our many visitors and workers. I’m proud of the work that went into this and grateful for President Traverse’s vision and leadership in bringing this together. If able, I encourage you to offer written or verbal public comment at our August 3rd City Council meeting.
Here are the major action items the resolution aims to address:
● Strengthen Accountability for Unlawful Conduct
● Expand the City's Visible Public Safety Presence
● Restore and Activate Burlington's Public Spaces
● Expand Efforts to Improve Cleanliness, Graffiti Removal, and Public Space Stewardship
● Clarify Zoning Policy for Public Health Initiatives
● Strengthen Partnerships with Non-Profit Service Providers and Private Property Owners
● Establish a Sustainable and Humane Framework for Addressing Homelessness,
Behavioral Health, and Substance Use Concerns
● Consider Reasonable Expansion of Temporary Emergency Shelter Capacity and
Sanctioned Camping, While Improving the City's Response to Unauthorized
Encampments
● Strengthen State and Regional Partnerships
Lasting compassion is measured