Local resident on COVID snitching: ‘Today I saw something horribly dark in my county’

Editor’s note: This commentary is by Kate Bowen, a farmer and musician from Putney.

Today was the first time since January we thought it would be a fun family treat, and a nice way to support a local Brattleboro business affected by the shut-down, to get take-out.

The business asked everyone picking-up to wear masks and observe proper six foot social distancing.

We quietly waited outside in the beautiful sunshine for our food. About 10 to 20 people at various times were picking up their orders. Customers paid by check or credit cards. No one was allowed inside their building.

A Brattleboro resident took it upon him or herself to call the police. When the officer walked over to me I seriously assumed he was picking up food, not going to question me. He wasn’t wearing an adequate mask and stood within my arm’s reach.

I mentioned to the business owner (who was extremely busy) I was going to take a walk and come back … and not wait on their property, assuming maybe that was better for social distancing government requirements. On my walk the same police officer drove by me twice. Then a state trooper drove past.

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Everyone who was waiting outside could have walked over to Walgreens and shopped indoors together. We all could be shopping at Walmart together. What we can’t do is support small local businesses together.

Thoreau said “I was not born to be forced,” and today I saw something horribly dark in my county. Someone saw a small business trying to serve their community and decided to pick up the phone and report their neighbors. I learned that the people have to stand apart and wait outside, but officials can breath on you and enter a business without an invitation.

“Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for the government but illegal for the citizenry.” — Thomas Jefferson

Image courtesy of Brattleboro Police Department

15 thoughts on “Local resident on COVID snitching: ‘Today I saw something horribly dark in my county’

  1. Brattleboro was a really cool place back at one time.
    We went there regularly. Took all our company there to eat and walk Main Street.
    It’s all been ruined now.
    It’s dangerous, dirty and if something happens to you, you have no idea if the law is even going to be on your side.
    The last time we went there, my kids were scared of all the Homeless people and threatening looking characters and demanded we leave. When this is the viewpoint of the kids, you have a problem.
    Those kids won’t forget that.

  2. Found me a bootleg barber. She cut my hair in the garage. Great haircut and no bodies business but my own.

  3. When our overlords cannot fulfill their self-proclaimed burden of control they persuade the weakest among us to embrace their bidding. History is replete with informers, brownshirts, and kapos.
    They act under the guise of goodwill but they are the corrupt among us.

  4. It would be comical if it weren’t so serious.

    Waiting in line at the drive through for Burger King. They were using plastic containers to take in money, give out change, to give food orders. Now unless you wash that every time you use it, it’s only helping to spread what ever anybody’s got on their hands to everybody else the entire day.

    The shear fear and outright propaganda is staggering. Our populace has not studied books that help them discern liars and sophists. It’s how brown shirts got as far as they did.

    We knew those in nursing homes were most vulnerable….where 50% or more of the deaths were going to be. What did we do? Not much. And look what happened.

    We changed the way record reason for deaths.

    Now we have snitches, it’s not like we didn’t already have nosey neighbors.

    • When you teach people that it’s okay to pick and choose the rules and laws that they want to follow- what happens when these people are put into positions where they absolutely MUST follow the rules by the letter- such as working in a nursing home during an pandemic?
      There is your nursing home outbreak problem right there.
      They get plenty of training- they don’t do what they are supposed too. They don’t agree or think they have too and they think they have this right.

  5. Vermont law enforcement better learn who they work for. It’s a small state and we know where you self-righteous thugs live.

    • Maybe it is better to blame these righteous busy bodies, rather than blame the police

      These “snitch lines” are not something cops created – they were created by either paniky politicians, we have some, or self righteous creatures who get jollies by pointing to people who think responsibly for themselves.
      The creature of a Nanny State is to shove both our Constitutions into the Brave New World “History Hole” of fire.
      What percentage of those who died were This Virus, and what were the other causes, heart, cancer, lungs, accident, suicide, just worn out by ageing, drugs, gun violence, booze, domestic violence. They all died.

      Be responsible for yourself, speak for yourself, speak directly to others

    • Please don’t blame our police officers !!

      Blame the medical panic pushers, the Governor, the MANY bureaucracies jumping in,
      and the arbitrary rules being foisted on every situation regardless of appropriatness.

      No barbers, but tatoo parlors with hundreds of needle pricks are ok WOW~!!!

      • Who else said ‘I was just following orders”….hmm. All are complicit and share the guilt of violating our constitutionally protected rights – which they are in fact under oath to protect.

        If LE simply declined to enforce those not committing crimes probably wouldn’t be fired. It’s not just that LE is actively involved but the way ‘orders’ are being enforced. Three drive-bys by 2 local LE and one VSP – coincidence? Uh huh.

      • They took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitutions. Therefore, if they follow orders contrary to those standards, they are complicit and guilty.

        • Exactly what I was thinking. What a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into!

  6. This lock-down isn’t necessary. They must be testing what they can get away with for the coming revolution.

    • Telling truth is like peeing your pants while wearing a dark suit. Ya get a nice warm feeling but nobody pays attention.

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