“Priority 1” crimes like arson, assault, overdoses and robbery rose 14.2% in Burlington in 2021, the first full year of the ‘Defund the Police” staff reductions measures, according to a May 20, 2022 report by city analyst Jonathan Larson.
This past weekend Burlington experienced more gun-related incidents than the city would typically expect in a year. The incidents come as city councilors and the mayor continue to battle over how many police officers are needed on the force to protect local residents.
Actively Unwoke blogger Karlyn Borysenko is not finished digging into the district’s gender identity education program. She told Morning Drive host Kurt Wright that she and her team will “dump a mountain of FOIA requests” on not only Burlington, but also Essex-Westford school district teachers and officials.
The Burlington Police Department reported a gun incident over the holiday weekend, this time in City Hall Park. No one was injured in the shooting.
Short-staffed with an increase in serious “priority 1” calls for the year, police in Burlington had another busy weekend, this time responding to a double shooting at the Marketplace Parking Garage around 2 a.m. on Saturday.
“What this means, unfortunately, is that the total number of officers available for patrol for the uniformed services bureau is 24,” Police Chief Jon Murad said. “That is less than 50 percent of what our normal numbers are for patrol in the past.”
There will be consequences. Crime will follow. Young women will lose control of their bodily autonomy to pimps and traffickers. The state will insist — as it already does — that their efforts to stop that will continue, and they will.
On Town Meeting Day, the Rutland City School Board shifted left again, meaning the high school’s mascot debate is likely to continue. Also, Burlington residents voted in favor or legalizing prostitution and keeping Progressives in control of City Council.
H.448, an act relating to approval of amendments to the charter of the City of Burlington, passed in the State House of Representatives on February 22, 2022, by a vote of 96-47.
These efforts to expose young women to predatory pornographers and pimps is a stellar example of how extraordinarily dangerous and ill-considered are all of these abuses of Vermonters.
This absurd legislation should be called “The Pimps’ Law,” because it will open floodgates of sexual predation and exploitation in Vermont.
Please consider some things before we vote to increase the school budget by 13.3% per equalized student. For these reasons, we recommend Burlingtonians vote no on Question #1 this Town Meeting Day.