In the wake of growing incidents of violent crime in the city, Burlington, Vermont officials held the first in a planned series of public forums on community safety Thursday evening.
First-term Progressive Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak hosted the public forum on community safety in City Hall. She began by thanking those who are dealing with the incidents and are attempting to create solutions.
“What the city has been experiencing has been troubling. It's been scary. It's been very real for folks living and visiting here in Burlington. And I wanted to acknowledge that things have, in many ways, felt a little more intense in the last couple weeks here in the city," Mulvaney-Stanak said. "My thoughts are always with the victims and their loved ones when there is especially a violent crime in our community and I want to make sure that we are always thinking about victim centered work as we work on solving these complex problems.”
Mulvaney-Stanak outlined several objectives to address the public safety challenges facing the city.
“We’re trying new tactics and we're responding with real time information to know what is working, what are the gaps. We're also bringing core values that include a real commitment to equity, inclusion and understanding the disparate impact that so much of our community response system has on our most vulnerable populations, in particular youth." The Mayor continued, "I know there's compassion fatigue. I know there's anxiety out there. I know there's frustration. But this work takes time. It took us time to get here. It's going to take us time to unwind things.”
The mayor turned to panelists to explain specific public safety issues.
One concern is that repeat offenders are causing many of the problems. City Attorney Jessica Brown took a deep dive into the legal requirements for holding criminal offenders.
“The State's Attorney's offices are provided with data on a monthly basis about the number of cases pending in their county. The most recent data for Chittenden County showed that there were about 2,800 pending cases. A little over 1,000 of them are what is considered over disposition, which means that they are past the goal deadline for resolving cases." Brown added, "I also just want to note the Chittenden County Criminal Division has only two judges instead of the three that it is expected to have.”
Chittenden area state Senator and President Pro-Tem Phil Baruth was asked to discuss gun safety legislation. He said there were successes in the last biennium including a 72-hour waiting period and a safe storage law. But he noted that a charter change to prohibit guns in bars passed by Burlington voters 10 years ago remains pending.
“It is technically possible for us to reanimate the 10-year-old charter change. But it will immediately be subject to challenge," explained Baruth. "It would make it easier if the city were to pass it again and we could act on it in an expedited way. The last thing I'll say, this session I plan to put in a ban on assault weapons.”
The crowd gathered in Contois Auditorium broke into four focus groups to discuss and offer recommendations on the evening’s topics. The mayor’s Chief of Staff Erin Jacobsen reported on the youth and violence discussion.
“Concerns included the fact that there's a gun problem and that that gun problem extends to kids possessing guns. And a lack of places for kids to go," listed Jacobsen. "Another issue is there's been some youth violence against unhoused people and also some pretty serious issues with youth and mental health and not enough mental health supports for kids.”
Public safety forums are planned every two months. The next is scheduled for November 7th.
