The city of Burlington has absolved city police of any use of force allegations during an ICE raid in South Burlington in March. The report says the department complied with the Fair and Impartial Policing Policy. But individuals who were at the protest say the findings are more fiction than fact.
The Burlington police chief has determined that use of force allegations filed against the department in the wake of the March 11th protest in South Burlington “...are either exonerated or unfounded, and that the actions of the BPD officers at the incident were objectively reasonable and proportional given the totality of circumstances.” The city attorney determined “At no point did members of the Burlington Police Department violate the Fair and Impartial Policing Policy.”
The use of force and compliance with the Fair and Impartial Policing Policy review of the Burlington Police Department is available on the city of Burlington’s website.
Migrant Justice organizer Will Lambek says the conclusions in the city’s report are preposterous.
“Any neutral observer can look at what happened on March 11th and clearly come to the conclusion that objectively Burlington and other local and state police offices acted in support if ICE that day and brutalized members of the public who were there supporting their neighbors.”
Community activist Leif Taranta was part of a group that watched all of the bodycam videos released by law enforcement agencies and is not impressed with the city’s report.
“I think it’s one of the most cowardly things I’ve ever read in my life. There’s a lot of factual inaccuracies about what happened and then there’s also just a lot of instances of trying to justify police behavior that is completely not justifiable. But I think that it is just representing an unwillingness to actually do what’s necessary and stick up for our communities. So, it’s very upsetting.”
Lambek finds the report illustrates a lack of credibility and an inability of law enforcement agencies to hold themselves accountable.
“This really just is another instance of departments rallying to excuse themselves for their behavior that day and since then police have been in lockstep. What was surprising from this is the lengths to which this report went to ignore the findings of the Burlington Police Commission itself, which also reviewed this and seems to have come to a very different conclusion.”
In a press release, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, a Progressive, says the March 11th Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid and protest ”brought to light important weaknesses in our existing policies.” She adds that she is “...committed to leading a constructive evaluation of the City’s existing protocols for interactions with federal immigration officials to strengthen our response and better prepare us...”
Community organizer Lee Morrigan:
“We have to be unequivocal about where we stand with ICE right now. If the mayor says we will not cooperate, then we’ve got to not cooperate or open up the space for the next mayor who won’t.”
The mayor’s office has not yet responded to a request for an interview.
Morrigan adds that the report absolving officers does not match what she saw and experienced on Dorsett Street.
“When I hear people say, including our mayor, that law enforcement was there to keep protesters safe, well, the injury list is pretty high. There was one state trooper, one, in my personal experience that I saw taking physical, proactive protective action. No one else did.”
