PROGRESSIVE CITY COUNCILORS RESPOND TO THE MAYOR’S STATED PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITIES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 12, 2023 

PROGRESSIVE CITY COUNCILORS RESPOND TO THE MAYOR’S STATED PUBLIC SAFETY PRIORITIES

BURLINGTON, Vt. — The Burlington City Council Progressives today released the following statement responding Mayor Miro Weinberger’s public safety priorities: 

“For years, Progressives and other local stakeholders have called for a community-oriented approach to safety, where all of us feel safe. While we appreciate the administration's dedication to engaging community stakeholders in gun violence prevention, releasing use-of-force body camera footage, and training law enforcement on the realities of  racism, we feel  the Mayor's public safety priorities ultimately continue to fall short of a vision to effectively reduce violence and other harms in our community. Without a stronger commitment to rebuilding trust in police that includes community oversight, even the best of these proposals will struggle to succeed.

“We will not create the Burlington we deserve by continuing to overinvest in policing and punishment. We need a holistic approach that recognizes root causes, acknowledges and remedies disparities, and uses innovative strategies that center the needs of survivors and victims, while fostering the possibility of change for people who cause harm in our community.

“Next week, Council Progressives will release a comprehensive document to share our vision for community safety in Burlington. This document is intended to provide a foundation for a community-wide conversation about creating a Burlington where all of us feel safe.” 

###