Call to Action: Contact your city councilor

photo cred: Town Meeting TV

Dear Neighbors --
 

The Mayor and Democrats on the City Council are planning to appoint acting police chief John Murad as permanent chief at the City Council meeting on Monday, June 5th. Four councilors in particular are swing votes - Karen Paul, Ben Traverse, Hannah King, and Ali Dieng have the ability to join Progressives, and block this appointment. We are asking everyone to contact their city councilor urging them to vote no on this appointment - here’s why:

From the start, the City Council Progressive Caucus has said they would be willing to appoint the acting chief if he came to the table collaboratively and was willing to work with all stakeholders to improve public safety - unfortunately that has not happened. They’ve also provided alternative solutions dating back to as early as 2021.

Here are the three big concerns that the BTV Progressive Party Steering Committee has with John Murad serving as permanent police chief:  

1. Acting Chief Murad has stated publicly that he does not believe racial bias is an issue for policing in Burlington.

This is not only completely out of step with where the majority of residents are, but also contrary to the data. BIPOC neighbors are more likely to be stopped by police, and more likely to have force used against them during interactions with BPD. This isn’t about demonizing any individual person, but rather ensuring city leadership across the board recognizes how important an issue this is, and works collaboratively with community stakeholders to meaningfully address systemic bias.
 

2. We need a chief that can work collaboratively with all stakeholders in our community. 

Unfortunately, the acting chief has poor relationships with the police commission, city council, and public due to unprofessional conduct. So much so that the Police Commission referred some of the acting chief's actions to the Vermont Criminal Justice Council, a statewide body that investigates misconduct. No individual is perfect, but we need leaders willing to take in and adjust to feedback, productively. We cannot come together as a community if our reaction to feedback is immediate defensiveness and to politicize the issue of public safety. 

3. Acting Chief Murad is a proponent of the “broken windows” theory of public safety. 

The broken windows theory of public safety theorized that graffiti, abandoned buildings, panhandling, and other signs of disorder in neighborhoods create an environment that leads people to commit more crime. 

It has been thoroughly debunked since being popularized more than three decades ago.Ultimately it has led us to disproportionately arrest and criminalize low-income folks, instead of focusing on providing services to people who need them, which has proven to be a much more effective strategy.

We need you to reach out to your city councilor, and let them know you do not support the appointment of acting Chief Murad.

You can find the email and phone number of your city councilor here. If you are unsure who your city councilor is, you can find what ward and district you live in here. Please remember to be respectful - ultimately we can shift those in power most effectively by sticking to the facts and leading with our values. 

We should reach out to all the city council members, however four councilors, Karen Paul, Ben Traverse, Ali Dieng, and Hannah King are swing votes. If two of them flip, and join Progressives, we can block this appointment. 

Thank you for taking action, and ensuring we can create a truly effective system of public safety in Burlington. 

Sincerely,
The BTV Progressive Party Steering Committee