Community organizers are demanding that the City of Burlington fire three police officers who they say exerted inappropriate force on city residents, particularly people of color.
More than 60 people gathered at the First Unitarian Universalist Society Meeting House on Thursday night to call for accountability and action from Burlington police and city councilors following recent allegations of police brutality.
Organized by Montpelier-based advocacy group Justice for All and Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington, the “emergency community meeting” came in response to the recent release of body camera footage showing Sgt. Jason Bellavance and Officer Joseph Corrow knocking two young black men unconscious in separate incidents last fall.
Jérémie Meli and Mabior Jok have each sued the officers in federal court for using excessive force.
Meanwhile, Vermont State Police are scrutinizing another Burlington officer, Cory Campbell, who punched a man during a March encounter outside the University of Vermont Medical Center. Douglas Kilburn, a 54-year-old white man, was found dead at his home three days after the confrontation. Campbell was also present the night Meli was knocked down and is named as a defendant in that suit.
BLM demanded all three officers be fired for their “pattern of violence without provocation or just cause, particularly targeted toward black men” and that they not be rehired by any other state agency.
The petition, circulated at the meeting and on Change.org, also asks that all Chittenden County police officers use body cameras and release footage to the public. It further asks that the Burlington police stop hiring new cops and instead bring on more social workers since officers’ “inability to de-escalate … does not promote safety in our community.”
Mark Hughes, Justice for All executive director, spoke of the domino effect these incidents cause: People of color lose trust in police and stop calling them for help, making the whole community less safe, he said.
Hughes urged attendees to hold elected leaders accountable, many times looking directly at Burlington City Councilor Jack Hanson (P-East District), who sat in the front row.
“You guys who we elect don’t do what we want you to do until you know that we’re watching you. We’re watching you,” Hughes said.
Former city council candidate Mohamed Jafar, a community activist and friend of the Meli family, responded directly to Chief Brandon del Pozo’s recent press conference about the use-of-force incidents.
“What does it matter that we deploy the largest amount [of body cameras] if the police can withhold, redact and release at their own discretion?” Jafar asked, adding, “The chief bragged about excellent and impactful bias training his officers have received. Where are the results?
“I’m not here to villainize the chief,” Jafar continued. “I’m just here to ask for a leader.”
He also read statements about Jok and another from Beatrice Kambere, Meli’s mother, who said her community “hurts as much as we hurt.”
“She does feel this community is here for her,” Jafar said. “She does not feel helpless.”
BLM activist Katrina Battle urged allies to continue the fight beyond Thursday night’s meeting, noting they can’t rely on officials, police or legislators to do it for them. Organizers will rally at Burlington City Hall on Monday before a 7 p.m. council meeting.
Community members also took turns speaking, calling for fewer police patrolling local schools, for better and more data on use-of-force, and for Burlington police to hire more officers of color.
After the meeting, Councilor Hanson said BLM’s demands will likely be reflected in a resolution he and his fellow Progs will present at a future meeting, albeit not word for word.
“We need to look at our system of accountability for officers that are behaving in this way,” he said. “We need stronger accountability, and we’re not getting that under the current structure.”
Hanson said it was “uncomfortable, but in a good way” to hear activists’ direct pleas for change.
“I’m just glad to be a part of this community … and be able to work with people this directly to try to find solutions,” he said. “I appreciate people are paying attention and people are active and trying to do everything they can to make things better.”
Correction May 10, 2019: An earlier version of this story misstated when the Progressive councilors plan to introduce their resolution.
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Is it just me or are they tryinv to parlay the death of white guy into something they can exploit?
By numbers, most victims of police violence are white men often of working class background. Standing up against their victimizers arent exploiting, Patrick. Its recognizing the common enforcers for a ruling class and for the system that exploits every one of us. Its called solidarity.
Working whites are the primary victims of White Supremacy. Many whites recognize this and some march with BLM on the streets, agitate for social justice or at least support reforms.
But where are the rest and what the hell are they waiting for? That is the question.
Yes Patrick, it’s just you.
If an employee of any company has a pattern of any negative behavior, it is 100% addressed. I’m not walking into meetings with other senior managers swinging when I don’t get my way.
None of these incidents (attacks) warranted the use of force by those employees. Cops are just employees. And we fire bad employees everywhere else, time to start here.
Hmm…just me then. Good to know. I get confused with all the identity politics if we are assigned teams and if so, based on what inherent and immutable (but generally irrelevant)charateristic. It must have been the Black lives matter shirts that threw me. Identity politics are so confusing.
CPhillips,
It’s good you recognize them as employees, with a union and a contract and everything, just like real people! SO that should mean you also recognize the obligation of their employers to provide them as safe a workplace as possible, to employ a clear, common, and defined system of counseling and discipline (instead of polling the pitchfork wielding mob), and to respect and follow their contract. So in this case, one was disciplined for doing something stupid (ie opening an engagement with a drunk by shoving him), and the other is currently being investigated to determine if he actually did do anything wrong other than restrain a violent individual. Soooo…why so eager to just walk in like the Queen of Hearts and declare “Off with their Heads”?
Faried,
It’s difficult to determine who to support when, instead of simplistically just picking sides and causes based on skin color, you actually consider the issues and players. In this case it appears that some of the usual suspects are there to exploit a situation (we are missing Curtis Reed though but I’m sure he’ll figure out a way to invoice the city out of it). But then again who can tell. Take a look at the Sec State Corporations page and see if you can figure out who is trying to monetize identity politics in Vermont. There’s “Black Lives Matter Burlington Vermont” (Ebony Nyoni), there’s “Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington Inc” (Lauren Kenney), “Black Lives Matter VT” (Ebony Nyoni again), “Black Lives Matter VT Greater Burlington” (Ebony Nyoni), and “Black Lives Matter VT LTD” (Ebony Nyoni).
No, it is not just you. Because Vt is (also ) virulently racist…….
Pat, your first comment is the injection of identity politics into this conversation. Furthermore, if you think “they,” by which you mean people of color, are using the death of White guy to exploit anything, it’s only proving that you, as with much of our society, value White lives more. We should be up in arms about Black people being beaten to death by the cops, but it takes a White guy’s death to enter into the conversation. You hit the nail on the head.
I’m sorry this issue is so confusing for you!
Reuben,
Nope. It isnt. Though many virulently wish it were.
Hey Some of Us,
Take a look at the photo, what do you read on the T-shirts? That would be the injection of identity politics.
By “they” I’m referring to the usual opportunists (BLM Inc) pictured (of assorted skin colors)who are trying to exploit a situation to peddle their ideology and dictate norms to others and / or make a buck (BLM Vt , BLM Great Burlington, CRJ Consulting etc. etc). They have a vested interest in claiming racism wherever and whenever they can. They also have a vested interest in convincing people race is important, more important than character, actions, or choices. It is simplistic, exploitive, and mercenary.
But hey, I’m sure you know better than I what I meant.
The shirts say “Black lives matter” which is a message of identity, but it doesn’t seem particularly political to me. Do you disagree that Black lives matter?
Their arguments are equally fact-based: Cops beat up too many people, in particular people of color. They have cameras but the footage is often withheld. Neither of those things lead to a trust-based relationship with our citizenry, and the first thing leads to pain and death. Therefore, we should address those problems. If you have a problem with those arguments fine, but again, not really identity politics.
Also, most people in our society survive using money they earn by working. Just because you personally do not value the work of these folks, others do, and they give them money to support it. Maybe your complaint is with capitalism?
Lives “matter” or don’t “matter” depending upon the character, actions, and choices of the person living it, not their skin color. Unless you choose to view everyone and everything through the warped lens of the race obsessed.
Patrick Cashman, I’ve read all your comments. It is clear you don’t understand the level of abuse black citizens experience at the hands of police nationwide. We who are protesting the behavior of these officers recognize that they are exhibiting the behavior of cops in other areas with regard to POC. We are saying that is inappropriate here (and everywhere) and this is a small enough community where citizens’ voices should be heard.
Labelling this identity politics is offensive and disingenuous. We are addressing a factual problem with facts. If that offends your sensibilities, please check your white privilege.
Barbara,
It’s purposefully divisive identity politics, and the businesses that profit off it. As for any “privilege” you apparently believe I enjoy, nope, none of that. You are making giant assumptions about people you don’t know based on perceived skin color. There’s a term for people who do that.
Patrick, until black lives matter, it is clear that all lives do not matter. And in the eyes of these police officers, black lives do not matter. It is a question of racial justice, not of identity politics. The phrase you use is denigrating when it refers to a justice issue.
Barbara,
You do get that the guy who died was white (whatever that means), right? That was like, you know, the whole point?
In accusing Patrick Cashman of “white privilege,” Barbara Alsop shows her – pardon the expression – true color.
If Cashman’s myriad privileged critics want a piece of his – pardon the pun – flesh, they need to be schooled in logic.
Cashman is winning the argument with logistics, which trump emotion hands down.
He caught Alsop making the same type of ignorant assumption that she and a few others above claim Cashman is guilty of.
Alsop decided in an earlier post that Cashman is white.
Oops! Get me rewrite!” as the old journalist’s exclamation goes.
If Cashman’s critics believe that the color of his skin is germane to the debate, they have lost all semblance of credibility.
Worse, if it can be, they don’t see their flaws.
@ Alsop
Hey as a White Person, how about you dont presume to tell us all that you understand black people and we dont?
Much appreciated.
It boggles my mind that some, not all, as I will endeavor to not succumb to gross over generalization, some of the people descended from those who fought so hard to overcome segregation continue to put that cloak back on whenever it is convenient to them and segregate themselves by endlessly describing themselves by the degree of pigment in their skin and then ceaselessly complain that everyone else only sees them that way. Continuing to propagate that beast, again, mostly when its convenient but some just cant seem to form a sentence without their pigment level being part of it and have no concept of how alienating it is to everyone else.
Indeed propaganda specialist find it an exceptionally powerful tool to steer a conversation completely away from the initial subject and cultivate the bickering between others, drawing the attention completely away from its initial intention. Just look where this one has gone.
The police see only two colors, blue & not blue. I dont believe the actions of any of these cops were those of a racist. They were the actions of a psychotic completely lacking in moral character. Try to keep the focus people.
Was it a white person that did the trafficking of the girls, have caused the murders lately or have been caught selling heroin lately? No it hasn’t been a lot of the time…..