Burlington city councilors pressed Police Chief Brandon del Pozo about transparency on Monday amid backlash over body camera footage that shows police use of force against people of color.
For more than two hours, councilors took turns asking del Pozo about issues surrounding the recently released footage, which captures officers knocking two black men unconscious in separate incidents last fall.
Those cases are the subject of two lawsuits recently filed in federal court, claiming excessive use of force. Since media reports broke about the Jérémie Meli and Mabior Jok cases, Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington has issued a list of demands, including that Burlington police fire the officers involved.
Inside a packed Burlington City Hall Auditorium on Monday, Councilor Ali Dieng (D/P-Ward 7) said the incidents are indicative of a problem with leadership. He told del Pozo it was embarrassing to learn about the Meli and Jok cases from the media eight months after the fact.
Councilor Jack Hanson (P-East District), the lone councilor who attended BLM’s community meeting on police brutality last week, asked why del Pozo didn’t release the footage sooner “to build trust with the community.”
“That’s an issue we have to solve,” del Pozo replied, noting that the council, city attorney and police commission should work on guidelines about the release of such footage.
Hanson and fellow councilors Brian Pine (P-Ward 3) and Max Tracy (P-Ward 2) asked about disciplining police who are found to use unreasonable force, such as in the Meli case. Pine asked why that officer, Sgt. Jason Bellavance, received a lesser punishment than the officers who drank beer confiscated from a traffic stop last December.
City attorney Eileen Blackwood quickly shut down that line of questioning. Del Pozo also declined to fully answer when Pine asked, “Why do we keep failing as a community? What is at the heart of what’s happening?”
“It’s hard to say too much that won’t bear on litigation,” del Pozo said, noting “this is not the forum” to discuss race and bias.
But many community members wanted to discuss just that. A large crowd hosted a “speak out” outside City Hall before the meeting, taking turns at the mic to express their distrust of police and a need to dismantle systemic racism in Burlington and beyond. Many speakers funneled into the council meeting, using the public forum to direct their concerns at city officials.
“My voice is not the one you need to hear, but there are too many voices that have been silenced,” said Julie Macuga, who said she’d been raised in an affluent, white family and grew up thinking police were there to protect people.
“Take a few moments to consider what it must feel like to fear for your life just because you exist in this world,” she said.
That concept was reiterated later by Councilor Karen Paul (D-Ward 6), who shared anecdotes from Burlingtonians of color who say their children are afraid of police. She said watching the body cam footage left her saddened, appalled and aware that her sons, both young white men, don’t face the same reality as young men of color.
“That doesn’t mean that what goes on for every other person isn’t our collective reality,” she said. “We have to own that.”
Councilor Tracy urged that more complete use-of-force data — including the degree of force used and on which demographics — be posted on the Burlington police website. Councilor Joan Shannon (D-South District) said del Pozo has been “open and direct” with councilors and thanked Mayor Miro Weinberger for his proposal to repair the broken trust between police and the community.
Weinberger didn’t share many details Monday but proposed the city institute a “well-designed public engagement process” that represents the entire community to review use of force, information disclosure policies and officer wellness initiatives.
Olivia LaVecchia, the mayor’s spokesperson, said Weinberger will share more details at an upcoming city council meeting.
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Some of us have been requesting directly to Chief del Pozo and Mayor Weinberger for years that there be actual civilian oversight of the police department, not a toothless commission, and they refused. Some of us have been asking city councilors to publicly acknowledge black lives matter and they ignored us.
Some of us have also been requesting that there be clear policies around media, social media, and bodycam footage, as the Chief has been unable to show restraint around these, and we have been ignored. The ACLU had to sue the city (BTV v Doyle) because they refused to work on such policies and were charging Doyle money to look at footage of himself taken in public! The police chief literally jerked concerned residents around for over a year, promising a policy and then refusing while throwing a fit (see Jan 22 2019 police commission meeting https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/bur…).
Now the best our *leaders* offer is a *well designed public engagement process* from a mayor and council who havent been able to put together an inclusive public process in over a decade and are entirely out of touch with lower-income and marginalized residents. As an example, at last years council debate Councilor Joan Shannon, after nearly a decade as a councilor, was surprised to learn from Mohammad Jafar that most new Americans do not use Front Porch Forum, her main form of constituent engagement.
I dont know if I should laugh or cry.
BURLINGTON, VT — The police chief in Vermont’s largest city Monday kicked off yet another apology tour, telling his bosses he’s sorry.
For what exactly he never said.
“Thats an issue we have to solve, Chief Brandon del Pozo told councilors, referring to an alleged lack of public trust in police.
In a two-hour buck-shot grilling by his bosses, del Pozo never once expressed confidence in the hard-working troops under his command.
Not once.
The mayor’s usual recommendation, a task force to study the issue and make recommendations at a future date. The mayor will select weak people to put on another easily manipulated white-washing task force that will shut down meaningful debate, rationalize the problem of racism and violence (in the police dept), and propose meaningless corrective action that covers up the real issues.
NOT AGAIN! “A need to dismantle systemic racism in Burlington” needs to begin with a demand for the removal of the racist parade of white supremacy mural on the downtown marketplace. People must reject another “well-designed” (read outcome-controlled) task force that will water down the issues of systemic racism and cover up police use of excessive force.
People knowledgeable about systemic racism and police violence must form their own review process. The mayor and city council proved their duplicity when they let that mural remain in place, and they are trying the same well-designed (wink wink) tactic again. Got away with it before…
“Weinberger didnt share many details Monday but proposed the city institute a ‘well-designed public engagement process’ that represents the entire community.”
Ah, MIro being Miro.
Not much else to say. None of this is going to change until we, the people of Burlington, put our collective foot down and VOTE HIM OUT. I applaud Ali Dieng, Jack Hanson, Brian Pine and Max Tracy for leading the questioning (though I wonder what happened to the resolution they were going to propose regarding use-of-force; did that happen?) — but I have no doubt they’ll be stonewalled by the Mayor and the rest of the Council, led by Joan Shannon who “thanked Mayor Miro Weinberger for his proposal to repair the broken trust between police and the community.” Nothing to see here, folks, everything’s solved because the Mayor is going to make some vague, toothless proposal at a later date and we should all be grateful for how much he cares.
We the people need a citizen review process for the BPD, INDEPENDENT of city control. Is that possible in Burlington?
@Martha Molpus
“We the people need a citizen review process for the BPD, INDEPENDENT of city control. Is that possible in Burlington?”
Is it possible? Not while “The People” continue to act like they need the consent of their public service employees to do it.
Don’t ask for it, do it. You don’t require their permission. Form a common law Grand Jury of 25 PEOPLE, who understand the difference between a Citizen of the Corporate United States and the free people of the several states. Nobody from the BAR Association, no 14th amendment citizens of the legislature. People of the constitutional republic. Any public official attempting to interfere with the business of a Grand Jury is subject to arrest and prosecution on numerous federal charges.
This is another example of the lack of leadership we are getting from the outfit running the city. Their instincts are to autocratically rule the city rather than democratically govern it. They do everything possible to conceal problems and/or to control the optics when they are exposed. They will pass the buck to a commission and a public process, but the real decisions will be made behind closed doors and with only loyal insiders holding sway. The PR machine will be cranked up (How many spokespeople does our city need?) and the mayor’s words will inundate the news media and dominate the reporting. City councilors will continue to express blind loyalty to the leader. If need be, money will be thrown at the issue. Then it will be off to the next mess up. That’s what you get when its all optics and no vision, other than self preservation, from the prince at the top.
If you’re one who harps about those who “let that mural remain in place”, it might be time to pull your head out of the sand and realize, that mural isn’t the problem. It’s a harmless mural that reflects the history of the area. It doesn’t promote racism or anything of the sort; get a clue and get a life.
In my opinion if any member of the city councilors may have any personal involvements with either the Chief/Mayor first and foremost should be excused.
After viewing the video’s, I found them very disgusting to say the least.
There is no need for anyone to be treated that way, ever! It is morally wrong in every possible way.
As for the use of force policy, this information should be have already been available and on the website.
Statistics were quoted for 2018, 2019 is not off to great start. I feel some major changes are needed in the Department starting w/the Chief & Mayor. Inexcusable, people deserve and expect more.
Please explain how a member of law enforcement/officer when placed on administrative
duty are able to receive income? Are there current procedures & protocols in place where a physicians opinion is needed prior to returning to active duty? There should be. This does not seem right ethically or morally, no one else would be given the same fringe benefit. Thank you councilors.
“No one ever thinks they are a bad person.” Said my university Ethics Prof. And, so, it would seem to me we have City Officials who are refusing to question whether the approach they have been taught, or learned through experience, is the best one for the City of Burlington going forward. For the City Attorney to shut down debate is akin to a power backed refusal to engage. Using this tactic with the Council demonstrates they have little interest in a forthright debate with elected representatives. Perhaps, the “One Size Fits All” approach that may have worked in the NYC PD, perhaps learned under Guiliani, might not be in the best interest of Burlington. Perhaps, Growth as a Virtue, at any cost, sine qua non, as taught by the Kennedy School, might not be in the best interest of Burlington. Do we have City leaders questioning their own worst inclinations? Their demonstrations lead me to conclude this is highly doubtful. The next election can’t come soon enough.
So I’m curious how and why Miro got re elected! Was it all of his false promises he made??
It was because, in a 3-way race (which I don’t necessarily have a problem with in theory), he “won” 48% of the vote. Which isn’t winning. The majority of Burlington voters voted AGAINST Miro. But he likes to claim the election granted him a “clear mandate” to enact his agenda. He got lucky. Hopefully his robust opposition can coalesce around a strategy next time so the vote against him isn’t split.