Reporters Respond to Vermont’s First Major Clash With ICE

In early February, after weeks of a violent federal immigration crackdown on the streets of Minneapolis, Seven Days convened a safety session for our reporters. Consulting editor Ken Ellingwood, who has worked through armed conflicts and unrest in the Middle East and Latin America, prepared a list of recommendations for anyone on staff called to cover clashes between federal agents and the community. Essential items included a proper press ID, goggles, helmet and a “go bag” to be kept in the car, stocked with food, water, batteries and proper clothing — no synthetic fabrics in case of fire or incendiary devices. I could tell from the glances our staffers exchanged that they were struggling to imagine themselves in a situation that would warrant such preparations.

That changed last Wednesday, March 11. Deputy news editor Sasha Goldstein got a tip at 8:45 a.m. about an immigration enforcement action at 337 Dorset Street in South Burlington. By the time Sasha got to the scene, at 9:15, a small group of people was holed up inside the home, and a crowd of protesters was growing out front to prevent federal agents from entering. That brought local police to the standoff. It lasted for nearly 12 chaotic hours, through a cold rain, and blocked traffic on what is typically one of the busiest streets in town. Immigration reporter Lucy Tompkins observed what was happening and tried to make sense of it for our readers, while photographer Daria Bishop documented the ordeal.

Back at the office, news editor Matthew Roy searched for documents that would reveal who U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was looking for and why, including the warrant agents used to eventually gain entry to the residence. In the late afternoon Sasha returned to South Burlington with water, Gatorade, protein bars and a battery pack for Daria and Lucy. No “go bag”! All three were there at 5:30 p.m., when protesters tried to stop ICE agents from breaking into the house and, later, taking three inhabitants away in a silver unmarked SUV. Local law enforcement officers dragged protesters away, and the feds used flash-bang devices and pepper balls to facilitate their exit.

There was disbelief … a sense of
this can’t really be happening here.
Sasha Goldstein

“It was very loud, bright and smoky,” Sasha recalled. “There was disbelief, even as it was unfolding — a sense of This can’t really be happening here.”

After spending 10 hours outside, Lucy came back to the office and started writing the final version of the day’s events. Sasha reached out to the state police for a statement and discovered they would be holding a press conference at 9:30 p.m. By 11, the Seven Days website had an updated report, two videos from the scene, plus two slideshows with 40-plus images each, gleaned from the 3,000 photographs Daria shot over the course of the day.

Before noon on Thursday, our team broke the news that the individual ICE was seeking was neither the person they chased nor in the house they raided. Staffers Aaron Calvin and Kevin McCallum contributed reporting to a follow-up story.

“I think we documented and distributed the news pretty well with a small crew,” Sasha said. Our coverage continues in this week’s paper with a recap of what happened, in words and pictures, and Lucy’s interview with an 18-year-old who was in the house.

Surrounding this consequential news story is the Food Issue — ambitious coverage in another realm that has been cooking for weeks. A lot of advance planning goes into Seven Days: Finding, assigning and scheduling stories into the future ensures there will be something worthy to read, week after week. Equally crucial is the willingness to change the agenda when something more urgent comes up.

This paper has it all. It’s a perfect example of how a hard-driving weekly newspaper — and its website — can be varied and current.

The original print version of this article was headlined “Shifting Tactics”