Local leaders are wringing their hands over a deeply unflattering video about Burlington that dropped two weeks ago on YouTube and has since racked up almost 2 million views. While numerous readers have shared the link and encouraged Seven Days to report on it, we have been debating how to cover Peter Santenello’s sensationalized stroll through the city in which he was born but clearly hadn’t visited for a while. The piece, headlined “They Ruined My Hometown — Don’t Let This Happen to Yours (Burlington, VT),” contrasts his fond, nostalgic memories of the place with the significant social problems on display today.
Was it a coincidence that Fox News sent its own camera crew north last week to document the scene Santenello portrays, of a once-beautiful burg now plagued by public drug use, rampant homelessness and crime? A New York Post story followed. From across the pond, the UK-based right-wing tabloid Daily Mail took notice, publishing an online story over the weekend with the headline: “The idyllic northeastern state being ravaged by drugs, crime and homelessness: ‘People don’t feel safe.'” It quotes Fox and the Burlington business owners in Santenello’s piece, along with some local Republican candidates hoping to use the negative coverage to their advantage in the November 5 election.
A big part of what made the original 105-minute video so compelling was Santenello’s first interviewee, “Asah.” Those of us who live in Burlington and report on it regularly know her as Asah Lauren, an administrator of the volunteer entity BTV Stolen Bike Report and Recovery Group. She led Santenello through downtown Burlington the way Virgil guided Dante through the nine circles of hell. In and around Church Street, she pointed out some of the city’s problem spots as the camera showed distant groups of itinerant people at the Cherry Street parking garage, the area outside the Fletcher Free Library and on the steps of the First Congregational Church. Egged on by Santenello, she called out illegal behavior — “That was a drug deal right there!” she exclaimed — and identified pushers and users by name and drug of choice.
Her 15 minutes of fame stretched to 40.
A week after it was posted, Santenello’s video disappeared. When it resurfaced three days later, all the footage of Lauren was gone. A note below the new version leads to another half-hour video, “Why My Video Was Removed From YouTube (Burlington, VT),” in which Santenello explains what happened. He doesn’t use last names, but he makes it clear that Lauren asked him to edit out her part — and he complied.
The ease with which Santenello has been able to sensationalize and capitalize on what’s happening in Burlington is disturbing — and, arguably, a lot more dangerous than walking at night in the Queen City.
“Rough” as he said it was to lose his best street-level source, he reassembled the video without her. Any points missing from the main piece he now makes himself in the addendum. Addressing the camera selfie-style, he weighs in on safe injection sites, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, “destructive empathy,” Black Lives Matter, cancel culture and the “doom loop,” to name a few issues about which he has very strong opinions.
A former resident of San Francisco, Santenello observes: “People are so afraid to speak up that they’ll let terrible policy tank their city. So bizarre.” His YouTube channel has 3.6 million subscribers and hosts more than 350 videos. They follow a similar format — Santenello drops in on a location around the world and talks with people who live there. The videos are free to watch, but he invites fans to pay to join his “inner circle” or purchase branded T-shirts, hats and mugs.
Lauren was unpleasantly surprised by her portrayal in Santenello’s original Burlington video — the way her contributions were “clipped and manipulated.” She told me that Santenello had agreed in advance to bleep anything she said that might be incriminating or put her in harm’s way. That’s a lot to ask of a GoPro bro. In fact, Santenello both baited and interrupted Lauren while “interviewing” her. He shared his own views, leading her to say more than she should have and make unsubstantiated claims that would get a newspaper sued.
On his YouTube bio, Santenello promises: “I make videos showing you a world that the media fails to capture. No BS polarization or political angle — just pure authentic interactions with the locals.”
This, after saying “they” ruined his hometown. No angle there.
As for the media’s “failures”: The New York Times published a photo-filled news feature on November 12, 2022, called “The Bike Thieves of Burlington, Vermont” that detailed the city’s problems with crime and policing. Numerous local media outlets including Seven Days have written consistently and responsibly about every aspect of what ails Burlington, from politics and public safety to “The Fight for Decker Towers,” as Derek Brouwer’s February 14, 2024, cover story was headlined. Santenello actually toured the public housing complex for his video and, after telling his audience that no one is reporting on this story, finds a copy of that issue still lying around and holds it up in front of the camera. “Hey, you made the paper,” he quips.
I called Santenello twice on a 415 number, asking if he would be willing to answer a few questions, such as “Did you promise to protect Asah Lauren?” and “Who are ‘They’?” Half an hour before our deadline, he texted to say that he was “off the radar” shooting a video in San Francisco. Signed: “Good luck with the story and I hope you’ve got what you need.” Oh, the irony.
Santenello is a provocateur out to make a buck and score political points. If you want real reporting from real journalists who live here, do their research, gather facts without bias and verify the information they collect, you know where to find it.
The ease with which Santenello has been able to sensationalize and capitalize on what’s happening in Burlington is disturbing — and, arguably, a lot more dangerous than walking at night in the Queen City. On the eve of a consequential election, that’s the last thing we the people need.
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This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2024.
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