A crowd of approximately 100 University of Vermont anti-racism protesters, waving signs, chanting and forming a human chain, caused rush-hour havoc Thursday in Burlington by demonstrating in the middle of Main Street.
Police shut down the busy roadway near the South Prospect Street intersection after students set up a roadblock around 5 p.m. and refused to leave until they met with UVM president Tom Sullivan. Diverted traffic flooded side streets in an effort to get to Interstate 89 after the demonstration began.
Many of those protesting said they stood in solidarity with John Mejia, a UVM staffer who has vowed to refrain from eating until the university and the city of Burlington address a list of nine demands.
The assembled included second-year graduate students from the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration program who staged a walkout and didn’t sit for their final exam.
“Everybody has to sacrifice something in the movement,” Doretha Benn said. When asked if she was worried about failing her class and not being able to graduate, Benn said, “I think we should never be penalized for standing up for what we believe in.”
As the evening wore on, the students distributed hand warmers, scarves, coffee and food. A handful of UVM staffers also mingled with the students.
Shortly before 8 p.m., UVM’s vice provost for student affairs Annie Stevens addressed the protesters. “President Sullivan isn’t available tonight,” she said to a chorus of jeers and boos from the crowd. “He does want to meet and will reach out to whoever you want him to reach out to.”
The announcement ended the road blockade, and vehicle traffic on Main Street resumed. The students then marched their way to the Waterman Building to reconvene. Once inside, organizers pledged to continue with their protest actions until their demands were recognized.
Waterman was also the site of a protest Tuesday, when students gathered to decry several racist incidents on campus and urge university administrators to heed Mejia’s demands, which include permanently flying a Black Lives Matter flag on campus and increasing funding for anti-racism events.
In response to the latest demonstration, UVM spokesman Enrique Corredera said in a statement that the university “does not condone any activity that can result in serious unintended consequences.”
“Taking over a major intersection in the city of Burlington, and impacting the lives of thousands of individuals and families is such an activity,” he wrote.
Corredera said that Sullivan “welcomes” a meeting with the organizers and vowed “to continue a dialog with students.”
“The university will remain focused on the work it is doing to advance its diversity and inclusion goals, and will continue to speak out against every form of racism, bigotry and injustice on our campus,” Corredera’s statement read.
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The Burlington Chief should have ordered them to be removed from the road.. They were blocking traffic, 5 ambulances were stuck in traffic, what if someone in 1 of the ambulances was dying? What about the parents trying to get to daycares to pick up their children, if you don’t pick them up at a certain time you are charged $5.00 a minute. Working people have to get to work, they can’t afford to be late. They don’t have parents paying their bills, sending them money so they can skip classes and play in the streets.Young people think everyone owes them something.Their demands are outrageous..The way these fools act and whine like babies, the parents should act like parents and tell the brats they are there to learn or they will be pulled out of college. A trip to the woodshed would do wonders for these snowflakes !!!!
When I was growing up in Vermont, if somebody called me names or bullied me, I didn’t blame the people who had nothing to do with it. I didn’t stop eating, or demand to see the principal and tell him to do something about that person. I took it upon myself to deal with the issue. If the person was bigger than me, I would get some friends to help or bring in my 6 foot big brother. To me, it was a lesson about learning to take care of myself If I came home a little messed up and my parents asked me what happened, I would say I had a little scuffle today but everythings ok now.
As a former EMT I was incensed that 5 ambulances were stuck in traffic on their way to the hospital.
It was pure luck that no one (white or black) was suffering from a cardiac arrest, stroke, suicide attempt,or any other life threatening emergency.
These actions were dangerous and could have cost someone their life-Black Lives Matter but so do other peoples.
BLM = Bullshit Leaving Mouth
Vermont is arguably the LEAST racist state in the union, so if these whiners think it’s bad here, good luck when they go home. (Most, after all, are from away…. which, of course, makes them OUTSIDE AGITATORS and therefore deserving contempt. They are largely badly behaved visitors to our state and should be ashamed of themselves.)
When we invaded Iraq we turned it into a terrorist-generating machine, which prior to our invasion it was not. Similarly, BLM serves to spread racism, not contain it, because it is so pushy and whiny. Middle of the road people like me get fed up. Hey, BLM enthusiasts, why do you think Donald Trump got elected? Because of people LIKE YOU. How pitiful it is that you must define yourselves as downtrodden. Don’t you have anything positive to do? Like finding a career or writing a song or taking nice photos? Who is stopping you?
Cut the crap and get on with living, and stop blaming everyone else for your laziness.
Burlington Police did a fantastic job with their handling of this. A few protesters blocking an intersection isn’t reason to bring out tear gas and rubber bullets. They eventually cleared the crowd up without escalating the situation.
Also lets be honest, there are more than few commenters on here that just really want to see BLM supporters getting beat up.
“In response to the latest demonstration, UVM spokesman Enrique Corredera said in a statement that the university “does not condone any activity that can result in serious unintended consequences.”
“Taking over a major intersection in the city of Burlington, and impacting the lives of thousands of individuals and families is such an activity,” he wrote. “
Oh, BOO-HOO, people were inconvenienced on their way home. I was stuck in that traffic “nightmare” (and if you actually think that was bad, try going to any real city in the country, where the evening commute takes hours without a protest). Change is not borne from convenience. Change happens when those who are passionate about it are willing to risk their grades, their bodies, and their freedoms to draw attention to a cause they believe in. Confining themselves to the campus green is not going to raise awareness. All of you complaining about being stuck in traffic need to grow up. Talk about first-world problems.
As for Corredera, I question his suitability for work at an institution of higher learning, where the next generation’s minds should be broadened … not smacked down.
I remember street protests at UVM during the Vietnam War. There probably have been other instances too. I’m sure the responses were the same back then. Rock on UVM students!
To follow up on my last comment, there are way too many people that just don’t understand what the first amendment actually gives us the right to do. It protects us from government persecution from what we say, it doesn’t give us the right to do whatever the hell we want and be immune from the consequences while we’re using that right to free speech.
This same issue came up after the Charlottesville protests. Some posters on here seemed to think that the Nazi’s constitutional rights were being violated when Uno canned him. They weren’t. The US government can’t prosecute him just for expressing his white supremacist views. His private sector employer can and should fire him for those, however.
People really need to do a bit of reading on the first amendment. It doesn’t give carte blanche to do whatever the f you want under the banner of protest. You still have to obey the laws of the community, and there is still potential non-governmental consequences for entirely legal free speech.
“You’re saying that one group’s constitutional right should be violated because there’s potential that someone could die? I’m just spitballing here, but I wonder if there’s some other topical issue that this could apply to?”
The constitution doesn’t provide the right to shut down a public street because you’re unhappy. It guarantees that these students should suffer no governmental persecution because of what they say. Put the protest on the sidewalk, and there’s no issue with it. Blocking Main Street, which again, happens to be less than 400 yards from an entrance to the largest hospital in Vermont, shouldn’t be tolerated.
These kids have every right to protest, but they don’t have the right to shut down a public street without a permit. Do it legally and with no risk to the public, and people will probably be a lot more receptive to the message.
I’ve pointed out that numerous policies in every facet of government result in prejudicial outcomes. I’ve shown you numbers that indicate that. You don’t understand the word “implicit,” and expect a racist policy to come out and say it, which simply doesn’t happen.