In last week's "From the Publisher" column, we asked readers to share their views of Burlington: literally, what they're seeing in the Queen City and if and how their behavior has changed as a result.
To fast-track publication of what we feel is an urgent opinion package, we stripped identifying details from these personal accounts. Take all of that into consideration when you're reading them. Many thanks to our readers for sharing this thoughtful feedback.
Related From the Publisher: Bad News Burlington
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Just writing to thank you for the coverage. Nothing will change if we look the other way.
My wife and I generally avoid going downtown now, which is a big change from what we used to do. We don't feel safe, plain and simple.
This do-nothing, slap-on-the-wrist approach to crime and drug use is killing the city, closing small businesses and ruining the middle class.
Thanks for your work.
I wanted to share my brief experience with you all after reading the "Bad News Burlington" piece. I lived in Richmond for approximately 22 years ... I moved out of state to try something new with the intention of always moving back to Vermont eventually. That plan had stayed the same for the last five years since I initially moved.
I was back in Burlington two weeks ago to see friends and family. I heard a lot from both about how bad it had gotten. But I had forgotten all about it until I actually made it into Burlington one night for dinner reservations. On a Monday night, we pulled into the Marketplace Garage and saw probably 15 homeless people all gathered in one spot, and I immediately remembered all the discussions I had heard about it. We drove by them and up a couple ramps to find a spot, and, right where we were going to park, saw another homeless man who looked to be up to something suspicious. We instantly felt unsafe parking there. So, we left to find parking in a more well-lit area away from the homeless situation.
I told my friends about this, and they weren't surprised. One of my friends responded by saying he refuses to go downtown without a knife now, just to keep himself safe. He has seen and also been in too many situations recently to run the risk.
I was talking with another friend who lives in Waterbury and also refuses to go to Burlington these days. He was asking me ... where I would settle down, and I told him my plan all along was to be back in Vermont. But after hearing and witnessing all of this, my mind has changed. Burlington has so much to offer, and it's a shame to see what it has turned into. If I were moving back to the East Coast today, I wouldn't be choosing Vermont as my spot to settle, let alone Burlington.
If you want to largely mitigate the issues affecting Burlington, it's really simple, we need more police on the streets. End of story.
I absolutely love this town, but I'm feeling very apathetic towards it.
I've been a Burlington resident since 2008 and have lived in the Old North End for about five years. Burlington is now a shell of what it was when I came to visit in 2008. I do not think if I came to visit Burlington with the prospect of living here, I would make the same decision today. There were homeless people when I first arrived, but they were friendly and not scary — I would talk and chat with a lot of people on Church Street. Now, it's a different story.
I am so sad and disheartened with what is going on in the city. I know it's going on in other places, but I feel that since Burlington is so small, it's hard not to see the change. I dread going downtown. I love going out to see live music but always have the thought in my head that a shooting will take place after the show when I'm walking back to my car. I will not walk home alone anymore, or even feel comfortable walking my dog after dark in the Old North End. One man got hit with shrapnel from a shooting a few years ago on a beautiful summer Sunday, just sitting in his backyard minding his own business.
The change has happened steadily since 2020, and the ONE is not the same. I have had people shooting up on my porch, trash and recycling cans both stolen, bikes dumped on my property, my car broken into, and I can't even begin to describe the amount of trash dumped on my lawn as well as so many needles.
The neighborhood is constantly bombarded by people screaming at each other, people stumbling around just barely hanging on, and I do not feel safe. Downtown is terrible. There is so much blatant drug use happening and the police do nothing! Driving by the church on South Winooski Avenue is like driving by a circus — it's terrifying and sad and something has to be done. But it seems like nothing is being done, and the city and police are totally complacent about what is going on.
I am sadly and reluctantly moving out of Burlington in the fall, and this is the main reason.
We need more beds statewide for mental health and substance abuse treatment. Some of those beds need to be lockdown beds as an alternative to letting these repeat offenders go.
There are plenty of vacant buildings, so why aren't we transitioning those structures?
We also need halfway houses for people in transition.
We need a significant investment in affordable housing and I don't mean $3,000/month affordable, I mean what working people can actually truly afford.
Our development process is hopelessly broken. The state is taking big checks for permits and requiring very expensive studies for everything from septic systems to community engagement. Affordable housing will be impossible without backing off some of this.
Stormwater permits alone are tens of thousands of dollars, and while we are seeing unprecedented flooding in some areas, I'm not sure of what we are really accomplishing by digging everything up and creating fake drainage that then clogs.
Is the lake cleaner? Not really.
This is not a simple issue, no matter what some people say. Your "From the Publisher" message is very cognizant of the many layers, and you help break down how a single work can be interpreted or misinterpreted in many ways. I appreciate your willingness to try to listen and discuss the difficult issues.
It seems like local leaders care more about 300 homeless individuals than the 45,000 people trying to live safe, happy lives in our beautiful city. I disagree with the mayor when she said, "There's no one thing that would solve any of this, because it would have already been done." The solution, in my opinion, is to uphold the law and stop the normalization of drug use, theft, camping, and verbal/physical harassment. If someone is doing drugs in public, they should be arrested and thrown in jail (longer than a couple of hours). If someone steals or harasses people on Church Street, there must be consequences and common sense.
A list of complains I have received as a property manager of two downtown buildings:
- Tenants harassed getting into the buildings
- Homeless people masturbating in their windows
- Blatant open drug use weekly
- Car break-ins weekly
- Needles scattered around the property
- Overdoses
- Trash, cloths, shopping cars thrown on the property
- Human feces in and around people's front door and bushes
The list goes on and on.
You should do a story digging into the nuts and bolts of why so many people who are committing crimes — shoplifting, open drug use, vandalism, car break-ins, home break-ins, etc. — seem to be right back on the street with no accountability. At what stage are they released and why? Why are they not prosecuted? Is it a lack of bandwidth at the state attorney's office? Is it court backlogs? Lack of jail/prison space? Or is it our lefty (I consider myself a lefty) culture of considering the perpetrators themselves victims of a world that has left them homeless and drug-addled and therefore not responsible/accountable?
I ask locals and visitors to the state. Why are you afraid?
- I say: "If you are not doing drugs, selling drugs, out partying until the wee hours, you should be fine.
- If we all run away and hide, we will have given up on our Queen City.
- I go downtown many mornings and I see and know what is going on, however I will never give up on my beautiful city.
- My European son-in-law says I have it all: the lake, the mountains, the restaurants, the airport, Amtrak, and the Adirondacks all six million acres of it pumping out fresh air for me to breathe every day.
- I will never give up on Burlington, and I will continue to patronize the downtown businesses.
- Let's spread joy! People love to whine; I love to tell people where the best coffee, cocktail or great parking is.
My husband and I have lived in Burlington and South Burlington for 40 years and currently reside in Lakeside neighborhood, where we feel relatively safe. Neighbors sit out on porches and we watch out for others. Someone is away? We'll water their plants, let the chickens out (yes!) and make sure the kitties are in. Need some butter? Go get some from your neighbor.
Yes, our cars have been rummaged through (we must remember to lock the doors at night) looking for change and taking cheap sunglasses.
I can't imagine what the parents of college students must have felt like leaving their kids off last weekend when the shooting at Red Square occurred. I was always always one to defend Burlington...oh, it's fine, mind your own business, don't give out money and be aware of your surroundings. But the fact that someone was in the bar, that I have gone to, bearing a gun, really frightens me. But we have a right to bear arms.
My husband and I were at Festival of Fools this year on the upper block watching the buskers do all their great busking. The crowd was cheering, all eyes on the entertainment. But right smack in front of us, a person flew out of one of the retail stores with an armful of clothing on their hangers. We looked at each other in disbelief ... did you just see that? So, what do we do? We try to follow him (dumb!) but he very quickly vanished into thin air like a magician or part of the festival. I was ready to tackle him, I was so mad.
... Right in front of our eyes, it's really sad to see our city evolve to what it is today.
Thanks for reporting on this and let's keep the faith that our mayor and her support systems can get a grip on this. I don't want to be scared to go downtown.
You are being intellectually dishonest about the primary drivers of Burlington's current problems which are easy to identify for anyone paying attention: the Progressive "defund the police" movement and Sarah George.
Burlington has the potential to be a world-class city, but under Progressive leadership, it is at real risk of a slow slide into irrelevancy and violence. As a community leader, I hope you will have the courage to start highlighting the real causes of its problems rather than minimizing them by comparing BTV's issues to larger cities like San Diego.
Thank you. You are saying what needs to be said. Now the ball is rolling. Thank you for starting the momentum towards positive change.
While visiting Detroit with five other close friends and family last October, we booked rooms in a hotel in the heart of downtown. None of us having visited the city previously, but aware that Detroit had its own share of issues over the years, we were stunned to find a pristine center city. Virtually no trash to be found, graffiti was non-existent, and, if there was a homeless crisis, it was practically invisible.
One very interesting thing we also noticed was that of a bright yellow poster outside the entrance to our hotel. I have attached a picture of it. You will note that it was dated September 23, yet we were there during the last weekend of October. Looking closer at this Notice of Violations you will see that it required the recipient to correct the issues within seven days or face city repercussions. The violations cited on the poster had obviously been corrected.
Take a look at the list of potential issues that trigger violations: trash, tall weeds, graffiti; all of which are relatively easy to correct, and all of which the city has successfully enforced. The poster acted as a scarlet letter — and it worked.
I am not suggesting that Burlington's cumulative problems are anywhere near this easy to resolve. However, this is a very simple example of what our city could easily implement, holding property owners at least partially responsible for turning things around. The city of Burlington itself would be one of the largest violators. Just take a look at Memorial Auditorium, which is a gateway to our downtown. Not only is it an eyesore, it is a colossal embarrassment to Burlington's gateway.
We are witnessing an exodus from downtown, including retail businesses, restaurants and office workers. We need to put the brakes on this or our Queen City will be a ghost town. If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a city to solve its challenges. This all needs to start at the top.
We grew up in Winooski and visited Burlington very often growing up in the '50s and '60s. We moved away for a while but returned in 2010 and now live in Swanton.
We still consider Burlington as a "mecca" for good food and cultural events. But we are now more likely to go earlier in the day. And shopping on Church Street (which we used to love) is no longer a fun experience for us. Most stores feel (and behave) like they are in a war zone. So we shop elsewhere or online. I know that there are no easy fixes, and that the city must balance solving serious problems (crime, homelessness) with maintaining/rebuilding the city's image as a good place to be.
I am fairly liberal but believe that defunding the police was a serious mistake. Every effort should be made to rebuild the police force to its former size (and quality!). I think that efforts to date have been half-hearted at best. This should be priority one.
Thank you for listening!
What has been bothering me since the fatal shooting on Church Street is how a 21-year-old person has a loaded Glock in her purse. Where does she get the gun and the ammo? Is this gun licensed and to whom? Does she have a permit to carry? Is the gun reported stolen? There are consequences for all of this and, so far, I have not seen an article expanding on any of it.
I appreciate your coverage and my short and simple feedback is that my family no longer goes to Burlington. Burlington is the reason we initially came to Vermont over 12 years ago. We loved going downtown and watching the sunset on the water. It's disappointing what has happened and I wish it was not so. However, we stopped bringing our family to the city years ago and no longer bring out-of-state guests downtown when they visit. When people ask us about coming up, we advise them to go to Stowe or Montreal instead. Special dates to Single Pebble or Farmhouse are now to other locations outside of Burlington completely. It feels unsafe and it's uncomfortable bringing others there when there are other options that don't come with these same concerns.
I hope it improves but I see no sign that's true.
Thanks for unwinding Seven Days' role in this dilemma. We had friends from L.A. visit last week. After their visit downtown, with young children, their question was: What happened?
I was accosted by a young woman in front of the Flynn following a VSO concert two years ago. We have not been back since.
I hope the new retired state policewoman can rein in the problems.
We are residents of Burlington as well as University of Vermont alums. We have three children and have been back in Burlington for the past 20 years in the same home we currently occupy.
Our middle child is considering attending the University of Colorado Boulder next year. He and my wife visited in July and noted the strong similarities between Boulder and Burlington. They also quickly realized a striking dissimilarity. There did not seem to be the same level of homelessness, public intoxication and open drug use found in Burlington.
Like the parents quoted in your letter, I would have the same concerns about my child attending UVM. Burlington is not the same city it was when I attended UVM. It is not even close to the same city it was when we returned to start our family here 20 years ago. When given the choice between a place like Boulder and Burlington, I believe more and more students and families will choose Boulder because of the rapid decline in the quality of life in Burlington.
Thank you for bringing these issues to the forefront and hopefully we can finally as a community recognize the tremendous value that UVM students and their families bring to Burlington.
Good job, Paula. We need Seven Days!
I live in a nice neighborhood in Colchester and, once my neighbor's husband tragically passed a few months ago, the traffic around her house quickly grew. Throughout the day cars constantly in and out and especially during the early hours of the morning. Most of the cars don't even have license plates. There has been domestic abuse in broad daylight and I have watched people lean into a car for a few moments then come out and act irrational on their front lawn and then passed out in the front seat of the car. I have called the police multiple times and they don't do anything except tell us: "He's harmless and lock your doors." I have four kids under the age of 11 and we can see on our ring cameras that this house is clearly a drug house. And nobody cares when we call the police. Most of my neighbors are thinking of relocating so imagine how I as a mom feel about this. Burlington and the local cities surrounding it have become trash, and we are supposed to just be okay with aggressive homeless people and drug addicts living in family neighborhoods ... It needs to change or people will end up leaving this once-beautiful, safe state!
Your coverage of the "bad news" in Burlington and surrounding area is welcome and needed in my view.
We don't have a reliable local news source in any media platform these days, and "these days" are getting more crowded with disappointing and disruptive news.
Acting as a community to stop the spreading of these clearly social problems, while a wonderful thought, is not going to happen in this time of our lives.
I hate to be the naysayer but too many people want the "others" to take care of the problems.
Too many people want the "administration" to take care of the problems. Too many people are fearful of the outcomes should they lend a hand.
I wish we could come up with a "one-size-fits-all" solution, but that is a long way off and, in the meantime, we have to be patient and deal with kindness towards those less fortunate than us.
Please keep reporting it as you are all we have got!
I live in Shelburne but try to go to Burlington once or twice a week at least. I walk around a lot and enjoy doing so. There is much that I see that is really wonderful. I try to do shopping there as much as possible. I go to things like the Art Hop, dragon boats, and farmers' market. Last Saturday Church Street was hoppin'.
I have certainly seen plenty that I don't like, but I have never had a difficult experience. I am never been accosted or threatened. I would not go alone at night, and I certainly would avoid City Hall Park at night.
Overall I enjoy Burlington very much and very much hope that it can overcome or at least reach an equilibrium with its problems.
I would like to see some reporting on the people who are homeless, addicted, arrested. Who are they? Are they Vermonters? If not, where did they come from? How did they get in the situation they are in. What kind of help would they respond to? What do they feel they most need? And so on. I think there are too many myths floating around about these people and their problems. I would like to have a better understanding of their issues.
Some people assert that policing is lax or excessively tolerant of bad behavior. Is this really true? If so, why? And why is it that people who have repeatedly offended are able to get right back on the street? Simple lack of capacity to deal with them, or is it something else? Some reporting on this would be of great interest.
I'm a 72-year-old male and have lived in the Burlington area since 1979. I can't believe how it's changed, largely for the worse. My son was visiting a couple weekends ago. As we drove up Main Street from the waterfront, he looked about and said: "Wow, a lot of sketchy looking people here," as we drove by City Hall Park to City Market ... treated to the spectacle of people "nodding off" at 4:30 p.m. And he lives in New York City, no stranger to these sights.
I am astounded when I see in the WCAX website how leniently repeat offenders are treated. They are constantly simply released back on the streets to reoffend ... and it just seems to be someone's tough luck if they just happen to get in their way for these people's next offense. I also read Beth Sightler's post on her Facebook page. Unbelievable.
It appears the citizens of Burlington are getting what they keep voting for over and over again ... I have reached the conclusion that as this problem appears to be quite largely self-inflicted, I will avoid spending any money in Burlington unless totally unavoidable. My little boycott, as it were. I now go to Williston, Shelburne, South Burlington and Amazon to avoid spending one dime in Burlington. I have relatives that come up to visit and we used to go to Church Street for a nice day out. We now avoid it.... Word is getting out.
It's a shame.
Thank you for the opportunity to express these views. I tend to lean conservative but really enjoy Seven Days. I think your paper is very balanced and fair — a positive for Burlington.
I've heard from a friend who lives in Littleton, N.H. that they are working very hard to separate social issues/concerns from business district issues/concerns. I understand an area has been set up outside of the central business district to accomplish this. It works for the summer, but not sure long-term.
You ask if we have changed our behaviors since Burlington homeless and drug population has become more obvious, and my answer is yes.
My 70-year-old wife and I used to go every year for a few nights to the Hilton and walk back and forth to Church Street and the area to eat drink and be merry. We have stopped going to Burlington for sleepovers.
It used to be our "Staycation spot." Now we just do day trips and much less often. So it goes.*
I appreciated Paula's take on the feedback she got regarding the crime issue in Burlington. What is frustrating for me as a resident of South Burlington is a lack of accountability. I don't see a lot of scrutiny of the public officials in charge. No one in our community has the ability to solve the drug problem, but there are many who have the ability to enact policies around policing, camping, petty crime and loitering that could help the perception of the citizens. The conversation always seems to end at: "What do we do?" Although I don't have a sure-fire answer, I do know one thing: Being afraid to criticize those in power isn't going to lead to anything productive. The progressive talking points around harm reduction are not getting the job done. Neither is the police chief refusing to adjust in order to fill the 20 or so vacancies they have, likely in a childish temper tantrum from not getting the funding they think they should.*
Thank you for your honest writing and invitation to share our experience.
Shortly after I moved here from San Francisco in 2012, talks began of the downtown mall project. While the mayor and local developers were pushing it, concerned citizens were voicing their opinions at community meetings. I remember thinking; I moved from Boulder to San Francisco to Burlington, and this town was headed in the direction of the other two, a sad modern American story. Development, rising cost of living, unaffordable housing, drug and mental health crises and a general greed causing a misallocation of values and funds were driving the landscape of yet another city that used to be more "livable" for most people.
This summer I got to visit Norway for a friend's wedding. The Norwegians were incredibly kind and genuinely curious about "what is going on in your country." We discussed a fundamental difference, and every single one of them cited the same clear foundation; they trust their leaders and each other. For nearly 1,000 years they have had leadership that prioritizes the value of decent human life above all else, and decisions follow. As a result, the citizens do the same, and they are profoundly relaxed, due to caring for and being cared for by their country and each other. Healthy leadership, citizens and society have followed.
I came back to my beloved office at 2 Church Street, the big old brick building that has felt so easy and safe, now with a keypad/code for entry. This addition is due to too many incidents of people camped out in the stairwell or shooting up in the hallway. One day last summer I came out of my office ... to find a man with a bat, bleeding and sweating and begging me to let him back into the bathroom. Another day someone was drying his socks on the radiator which emanated a smell throughout the building. These experiences of the degrading of human dignity absolutely broke my heart, and, more than feeling unsafe, I just felt deep grief that we have to watch this happen and walk on by. Yet what to do? Now I walk down Church Street at lunchtime, regularly give a little money to those who are clearly suffering, and cry a little, knowing this will never be enough. Nor will trying to talk about it feel sufficient, especially when the general response seems to be apathy, doubling down on individualism, judgment, or a survival mix of all three.
I am no political or social expert, so when people ask what has happened to Burlington, I really don't know the answer, so it's hard to know the remedy. But as we live out our country's bigger broken system that is resulting in addiction, violence and people living on the street, it's clear Vermont can't maintain its "bubble" status anymore. A lot is on Mayor Mulvaney-Stanek's shoulders and she can't single-handedly solve it, nor can Bernie, even though I'm sure they are doing their best. Like the rest of the country, perhaps we are seeing the result of several hundred years of what has worked for a small few and mostly not worked for society at large. It's painful to be here at the result and not know what to do and I hope some change in direction is possible.
At the end of Paula Routly's recent letter "Bad News Burlington," she asked: "Have you been to a city that has figured it out?" And in fact, I have.
That city is Erlangen, Germany. I always think of it as: "The city that Burlington should grow up to be." It is known as a university and medical city with a population of about 110,000, and despite having more than twice the population of Burlington, it is completely devoid of the problems that Burlington currently struggles with.
Unhoused people are rarely seen in Erlangen, and there are no encampments. There is no open IV drug use or stories about rampant theft and property crime. Gun violence is nonexistent. The plazas and tunnels of Erlangen's train station are unproblematic. One or two professional beggars kneel quietly along the Neuer Markt with cup in hand, but that's about it.
Erlangen, of course, has an ace up its sleeve that Burlington does not. It is the largest business location worldwide for Siemens, which has more than 20,000 relatively highly paid employees in the city. It's like what Burlington might have been if IBM had kept growing and not caught the disease of American late-stage capitalism. All of Burlington's problems are a function of desperation in the population, and "Sugar Daddy Siemens" keeps Erlangen's desperation levels low. Erlangen is also close to an even larger city, Nuremberg, which is a bit more rough and tumble, but nowhere near the crisis level that Burlington is.
I have long thought that Burlington's leaders — and maybe Seven Days journalists — should go on a cultural exchange trip there and see what life is like in a city with real public transport, real bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and public spaces free of violence or mental health crises.
Perhaps it will give them something to aspire to. *
Thank you for honesty and authenticity to what is a very big problem for our biggest city and state.
I really appreciate your story and the transparency behind it. Vermont and Burlington have never had such violent problems. We have accepted citizen behaviors that are not even recognizable to Vermont.
I am 78 years old and moved to Burlington's New North End when I retired from a long, varied career in Boston/Cambridge. Going further back I was born in Queens, New York, and have always lived in cities.
I witnessed the total deterioration of the Bronx, a land area many times that of Burlington with a population more than double the entire state of Vermont. In the 1970s it was plagued by unemployment, crack cocaine and heroin use was rampant, a bad economy and a government that abandoned all hope. It was a literal no man's land. Trash pick-up stopped. Utilities, water, electricity were no longer serviced. As a result, grocery stores and pharmacies could not function. Entire blocks of brick buildings were torched — fires were either intentionally started by arsonists, accidently started by squatters, or landlords for insurance. Today, the Bronx is thriving. Residential real estate is prized. The story of the reclamation of the Bronx is material for a book and might provide some perspective on the rise and fall and rebirth of cities based on wide-ranging economic and social pressures.
I lived much of my adult life in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. For a time within walking distance of Harvard Square, a hotbed of liberalism, and home to the intellectual elite of the world. I'd sit at open air cafes where you might mistake a Nobel Prize winner for a homeless person; their mode of dress and shuffle were sometimes similar. Expressions of political disobedience were a daily part of the community experience. Drugs were always and continue to be a constant element, with very visible ramifications. In the 1960s-70s, Harvard was the home of LSD aficionado Timothy Leary, who encouraged everyone to get high and drop out. The drug culture and its partner, homelessness, continues there today.
There was and is a much greater level of empathy, understanding and acceptance of a range of public behavior there than I have seen here in Burlington. Police and other authorities in those cities were well trained, better equipped and highly visible. They had built relationships with the people on the street. They were one of us, viewed as partners while also exercising control at many levels before things escalated.
I think the key lies in building a sense of community between the police, politicians and folks on the street. We must all be present and visible. We must occupy space, not hide in our little enclaves and view the city as a place to avoid. Hyping every criminal incident in the press magnifies the fear which is quite unfounded as nearly all the worst incidents are not random but involve people known to each other.
I have been driving a school bus through Burlington for about five years. I have driven down Main Street, around 6:30 a.m., when crime tape roped off a large portion of the area in front of City Hall. Driving by City Hall Park, there has also been visible crime tape. As I drive by, and wonder what happened, the areas are hauntingly quiet after the events. One can only guess what might have gone on earlier. Homeless individuals have often been asleep on the sidewalk, just past Nectar's, heading toward Church Street.
One afternoon, using Pearl Street, just west of North Winooski, my bus, fully loaded with students, became part of a group of vehicles stopped while an individual was arrested in the parking lot next to Diversity Salon. Two fire trucks were part of the effort, as well as numerous police cars, one of which stopped directly in front of my bus. I felt like we should duck down, or hit the floor of the bus. I had no idea what was going on, but the safety of the students was my responsibility.
I keep my door locked while driving through Burlington. As I sat in front of Burlington High School one morning, the naked man strolled by, on the opposite side of the street. The students onboard were quite upset. Both male and female, with one girl exclaiming, she wasn't supposed to see that until she is married. Having BHS on Cherry Street, has made for an often, anxiety filled trip. It will be wonderful when BHS is back on North Avenue. It seems like a much safer place.
As a 10-year-old child, I was able to take the city bus to the Fletcher Free Library. I could walk up to the Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital, where my mother worked, for a ride home. Burlington has changed beyond anything I could have imagined. It is such a beautiful city, yet the attractive old buildings are now covered with graffiti. The law-abiding citizens no longer seem to have a place in the city. We are concerned with our safety, so we stay away. Realizing the shortage of police officers, if there is a concern, you must get a message to them. Email? Text? I just get myself into and out of Burlington as quickly as I can. I hope someone will have an answer as to how Burlington can be enjoyable for all, once again.
I had the same first impression about "Downtown Dilemma." But, as you state, the article was not about acceptance but adapting.
My partner and I own a duplex on Clarke Street, at the top of Church St. We've owned it four years and have seen a huge decline in the livability of the neighborhood. We renovated it in 2020-21, investing over $100,000 ... and it's been rented to young working adults (not students) since June of 2021. I say this to show that we spent a lot of time there and know what the street was like four years ago.
Life on Clarke St has changed considerably. We view the pod community as the major reason. It has brought a large homeless population to this part of the Old North End. It is not only the residents in the pods but hangers-on who do not live there, but rather camp around the area, using drugs, partying, littering and harassing residents. Our tenants have been harassed by these people numerous times. The other day, one was passed out on the greenway while others were blocking the sidewalk with a shopping cart, while trespassing on the neighboring property. We now find needles regularly in front of our building. Twice, our tenants have had to deal with human excrement in the yard. They've had items stolen from the yard and the mailboxes. And the Howard Center across the street is now party central with groups spread out on the front lawn, and often using the needles they get from the center right in front of the center or on our side of the street.
All this is since the Elmwood pods. This community was sold as an experiment. I don't know the measure of success the city has, but it is clearly a failure. Few are moving from there to permanent housing. When someone is kicked out for drug use, they don't leave, they just use drugs on Clarke Street. The Burlington City Council has systematically destroyed the livability of the neighborhood. First, they defund the police, then they move homeless and drug abusers to the neighborhood and do nothing to control the associated mayhem.
The pods are a failure and need to go. Sadly, the Howard Center also needs to move. They've provided needle exchange for two decades without problem but now it is a magnet for open-air drug use. They are frustrated but they are not doing enough to control the situation.
Our taxes have gone from about $8,400 a year to over $12,000. And the city council thinks rental property owners are getting rich? Seems the city and state are taking all the money!!!
Hopefully, we can bring the city back to livability, but the Progressives have done so much damage, it's a tough row to hoe. Thank you for listening.
I just read the Seven Days email from Paula Routly titled, "Bad News Burlington." You asked for feedback, so I will share mine. I have been seeing the same hairstylist in downtown Burlington for over 20 years. I used to love to poke around Church Street after my hair appointments; if I arrived early, I would buy a coffee, sit on a Church Street bench, and engage in one of my favorite activities: people watching. Prior to the pandemic, I don't recall ever feeling uncomfortable or unsafe while doing this. Nor do I recall seeing a large number of individuals who appeared mentally ill or in altered states.
Approximately five months ago, I arrived early for a hair appointment scheduled first thing in the morning. Although, admittedly, I'd been avoiding Church Street since the rise of problems downtown over the past few years, I decided to go ahead and engage in the routine I had previously enjoyed. I bought a cup of coffee, found a bench on Church Street that was unoccupied, and began watching people.
This will sound judgmental, but I immediately took note of a number of "sketchy" individuals walking by or lingering in shop doorways. I looked up the street toward the Unitarian Church and saw a thin, middle-aged woman pushing a shopping cart in my direction. She was crying and screaming expletives. Soon, she was 10 feet from me shouting "I was raped! They don't believe me, but I was raped!" I had no idea what to do. I felt extremely uncomfortable. I consider myself a kind, compassionate person; but because this individual appeared to be "on something" I couldn't bring myself to speak to her or even look at her ... I'm ashamed to admit this. Instead, the minute she had moved past my bench, I got up and quickly walked to my hair salon to wait.
I feel so sad and troubled about the state of things downtown. I'm also sad to say that I avoid going downtown whenever possible now, and I am considering finding a new hair salon in a neighboring town. I know Burlington needs my business, but, until things improve, I need to prioritize my own comfort and safety. Thank you for reading.
This can't be a serious question: "Have you been to a city somewhere that has managed to figure this out?"
Have you never left the state of Vermont? This is an outlier. These are anomalies. These are only happening in progressive Democratic cities.
Please get out and tour the country and you will see that this isn't happening everywhere. Not even close. All you have to do is go down to Stamford, Connecticut. You can go down to Westchester. These things aren't happening down there. Our state is dying.
How do you not know the news going on around the country, that this isn't happening everywhere? I have very little faith in your publication.
Thanks for your focus on downtown. Here are a few of my observations.
It is true that there were always homeless people around, whether they were addicts we never really knew. Unlike today, where it is routine to see groups of drug-paralyzed folks slumped over, out of it — in multiple places downtown. You can see it almost every day at the First Congregational Church next to the library. Over the summer, I realized every shaded nook and cranny downtown likely has someone in it, passed out, ODing, maybe even dead. It was the first time I had thought that. Back when "there were always homeless people around," they lived in the woods, in those camps, and few saw them. Not saying that was OK, just that the general situation was out of sight, out of mind — until someone died tragically, like freezing to death on a sidewalk. Then the discussion turned to the homeless. Now, there can be no other discussion because you can't go downtown and avoid the situation. The "camps in the woods" are now the library, the churches, and so on.
I am downtown every other day or so, and I've watched the changes take place, and I have previous events to compare it with, like when the Phish fans stayed in Burlington in the '90s, off the tour, for a week to catch Bread and Puppet, and the city freaked out over the "Phishsticks" camped out on the park. The current situation doesn't feel temporary. I am sad every time I walk by Fletcher Free and there would be the group in front of the bus stop, literally people bringing little kids down there to have a "dad" visit with their dad who was wasted and half naked laying on the ground in the bus stop ... and that little kid was being told "Go on, this is the only time you can see Daddy," and that scared little kid looked around like WTF am I to do?
I cried telling that story to my wife later on, but anyhow, walking through and seeing the young moms or dads walking their little kids out of the library reading hour (that I also once took our kids to) and the family has to encounter the group outside, screaming, wasted, shooting up, vomiting, fighting or whatever else they are doing that makes the place feel unsafe, unhealthy and unwelcoming. An infant in a baby stroller, surrounded by four drug-wasted adults screaming at each other about who knows what. And that little baby is at the mercy of those single-focused addicts. It crossed my mind if it was moral to have that kid cared for by others? How do we just walk by and not feel the need to protect that baby from the drug-addled adults?
I always wonder how many tourists spend a day in downtown and say, "Never again." We used to love showing off downtown to our friends and family from out of state ... 30 years of being proud tour guides. Now we take no one to Burlington. We encourage everyone to go to other parts of the state.
I get my haircut downtown. I hear the crime reports, the OD reports, the outrageous stories of crime and no cops around, and on two occasions, while sitting getting my hair cut, a person came in, appearing to be of the group of houseless addicts and started to say odd shit to anyone, making people feel uncomfortable, and I was asked to "stay in here with me" so the person cutting my hair would not be left alone with the person who just came in off the street.
Every person that I know who used to live in Burlington, moved away and came back to visit has stated the obvious. The buildings covered with graffiti are the first things mentioned. This is glaring evidence that the defenses have fallen, and no one is protecting the city anymore. It shocks people.
I am amazed that we do not hear more about homeless addicts being beaten up by anonymous vigilantes taking matters into their own hands. Not long ago, I was downtown waiting to cross the street and I witnessed a thirysomething clean-cut downtown business guy lose his shit on this street woman who is always running her mouth. It was the first time seeing someone scream at her to just "shut the fuck up." It was shouted with an angry intensity that made me think it is not long before something worse happens to the homeless addicts downtown because of the compassion fatigue setting in.
My wallet was stolen from my car two months ago. They ran up $2,600 on two credit cards and dumped my wallet in the weeds at Fletcher Free. The church next door found it and called me to pick it up. I heard firsthand from the church folks how under-siege they feel and that they know they have no police protection, no support, and there are no answers coming. I was told "you can walk by the group that used to gather at the bus stop and see one person shooting up, another person selling, and another person taking food orders before they head off to rip off a nearby store."
My daughter was in the Lululemon store on Church Street when an addict street guy came in with a backpack and started jamming clothes into the backpack and everyone in there saw this go on. He was ripping the place off, and the young person at the counter said she was told not to do anything. The guy walked out with hundreds of dollars' worth of stolen stuff in the middle of the day.
I work for a nonprofit that has done an annual fundraising show at the Flynn for many years. Thanks to the conditions downtown, our ticket sales have plummeted in the last two years and we have been hearing many tell us "There is no way I would go downtown." Most recently, we had to cancel an after-hours party on Church Street because of the recent murder ... and people saying "Sorry, not going to Church Street for anything." I don't know how the merchants down there survive or how they are not angry at the Burlington Police Department all the time. Now that I think of it, I am downtown very often and I can't recall the last time I saw a Burlington cop downtown.
I used to go to Fletcher Free almost every day —for years, decades. I stopped when I couldn't find a seat inside that didn't smell like piss, or wasn't stained with something nasty, and when I felt a lot less safe on the third floor where people with backpacks would camp out and take over. There goes the public library.
I love Burlington. It is my community and I want to be part of the solution that sets the ship back on a better course. I have done what I can to keep giving my business to Church Street. I've been walking through groups (mainly at the library) for a few years and haven't had any issues of being harassed, until yesterday when a young guy saw me approaching and asked me for money. I said I didn't have any and he said, "Yes, you do! Give me some money!" and he came in close like he was trying to intercept me. I kept walking and he started to yell at me "Hey! Hey! HHHHEEEEEYYYY! STOP!" I really hoped he wasn't close on my heels and planning to grab me or hit me or whatever it would take for him to get the money he was certain that I had.
None of this is a unique experience, sadly. I just wanted to share what I have and am observing as a 30-year resident. Please keep focused on the story.
I appreciated your column and inquiry into how the changes in the city have impacted me. It's quite simple: We no longer go to the Queen City. We have witnessed violence on the Marketplace and do not feel safe there. I grew up in the city and am now 62. I am simply horrified.
What is happening all throughout our country is spreading to small, more rural America. Cities like Burlington were always havens for good, hard-working breadwinners who made up grassroots America. The problem of homelessness among our own has grown out of control because of the open southern and northern borders allowing illegal immigrants to flock into our country by the millions. While our tax dollars are foolishly spent aiding these illegals with housing, food stamps, health care, debit cards, etc., our own homeless people are ignored and overlooked. This country's leaders have lost their moral compass and traded in their values strictly for political reasons — mainly to secure votes and remain in power at any expense. Unless the backbone of this country, the American voters, get out and express their opinions and vote in November, there will be more of the same — only worse.
I believe strongly that one piece, just one piece of America's problem, is that we have replaced community with institutions. Think about it: We have "professionals" that seek to help with every problem — homelessness, mental health, housing, hunger, etc. We need to strengthen our communities from within. In other words, give the community back to the community.
Last evening, I saw an interesting thing on PBS Newshour, part of "America at a Crossroads." And of all places it is happening in Chicago, the most violent city in the country. You might want to take a look.
The organization she is looking at is My Block, My Hood, My City and I think it's a great start at strengthening community. This gets away from the well-meaning, but top-down professional approach. And I think it's worth looking at other cities in the country to see what they're doing. Government and institutions are not going to save us. We need to save ourselves. And that is with kindness, empathy, and yes, some sacrifice.
Thank you for your reporting on this.
I rarely have time to read Seven Days but I clicked on your story about "adapting" to the new normal. You as a paper walk a thin line at all times, and I applaud you for keeping going.
Related Burlingtonians Adapt as Drug Use and Safety Concerns Rise
I wonder if anyone has ever had a public forum where the mayor or city council or journalists invite the actual people who live on the streets to talk about the issue. It would have to be done very carefully (you can imagine all the reasons — optics, etc). Maybe it wouldn't be totally public. Some people will complain that you are listening to "those people." But "those people" are people. They are surely being victimized by violence themselves and do not have houses with locks and they have no pearls to clutch.
I am not trying to put out a right or left opinion, but just an idea someone could perhaps consider. Forgive me as I haven't read your paper much but have you done stories about specific people on the street (I know there have been art projects, etc.)?
I'll leave you with the idea and it may have been done a thousand times already.
We moved out of Burlington because our city wasn't a place we loved anymore — from the streets to the schools. Now in Houston, I would have expected to see more homeless/problems in the city but when I didn't see anyone at corners or under bridges or hear anyone talk about homeless or drug issues — I wondered why.
Our suburbs are clean and safe. You can leave your bike on the front lawn all week and it will stay there. It was the best move we ever made — just wish we did it sooner.
Houston has a Housing First model and it has worked. It's also illegal to feed the homeless — when you feed one cat, more will come.
Houston's "compassionate enforcement" policies that prohibit public camping, and politicians that discourage panhandling, have helped improve homelessness in Houston.
Your article, unfortunately, brings up the consequences of a society who has never taken care of people who have challenges in life. Greed, power and lack of empathy now come back to haunt us. People complain about paying taxes, but taxes are our equalizer.
I grew up in Norway where progressive taxes and distribution to the least fortunate have made it (with the oil revenues, of course) one of the best countries to live. Norway has also taken in more refugees per capita in the world.
We cannot complain when the consequences of our unwillingness to take care of people show up. So, let us turn this around by creating a tax system which creates the revenues we need to take care of everyone.
Thank you for your reporting, especially on the rise of crime, drugs etc. in Burlington. Two things come to mind:
1. Raise the pay for police officers and social workers in order to attract additional competent individuals. Train them and hold officers accountable for their actions, but support them.
2. Another reason for commonsense gun laws — a federal issue but in the meantime do more locally and statewide. No firearms in bars would be a commonsense start! If this young woman didn't have a gun, the victim would be alive and she wouldn't be facing a ruined life.
As a Burlington resident, I read the articles on homelessness and drug use with interest. Everyone wonders why this is happening and what can we do.
Our "new reality" has been old news in many cities. I remember visiting Seattle in 1988 and being startled by the obvious level of homelessness.
The causes of what we are all experiencing are not that complicated. Some Russian joked that with Communism, man oppresses his fellow man. With capitalism, it's the other way around. Funny, but in every joke, there is some sense of truth
Capitalism is not interested in fairness, equality or helping each other. It's not generous, it's not forgiving, it's not empathetic. "It's just business." And so, as cost of living increases, and wages remain stagnant or rising very slowly, and housing costs escalate almost as fast as health care costs, it's pretty easy to see the pressures that many millions of people face. If one loses a job, or loses hours, or has poor medical insurance and large bills, if the rent or HOA rates go up, if city taxes rise again... This can become a collapsing house of cards for many. If there's no family or generous friends with couches to help out, there's really no alternative to being homeless.
Imagine yourself, working hard, just not able to pay for all the basics, and then rent goes up or your car dies again. There's so little safety net available in a timely fashion. Many homeless were once employed, working, happy, envisioning a better future. And then something happened that made something else worse, and there you are. Imagine how angry, how disappointed, how frustrated you'd be. Perhaps you can't. Perhaps you can't imagine the fear and depression and sense of helplessness. Perhaps you enjoy a drink when you get home from work to unwind. Perhaps you can't imagine someone deciding to do illegal drugs in a blind attempt to push the awareness away.
You want to fix homelessness and drug use? You have to fix these parts of capitalism where the rich take more and more and leave the vulnerable to fend for themselves (and then blame them and imprison them for being sick or just homeless). Republicans are bent on destroying the lower classes. It's inevitable. Fix capitalism. Start with not voting for Republicans.
The pandemic of drugs, violence, vandalism and petty crime in Burlington will not end until we deal with underlying causes. In earlier emails to Burlington officials, I provided reports of San Antonio's earlier plans to reduce graffiti on public and private property. To the best of my knowledge, Burlington has yet to realize that graffiti is a "canary in the coal mine." Its prevalence signals worse anti-social behavior to come. San Antonio's investigations found that most graffiti was tagged by less than 20 vandals. When they were apprehended and faced jail or community service to the tune of 40 to 100 man-hours per tag, the problem dried up and new tags are now a rarity. If San Antonio, the seventh largest city in the U.S., can succeed, why can't we to the same in little Burlington, Vermont?
Thank you for trying to bring in the whole community to rally — who knows how — for genuine solutions to this massive challenge. Right now it has to be top priority.
As an old, pretty liberal hippy, I hate to say it, but we need to increase the numbers on our police force to get back to where it once was so cops can actually patrol and start getting tougher on crime.
I am one of those who thinks twice about venturing uptown these days.
Trying to be part of a solution for me is to look at people with a smile. Many, surprised, smile back.
And kindness. One thing I have been doing since COVID-19 is thanking everyone who works in a medical facility, not just doctors and nurses. Cleaning staff, support staff, check-in and administrative staff. I've gotten the most amazing smiles and most of the medical workers tell me: "This is what I love to do." Like there's no other options for them!
At busy food check-out lines, I've asked cashiers which of the candy bars is their favorite. When they tell me, I throw it in with my stuff and offer it to them after I'm rung up. Only one young man took me up on it with a big wide grin.
I am responding to thank you for this story and for acknowledging the unease Vermonters are feeling as we witness what is going on around us while trying to acclimate to what is very different from the Vermont we once knew and loved.
I am ... an East Montpelier resident and lifelong Vermonter, just on the border of Montpelier ... I would encourage Seven Days to try to follow the happenings in Montpelier similarly to what is happening in Burlington. Our small, quaint capital city has been overrun with drugs, crime and homelessness which has clearly been made worse with the catastrophic flooding. If you go to the one main grocery store on Main Street, you are likely to watch people either exchanging or using drugs in broad daylight in the parking lot, less than a block from the police station. The reports of altercations at the transit center are nearly a daily occurrence and certainly deter people from going there, and I haven't felt safe using the bike path at any time of day since the flood, which I used to enjoy regularly.
The small towns surrounding Montpelier all are very close to the city, but our houses can be isolated and some in pretty remote areas. Neighbors frequently send out messages on Facebook warning each other that they saw people with flashlights lurking behind their house, looking in their windows, near their cars, in their barns, and one of our elderly neighbors even had someone enter her house while she was home alone upstairs. They are likely looking for money. And because our small towns on the outskirts don't have our own police departments, they are long gone before anyone could arrive on scene.
I just spent most of the summer in Boston with my husband and two children, as my youngest needed outpatient medical care. I felt safe out walking at all times of day, as well as allowing my 16-year-old son. Whether it was down the street to the 7-11, in the park, or on bike paths, if it was well lit, we felt safe and didn't hear of any incidents occurring around us. My son would go out in the evening on his skateboard, grab a snack at the store, and I had no concerns at all. My son would comment on how clean and taken care of everything seemed. There were a lot of community events. Small, well-maintained parks that weren't tucked away, so people could enjoy them. They had community yoga classes in the park, and community playgrounds everywhere, many accessible. Montpelier has none.
Volleyball, pickleball and basketball courts that were lit up at night where young adults had something productive to do. A family skatepark, with hours, that was monitored and operated by the city. A local venue offered free outdoor stand-up comedy shows adjacent to the park every Sunday night, so people could just drop in. Being in a place that clearly emphasized the importance and value of "community" really made you feel like you were part of their community, even though we didn't live there. People were out doing productive things, so it wasn't like walking down the streets at night in Montpelier where there isn't anything productive that teens or young adults could possibly be doing, because there isn't anything to do. No events, no activities, no real community outreach with the police. There, Boston Police were always out and about, friendly with people. One police officer would even pull up in front of my young disabled son who liked to sit outside and wave at cars, roll down the window to wave back and flash his lights for him. A very exciting moment.
We had just returned home from Boston when we heard that someone was randomly stabbed on Main Street in Montpelier at 7:30 p.m., less than an hour after I was across the street grabbing groceries. I would let my 16-year-old walk the streets of Boston before I would let him hang out in Montpelier. And now that school has just started, I am reminded of the bus from his school being shot last fall by some people from a homeless encampment in Montpelier. The bullet nearly missed the driver's head and the bus was full of students, but the encampment was simply moved to another location within Montpelier and no arrests were made. Complaints were made prior to the shooting incident that concerns were escalating about that encampment, and both the police and city did nothing. In fact, after the shooting, Montpelier police spent days defending their remarkable delay in arriving at the scene rather than focusing on the investigation and arresting someone. When we were staying in family housing with families from around the country, conversations came up about school-related concerns. A few times I brought up the bus shooting incident to other moms, one from Atlanta and one from Kansas City. After being horrified to hear of such an incident, they would ask where we were from, expecting we lived in some large city known to be riddled with crime. To see the baffled confusion on their faces though, when I would say, "We're from East Montpelier, Vermont."
Montpelier isn't what it was, quite similarly to Burlington. Just as with Burlington residents, everyone is being forced to "adapt." I grew up in a remote area outside of Montpelier. We didn't lock our doors. Now we are shopping for home security systems. I don't bring my son in his wheelchair downtown, because the last time I did, a woman I never met who was heavily under the influence of something became very emotional when she saw him and repeatedly tried to hug him when she could barely stand up. I was afraid she would accidentally fall and injure him. And there is nothing for my 16-year-old to do downtown than potentially become the victim of a crime. We are adapting by becoming more isolated. It's not a pleasant way to live. Why do we pay so much to live like this?
Thanks for listening.
Thanks for that email and a place to put my thoughts. I have been talking about this issue for two months now with friends. With students back, it seems doubly worse. The issue is the aggressive driving. I live in Essex on a dirt road but come to Burlington area several times a week. I am a detail kind of person and since the influx of out-of-staters I have seen the gradual increase of aggressive driving and close calls on the roads. I am now seeing with much more frequency; tailgating, frequent fast-lane changes with no signals, cutting in front of people with no signals, road rage, speeding, running stop signs, running red lights and not just on the cusp of the yellow lights.
Doesn't everyone know this is how we die and become maimed in modern life, not TB, not typhoid, but in motor vehicles!
I just want to make a bumper sticker or a T-shirt that says:
YOU are in VERMONT NOW. Welcome! and
Slow the HELL DOWN!
STOP with all the fake crap!
and BE NICE!
People moved here for a reason. Please don't bring your toxic lifestyle here and ruin it for the rest of us! Here it is slower, easier to connect and live a healthier lifestyle, get off your devices and your ego and get outside! Find real connection! Find real happiness!
On Tuesday I took my girls down town to Church Street to do a little back-to-school shopping for my daughter. We wound up going to CVS on Church Street at 5 to get a book binder and a spiral notebook. Just after we entered CVS, a woman came in yelling for help for her boyfriend who had just been pepper sprayed. She ran over to the cooler and grabbed a gallon of milk. Said she would pay for it. A guy comes in with no shirt, cut-off shorts, eyes puffy and swollen red moaning, staggering and the woman yells, "I'll come back and pay for this." My kids are staring at the developing scene as I'm trying to get them redirected on to what we're there for. We found some notebooks, a bit pricey, and some pens and go to pay for it. As we're leaving the store the security guard at CVS is pouring milk on the head of this man who's been pepper sprayed. Telling him not rub his face or eyes. The sprayed man is coughing and wretching at the entrance. My girls of course asked me what's going on. "Dad, what's pepper spray?" I said what I thought it was. She asked, "How did he get pepper spray on him?" I said I have no idea, but that's a great question. As we left the scene Pepper-man was moaning having the security guard then pour milk down the front of his trousers because I assume his genitals got pepper spray on them, too. My girls were still a bit fascinated. There was milk on the sidewalk, a police officer approaching and everyone around had their phones out photographing or videoing this episode while enjoying Ben & Jerry's ice cream. It was strange. It was sad, and it seems like it's part of the new norm.
I have had an office on Main Street in Burlington for over five years. Every year it has become worse. Our office building was once filled with numerous companies, but most have left — especially this year. We will be leaving soon, too.
I used to walk to my office in Burlington but I stopped based on the numerous horrible experiences with these homeless drug addicted criminals. From blow jobs, to drug ODs, witnessing deaths, mugging attempts and a city government that has so obviously failed to control this insanity and in most cases promote more of it.
So as taxes increase and businesses flee the queen city, I fear that the destruction of Burlington as a civilization will only get worse. My doctor has recommended that I ... move away because my stress levels have increased my blood sugar levels, and it's unsafe for me to be in Burlington. I have a lot of horrible stories I can share that I have experienced.
Thank you for the continued spotlight on the drug problem and complete lack of intent to solve it by the city of Burlington at large. The mayor said that they are "adapting" and that is BS; they are "accepting" and that is unacceptable. I'm a Winooski resident that worries it will follow in the footsteps of acceptance that Burlington has adopted.
Those of us who see Burlington falling off a cliff before our eyes are being gaslit when we speak up by folks saying "ever been to a major city?" or some variation of "it's still pretty" etc... Yes, of course Burlington is still a beautiful place, but unless folks act, that is at risk.
We are not a major city, and we do not have to accept these behaviors in our community. Homelessness is sad, addiction is sad. There is a lot of blame to pass around, none of which is productive at this point.
Empathy and compassion matter. I'm not discounting that, but our collective inaction is reinforcing all the things we don't want in our community.
Actions have to have consequences. If we start there, we might be able to climb out of this.
My husband and I live in Tennessee, and my son, his wife and daughter live in Milton ... Every year for the past decade we have traveled north and stayed in Burlington hotels to enjoy a visit.
This year we are staying home, sadly. We've seen the steady decline of your city and no longer feel safe, or comfortable being there.
My son is a recovering addict of 13+ years clean and sober. I get the dilemma of homelessness and addiction.
What I don't get is why the powers that be in your city can't seem to come together and work together for the greater good of this beloved city.
I understand that change takes time and won't happen overnight. What's heartbreaking to me is that it hasn't even seemed to start. *
I agree with you that publicity and attention are needed. Nothing is gained by pretending a problem doesn't exist.
Firstly, I am old enough to remember when then-California Governor Ronald Reagan shuttered mental health hospitals. Then, confused and needy people began finding shelter however they could. Now, even liberal Governor Newsom is demanding the closure of encampments. Homelessness is an issue everywhere. However, in addition to building affordable housing, every state needs treatment, recovery centers and long-term care. (Access to shelter does not equate to effective therapy, which is a pet peeve of mine.)
Considering the severity of the situation, I believe seeking federal assistance is not just a possibility but a necessity. Our two senators and one representative could be crucial in finding the resources needed to tackle this issue. Drug cartels, international chemical processing, and the laundering of dark money are deeply interwoven in addiction to and death by drugs. I hope our government continues its efforts to intervene in this international tragedy and finds the means to assist states.
Once a Californian, I worked in a rural mental health clinic where "bus therapy" was standard: Give a problematic individual a bus ticket to wherever, as long as he didn't come back. It occurred to me that other communities might use bus therapy, too, with friendly Burlington being a prized destination. Sometimes, when I pass the bus station in my wheelchair, some people ask me for money. A time or two, they've been insistent. I admit it frightens me. So, is it lawful to have a community service officer greet new arrivals at the bus station with questions like, "Have you come from out-of-town? If so, where? Where is your destination? Are you in need of resources?" I think this might be a place to be proactive rather than reactive.
IMHO, we are all cast in the political dilemma of private wealth vs. community services on both state and national levels. Of course, as a low-income senior, I'm on the side of the latter, but Gov. Phil Scott errs too much in favor of the "haves" in Vermont. It would help to have a Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the helm, i.e., a wealthy individual who also sees the value in caring for the less fortunate as a necessity of civilized living and can convince his/her peers of its mutual benefit.
Lastly, let's give credit where it is due. I like our new mayor and her efforts to stem the tide. I want our community service officers and EMTs to be increased. I appreciate our small businesses and the character they give to Burlington. Perhaps they can be highlighted one by one, especially regarding their experiences with the drug/homeless problem and solutions.
Similarly, if willing, individuals in recovery might be asked what works, and clergy interviews might help, too. The Howard Center's efforts are much appreciated, and Seven Days should continue to shine a light frequently. Please keep up the good work.
I just heard from a family visiting from Colorado. They visited the Fletcher Free Library and encountered someone shooting up right there out in the open! They have very young children and were stunned!
It is very concerning and so scary and such a conundrum! Thanks for listening.*
I live in Colchester but enjoy spending time in the downtown area. I usually go during the day either for a dentist appointment or a hair appointment and stick around to do some shopping. Thankfully, I've never had any issues. I see the occasional homeless person, but that's about it.
That said, I'm very concerned about the future of Burlington. So much of the news about the city is negative and quite frankly, scary. As much as I love the city, I don't think that I would consider going into Burlington after dark. I've lived in this area for over 30 years and the last few years have been very disheartening to say the least. I just feel like the issues the city is dealing with are getting away from the people in charge of making sure the city is safe, i.e. the mayor's office, the police and the state government as well.
I'll be continuing to read your stories around this issue in the hopes that there is a solution coming soon. Thanks for all you do.
Your description of present-day Burlington is as accurate as it is heartbreaking. For the record, I don't subscribe to either of those groups that think you're blowing it out of proportion or defending the "Progressives." I see you as reporting what is happening with accuracy and even a bit of empathy, sadness and compassion. I don't "do" Facebook but can look at it through my wife's page. I read Beth Sightler's comments and was again struck by the up-front descriptions of life in the city, with the added solutions, clear-headed thinking, and compassion for trying to deal with it. I read one of her comments where she clearly stated that we don't need to set up a group to "study" the problem. Clear-headed thinking, damn I love that. (From a bureaucrat, no less!)
Your piece ended by asking if our behavior is changing ... I volunteer at Jenna's Promise, facilitating a group of family members, loved ones and friends of people struggling with addiction. Many of the folks in the group have lost loved ones to overdose and suicide. One woman whose daughter has put her and her family through decades of awfulness recently told me "Don't give up on Burlington." While she can no longer conjure up much hope that her daughter's behavior will change, she still has hope for Burlington.
In truth, I don't go to Burlington hardly at all these days. In the past we'd drive up, have a meal at one of the many funky, wonderful places to eat and just walk around and people watch. I can't remember the last time we went to the Flynn, and I didn't go to even one event at the Discover Jazz Festival this year. I'm saddened by this; I feel like a coward, and I definitely miss a city I fell in love with the first time I drove down Main Street in 1975 and saw that view of the lake that can still take my breath away. Recovery has taught me the lesson that there is always hope. Solutions are complicated and hard to find, but even an old buzzard like myself can see that whatever is being thrown at this is not working. I struggle to find that hope.
I grew up in Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont in 2002. After my four years there, I lived in New York City and Boston and traveled a lot for both work and leisure. Burlington always held a "one of my favorite places in the world" spot in my heart. As someone who didn't have a lot of "big world" experiences while being raised in rural Central Vermont, Burlington was the perfect "next step" place for me to grow my wings. It was more urban, but with a sense of safety that was appreciated by students and the parents dropping them off to be on their own for the first time.
As the years have gone by, I have made it a point to visit often, proudly showing my son around campus and soaking in the nostalgia starting when he was just a toddler. He shares my love for UVM's and Burlington's beauty and energy and would always say that he wanted to be there one day.
The pandemic put a stop to our visits, and then when we thought we might return we started to hear the horror stories from our family and friends in Vermont. We haven't dared to go back since, and with my son starting to visit colleges next year, I have sadly had to say that anything in the Burlington area is off limits. You have no idea how much this breaks my heart.
Recently UVM posted that they were voted #6 in Architectural Digest's list of The 64 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America, and while I think it is very well-deserved and I congratulated them, I also had to add that I hoped the city of Burlington would do everything it can to also make it a safe place once again.
I know it is an extremely complicated situation, one that many larger urban settings are facing, but I just can't wrap my head around the fact that it has gotten so bad there that I feel safer in NYC and Boston than I do in Burlington, Vermont! I never could have imagined it.
I truly hope that the community can come together to find real solutions and make substantial change. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it to save such a rare gem.
Thank you for your reporting! Pretending everything is fine in an effort to keep people from panicking or to keep people visiting is definitely not the answer, because then nobody does anything to fix it. If I were one of those parents you mentioned in the article, I literally would have brought my child straight home and demanded my money back!
Everyone involved deserves better!*
We all know Burlington isn't the only place seeing change. Here are some of my recent observations as a long time South Burlington resident: Driver-distracting panhandling at multiple major intersections; extreme graffiti and weed growth on former Pizza Hut and Bourne's garage area; a musician playing the violin while his lady accepted "need help" cash donations from passing cars in the TJMaxx parking lot; families that included small children near Shelburne Road Hannaford with signs that said "traveling through — need money;" an individual still asleep at 7:15 a.m. in back of our South Burlington Library and City Hall building and adjacent to the Rick Marcotte Elementary School as staff, students and parents arrived in the morning; others sleeping inside the building once it opened to the public; recent extreme altercation with a knife that injured a woman as well as South Burlington police officers inside a residence on my street after police initially started out to try to stop a fight in a homeless encampment behind Tesla.
Until we all agree to say "no more" and back these words with actions and real money to help people achieve an alternative life, we are all to blame. The real question: When do we reach that tipping point?
Thank you for listening and allowing me to share my thoughts.
*Great reporting as always, 7D!
Regarding places that have done well to address some of the unfortunate behavior, Austin, Texas stands out. There's been good coverage of this in the NYT, New Yorker, and surely elsewhere. Anecdotally based on a recent visit there, their efforts seem to be paying off.
We live on College Street. Have been here 11 years now. Burlington is my hometown ... I used to go to Church Street on quiet days and times to avoid crowds. Now I go at the busiest times and most often with another person. I no longer walk the dog alone at 6 a.m. as I did just three years ago. I no longer walk to dinner by myself when my partner is out of town. We have always chained our front porch furniture, but now we have to bring in the table, plants and cushions every night.
Just a few years ago, we used the front porch every day; having coffee, working, even eating our dinner out there. We don't enjoy it much now because of people yelling obscenities or fighting nearby. In the last month, I've seen people arrested in front of our home and OD'ing on the lawn next door. While we used to look forward to students leaving for break, now we look forward to their return. At holidays, with businesses closed and students gone, it literally sounds like the Wild West downtown. College Street has become a drag strip after dark. It is hard to sleep peacefully.
At 8 a.m. last Thursday, when commuter traffic heading south on South Willard between College and Main was backed up the entire block, we witnessed a driver speed up the left lane (for the entire block!) to bypass the backup then take a blind left turn onto Main Street at a red light. It's a miracle no one was hurt. Kids are walking to Edmunds school at that hour. There are eight row houses here with a common back lot. People have rummaged through the cans out back, upending them and leaving trash strewn all over for us to pick up. We've walked by people shooting up on the sidewalk leading from South Union to City Market at 3 in the afternoon. The sound of sirens is nearly constant. You get the picture, I'm sure.
Upon reading the cover article a few weeks ago, what I felt most was immense gratitude; for first responders and EMTs, for the fire department, police department, community support liaisons, community service officers, Street Outreach Team, and all the volunteers who are doing something to try to combat this situation. Thank you for highlighting that. I also felt compassion for our librarians, clergy and others for whom simply doing their job has become almost untenable and personally taxing. To all those folks, doing everything they can, on a daily basis, my heartfelt gratitude and hope that you are caring for yourselves as well as you are caring for our city and its people.
I've been patient. I've been hopeful. We want to stick it out here. But our quality of life downtown isn't what it was just a few years ago. I once felt I didn't want to live where I wouldn't see people suffering. Now I feel I may have seen quite enough.
Defunding law enforcement has consequences. Now they're living with it.
I am a part-time staff of a security company and a pre-school teacher in the Old North End. I was born in Burlington and educated in this city ... I own two rental properties and I have never missed a vote since I was eligible. I am a part-time employee at Howard Center and have worked with children in this area my entire working career.
Your recent stories are just the tip of the iceberg ...
Our new mayor often refers to "wrap around services" provided by Howard Center and others. I was confused about how she could make these comments with so many open positions at Howard. I am texted or called every day to sub in their programs! Every day! I used to work at these residential programs and still sub when I can.
I work 60 hours a week between my three jobs! Keeping busy is the only way I can forget about the city's problems. I have witnessed a man shooting up in front of the Shell gas station shouting at two girls on their walk to school at Edmunds: "I bet you have never seen this!"
I would call myself progressive and know addiction is a mental illness but this city is hurting its kids. I have picked up many needles on the playground at the daycare center I work at. The last time I worked a security shift at the library I picked up 47 needles on the property! Kids should be able to walk into the library safely! This city is making me conservative and eager to lock up the people hurting the children of my city.
I would gladly pay more taxes to prosecute and provide a safe place for these adults to have the opportunity to get sober and have access to services and NA meetings! Jail! The police are overworked and underappreciated. The librarians are now trained in self-defense and Narcan administration. The firefighters have been given bulletproof vests.
I would never recommend to a young family they settle in this town. Kids are victimized! *
I grew up in Essex and graduated from University of Vermont in 1982. I lived in the Old North End for several years before taking a job at Dartmouth in the mid-'80s. I can tell you that things felt much safer then. At no point did I ever feel unsafe. Fast forward to 2017 when I moved back to Burlington to a condo on the bike path in the New North End. At that time, I noticed a small homeless population hanging around the Church Street area and some of them were involved in petty crime and menacing actions. It didn't feel as safe as it felt in the early '80s. My car was keyed in a parking lot during the 4th of July events at the waterfront, and I experienced a group camped in front of the Flynn, one of whom was pounding a steal pipe on the sidewalk. My wife and her cousin from Manhattan were with me, and we made sure to walk as far away from them as we could to get to our car parked near them. This was the night after someone with a steel pipe smashed a bunch of car windows.
By the time COVID-19 hit, the Starr Farm beach was already experiencing some lawlessness, but it got worse. Open fires, loud music, homeless tents, a body. Bicycles stolen, people riding motorcycles and cars at night on the bike path, graffiti on some of the condo buildings, windows broken and people coming through the property in the middle of the night. There was no police support. My wife and I rarely went downtown but, when we did, we couldn't believe the change — graffiti everywhere, people passed out on store steps or nodding off in the parking garages, panhandlers everywhere, and the very sad story of the YMCA and Memorial Auditorium buildings. It was sickening and sad at the same time. In 2021 we moved out of Burlington to a much more peaceful place in Charlotte. We have been back downtown only a few times to attend shows at the Flynn and one at Nectar's this past Jazz Fest, but that's it. It has the feel in places of bad neighborhoods in Manhattan. I can't offer any solutions other than to start arresting the drug dealers peddling fentanyl and seizing their cars as punishment. Without the drugs being delivered daily, I think many of the addicts would move on.
To that point I have a sense that many of them are not Vermonters but came here as a result of the hotel voucher program. My hunch was backed up by the WCAX story about a homeless encampment in Montpelier where an interviewee admitted that he came here for that and is camping out until it starts up again. I would recommend that the program be revised to apply only to Vermonters, with a priority placed on people with children, and to arrest the drug dealers who are contributing to this crisis.
One last point: Last week we were driving back to Charlotte down Shelburne Road when someone in a car next to us fired what I can only guess was an air soft machine gun. My window was hit multiple times, which shocked us as we didn't know what was happening. The window was closed but the shots were aimed at my head. We tried to get a plate number but the car sped off before turning off somewhere in South Burlington.
Sad state downtown. Many of us in the 'burbs are not going there.
There was a senior Burlington Police Department officer with first name of Emmett ... He was assigned to Church Street on the beat. He was very well liked. This is what is needed: at least one officer on the blocks in sight daily. Yes, during the day. Also, this would give some comfort to students and parents and tourists. I have been downtown during the day four times this summer and did not see a police presence at all.
*I just finished reading "Bad News Burlington" by Paula Routly and wanted to share my feedback as a Burlington resident, particularly regarding the two very different community responses you folks get from your articles on crime.
I have lived in Burlington and Winooski since 2010, except for a couple years in St. Albans. I have spent a good amount of time downtown throughout these years. I have seen fights, car accidents, and plenty of folks nodding off in public. The media coverage of Burlington since around COVID has been absolute sensationalist fear-mongering, even when crime was actually on the rise. There has been a feedback loop with the community in which not just Seven Days over-reports on crime, creates the general perception that the downtown area is unsafe, and then have to answer to a hysterical community. I don't think it's a coincidence that local media embraced this narrative of a city-wide hellhole right when the Burlington Police Department has faced more scrutiny than ever.
If you are going to report on an uptick in crime, and you feel like you are doing your journalistic diligence and that the city is genuinely unsafe for the public, then report statistical facts which support your narrative. Even this article I'm responding to lists horrifying incident after horrifying incident, without mentioning a single crime statistic.
Frankly, that is bad journalism.
I really appreciate Seven Days because you do so much for our community. You share news about local restaurants and events which help me go out and do the things so many Vermonters are now too afraid to go do. There has been a journalistic trend in the U.S. since before I was born to over-report on crime because people eat it up and it helps conservatives get elected. I implore you to be better than the usual newspaper; crime is one story but it's only one in an endless amount of amazing stories happening all over.
You would like feedback? However you paint the picture, report the story, listen to the judiciary or walk the streets of downtown Burlington you cannot dispute the findings! Burlington is getting what the people have voted for, rationalize, accept and make excuses for.
How do we adapt? We don't go to Burlington anymore to the waterfront, bike path, church street, hotels, restaurants unless we have to! My attorney's office has even moved out of Burlington!
We take our business elsewhere such as Williston and Essex. If we would like a "waterfront," bike paths, parks and shopping, we go to Newport.
Yes! Burlington is unsafe and you all know it!!
Why would I expose our children and grandparents to your mess and subject them to your risk?
I've been living in Burlington since 2022 and the greater area since 2018. I've watched the city change. I've been to Red Square many times and had a great time. Recently, I haven't been attending my haunts downtown. I've never considered carrying protection for myself or my female friends until this year. It's been clear to me that the police presence that camps out on the bottom of Church Street on weekend evenings fails to deter these kinds of events. I hate to say it, because I love the people and businesses in this city, but I certainly no longer feel safe here.
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