The City of Burlington shut down its Sears Lane homeless camp Thursday.
Wednesday, Burlington Police and Fire responded to multiple incidents at the site of the Sears Lane encampment. Police executed a warrant following a month-long narcotics investigation into trafficking. Also, a camper pointed an assault-style airsoft gun (a replica pellet gun) at Burlington Fire personnel who were responding to a medical emergency.
Yesterday, Burlington Police have issued a notice to leave and remove possessions by October 19 in accordance with the City of Burlington’s Encampment Policy.
Mayor Weinberger made the following statement:
“In response to yesterday’s confirmation of serious criminal activity and the hostile threat towards our first responders at the Sears Lane encampment, I have directed the Burlington Police Department to issue notices of trespass to any campers residing on the City-owned lot immediately.
Prior to today, in the face of an enormous and acute housing shortage, the City team had been working diligently through the summer to protect public health and safety and to find a way for this City-owned land to help address community housing needs in the short- and longer-term. However, in attempting to generate new, needed housing the City’s intent was never to protect criminal activity. It is clear that the encampment at Sears Lane has become untenable and unacceptable.”
The mayor offered no comment on what housing, if any, will replace the Sears Lane camp.
Categories: Crime
I heard on the local news that our governor has approved putting homeless people back in hotels for the winter, on the taxpayers dime. I think it is safe to assume that these individuals will be relocated to hotels. I can’t imagine how the state plans to pay for this expenditure, as I know a number of people who will soon be unemployed due to the vaccine mandate communicated by Biden in a press release. I am a telecommuter, working for a company out of Virginia and expect to loose my job very soon. The state will loose and not be able to replace tax revenue generated from telecommuters, like me.
Biden bucks! As long as Phil (and many other Governors) play the COVID game, house and protect illegal immigrant -invaders, corrupt all elections, push climate change nonsense, push CRT nonsense – the Governers are rewarded with more laundered taxpayer money and hush-hush foreign money. There is no other explanation why so many bureucrats and administrations are turning their States upside down and killing their economies and citizens. Biden bucks! It’s the biggest most insidious criminal syndicate. Many other countries are all in on the scam. Central banks, corporations and big government – they control it all! Every one is getting dragged in and under. Unless we choke off their fuel – $$$$ – they will never let up.
“What housing, if any, will replace the Sears Lane camp”. How about this, Burlington…it’s a bit rash and novel, but what if people STOP buying, using, and selling drugs, accept personal responsibility & accountability for their own lives, and get jobs????????
How about the U.S. reopen mental health hospitals equipped with substance abuse care units that can offer people in need the help they critically require as opposed to claiming that mental hospitals “undermine civil rights” and then fight to place & keep severely mentally ill & addicted persons in an outdoor public venue where EVERYONE’S civil rights and personal safety are undermined & jeopardized – due to the violent & unpredictable nature of these inherent problems that the people within this demographic grapple with.
The Mayor has shut down these encampments before and they just open back up…that is after the taxpayers of Burlington have financed a thorough cleaning of the sites. Let’s not forget, all manner of assaults including a murder have occurred at these lawless camps in Burlington. How about just enforcing the law for a change in the People’s Republic of Burlington? When you allow these situations, the word gets out regionally, and all manner of lawless individuals are attracted from afar. Burlington already has enough riffraff without attracting more from outside the area.
The State of Vermont requires property owners, renters and even lawful campers on public lands to comply with all manner of environmental regulations and laws but these encampments get a pass…
Where WILL the bums go? Not to worry! Guv Rotary-Driver will put them up in our hotels/motels! That way they can use the land-lines, which cannot be tapped w/out a warrant, to buy & sell their drugs! And since when is Meth a “narcotic”, it’s a stimulant, usually a “working-man’s” drug as you CAN get things DONE on speed. I would think most would gravitate towards REAL “narcotics”, aka opiates as you just get high, nod-off, & drool & puke on yourself. Plus if they’re spread around the state in hotels/motels there’s less crime in Bumington for their fewer police to chase around also, a REAL win-win for all involved AND w/foliage gone fill$ empty rooms until ski season and the REAL rich Flatlanders all use AirB&B anyways..Thanks Phil! “Problem” SOLVED!
As I learned, not all ,objections to such camps come from bigotry, elitism or reactionism. Some come from genuine concern for, and experience of, crime. The homeless camp in a Northwestern city out of which a ring operated. They stole bicycles and altered and sold them. Etc., etc. There is rampant homelessness in the U.S.. Much has to do with Trump’s policies. Much came previously. Veterans, people hailing from all levels of the economy.
I was homeless twice. I didn’t steal. I’ve never done street drugs, nor had a prescription drug addiction.
It is, as the cliche’ goes, a shame that the few spoil things for the many. But they do.
There is also the Antifa and others tactics of treating all authority as evil. “All cops are bastards.” Anyone who worked at a prison is “evil”.
Etc., etc.