By Michael Donoghue, Vermont News First
Graffiti, symbols and messages that appear linked to a violent national street gang were spray painted on buildings, a home and car in Burlington overnight, officials said Thursday.
The paintings, which included the word “Crip” a well-known nationwide gang based in Los Angeles, targeted several state buildings in Burlington, officials said.
A series of state office buildings on Cherry Street appeared to be among the primary targets. They included the Judge Edward J. Costello Courthouse, the former Vermont Health Department building (named for longtime state official and legislator John Zampieri), the Vermont Probation and Parole office and the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations.
Parts of Vermont have been flooded with an influx of gang members, who have been recruiting new members, including youthful offenders in Burlington for drug and gun crimes, federal and state authorities have said.
A Chittenden County deputy sheriff assigned to the courthouse and some members of the court security team spotted the spray paint along the Cherry Street side of the Costello building when they arrived at work Thursday morning, officials said.
There was reference to “AGC” which appears to mean the Avalon Gangster Crips, one of the largest and most violent street gangs in the United States.
The numbers 40, 53, 88 and 116 that match the four known subsets of the Crips also were spray painted on the building.
The blue spray paint was on the front door, the brick wall and granite pillars at the courthouse. At least two men were wearing masks, according to security video.
The blue is the known color of the Crips, whose main rival is the Bloods, who wear red.
Rob Schell, the director of security for the Vermont Judiciary, said the spray painting was done by more than one person and they quickly departed.
He said Burlington Police also was notified. Attempts to reach Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad for comment were unsuccessful.
Murad, who has been very chatty with TV, newspapers and radio since arriving in Burlington several years ago, has pretty much gone silent for the past month with the arrival of a new elected mayor, Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, at City Hall.
Murrad’s current appointment by former Mayor Miro Weinberger expires June 30.
Schell said the Vermont Building and General Services Department had its cleaning and security crews removing the paint from the courthouse shortly after it was found.
A blue Corvette parked at Northgate Apartments off North Avenue also was tagged with a gang symbol using silver paint, a sheriff’s department spokesman said. There also was a report of a house in the New North End that was spray painted.
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Categories: Burlington
Still loving that “defund the police” policy?? The trouble with Progressive policies is that its the actual citizens who suffer the most. On the other hand, its the actual citizens that asked for these policies, so I suppose its a wash. Regardless, maybe its time to appeal to the hunters in VT who are looking for some off-season stalking pratice; post some pics of said Crips, and put a bounty on their “capture”.
…at the very least Vermont needs Castle Doctrine and Stand Your Ground self defense policies and laws in place.
“defund the police” is a myth. They are building a huge police state to use against you, don’t worry.
Gangs don’t give a crap about how many police you have. They don’t care if they go to jail, because they run drugs in the jails too.
There are only 2 political things that will prevent (more) gang infiltration in Vermont.
1. Remove public bus transportation. Gangs thrive on these bus networks. Look at any other city in any other state that has had a bus route for more than 10 years, and compare crime before/after in those areas.
2. Legalize (not decriminalize) the types of drugs that gangs like to sell. Allow the white coats to prescribe drugs to reduce harm and offer an avenue for treatment. While at the same time increasing the punishment and fines for black market sales.
Giving more money to the government for your “police and prison programs” have never done anything to fix the problem, and never will. Think with your head, not with reactionary feelings.
We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto……
The biggest news articles used to be cows on the run……loose in town. Now we have this. We’ve invited big city solutions, and we got big city problems, no coincidence.
Chittenden county leading us down the toilet.
This is what happens when you make drugs and theft the fastest growing jobs in your state, it attracts the professionals. Way to go Montpelier.
Funny thing about invitations…sometimes they get accepted. Congrats, idiots. Here’s that “diversity” you longed for. Keep your life insurance policies up.
By the way, the Bloods are now sure to follow and turf wars will reign. Practice ducking….oh, and you’ll soon learn that your nemesis was correct: they ARE animals. Of course, that definition does demean animals. You elected folk are fools at best.
Can’t be too hard to profile who did it.
Way to go Sarah George, and the idealogical far left ! You have invited in a list of gangsters into a state thate won’t keep criminals behind bars. Our AG, DA, and judges who don’t even operate with the understanding of minimum penalties for crime (forget maximum penalties). Those who voted for George, you got everything we told you you were getting; with her appointees to muddy the judicial system. Great place for gangsters to move, when they realize the law is not enforced in Vermont. Time to leave this state before it is too late !
Well Burlington, your wish has been granted. You wanted to be a sanctuary city – you got it. You wanted to defund the police – you got it. How is that high crime rate working out for ya? Guess what – it’s about to go higher. You have welcomed drug gangs into Vermont (even provided a new train service for them) and they have found a cushy landing place. Welcome to Burlington, a place where the DA openly discusses how she won’t do her job and yet keeps getting re-elected, a place where even if a case gets before a judge – no one goes to jail and finally a place that will soon resemble the movie “Escape from New York” – yes, I am showing my age. Burlington is set to become a lawless free for all. Won’t that be a wonderful tourist draw? Come to Burlington – get your car tagged by an actual gang member!! Yes Burlington… all of your liberal/progressive dreams have come true. I don’t think that all the maple syrup and beautiful views in the state can save Vermont now.
“she won’t do her job and yet keeps getting re-elected”…
As you point out, it is the majority of voters in Chittenden County that ultimately rolled out the welcome mat to the most extreme downcountry urban/ethnic criminal gangs that bring poison and pimping into our midst.
Rutland had a problem with Solidos and Latin Kings offshoots 30 years ago but for the most part, the police were allowed to use common sense to identify and deal with the problem. In the post-George Floyd environment, we have a focus on equity and alleged police bias, so the police are afraid to use their intuition skills lest they be branded racist. Liberal voters willingly allow their beautiful home state to be destroyed by criminal gangs rather than be accused of not celebrating diversity and inclusion.
With age, comes wisdom. You’re right about everything. Too bad the children in their twenties and thirties don’t understand that their elders are those who, because of life experience alone, know better….not them. Underneath all their bravado and brainwashing are just pompous, entitled kids who one day will inherit what they have created: a nation devoid of freedom and filled with violence and extremism.
Sarah George is doing her job, but her job in her view is to protect the criminals rather than the citizens.
Great, now we got Crip sets from the east side of LA here (AGC Avalon Gangster) . Must be helping the cartel distribute where it’s most profitable…..
It’s ok, they just marking their turf….
just another day at the vermont zoo////
Vermonters who enjoy Burlington should be careful at night, I can’t believe what has happened to Vermont.
Vermonters who somehow still manage to enjoy Burlington should exercise their Constitutional right to carry – open, concealed, or both – and be prepared to defend themselves or “their person” as the US Supreme Court has characterized this intrinsic right.
Historically Vermont locals have prevented this type of thing with great success. I guess we don’t have any Vermont locals any more.
Maybe a rival gang is needed. Maybe they name the rival gang the Green Mountain Boys. Just kidding Vermonters won’t do anything about anything as usual they will just complain and let the culture be destroyed.
It’s probably not going to happen in Burlington but let’s hope for some other towns to step up and fight back.
Historically the real Vermonters were a no nonsense group of people and who wouldn’t let rif-raf hang around we=here they would be a nuisance to others. Those “Real men” have died off or gotten too old to do much more than protect themselves. Todays Vermonters couldn’t carry the ol Vermonters water.
Perfect, this just goes to show these leftists have no respect for anything, and the progressive city council AKA ” gaggle of fools ” let this nonsense run rampant within the city, let’s see if the new community organizer AKA ” Mayor ” can handle all this
vandalism …………I won’t hold my breath
Burlington, you elect these inept clowns, remember they supported de-funding the police and painting “BLM ” on main street, so this is what you get !!
Summer is coming, you better watch your property, it will get tagged.
The vandalism is the least of it. These gangs are ruthless murderers who will brutally slaughter any man, woman or child as easily as we take our next step. President Trump was spot on when he characterized them as animals – with the only exception I take to such comparison is that it is an affront to animals.
Vandalism is not the problem here. If this is real and not a bunch of posers, gangs marking a territory is a much more serious issue than property damage. This is a violent hostile takeover and declaration of threat. If real, it will be a very costly and dangerous future.
Unfortunately the only fix is probably an illegal one. Unless of course they legalize drugs and let the doctors provide the drugs instead of violent criminals. If they have nothing to sell, they will go away.
Some commenters mention carrying a gun or otherwise taking it to the miscreants. A big reason no one will do that is because we know the Sarah George’s and liberal judges in Vermont will be happy to throw a White, native Vermonter defending himself or others into jail and throw away the key.
And that is the point – for you to believe that. But if you read the US Supreme Court decisions on self-defense based upon the US Constitution’s inalienable right to self-defense & the right to defend a third person/party, you will see that you & others are simply being played by these anarchists & anti-Constitutionalists. They hold NO such authority.
You’ve undoubtably heard the saying “better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.” These lawmakers are nothing more than lawbreakers. You hold God-given, inviolable rights that Sarah George and her comrades cannot take away.
@Kathleen Gaffney, while I agree that you are absolutely correct, her is the predicament we face. Most assuredly taking such action would land you in jail (possibly with trumped up hate crime charges) without bail. You have to hire an attorney and sit in jail awaiting your court dates (it’s never a simple or fast process) and face a likely initial conviction and sentencing. Sure, your hired attorneys will appeal and wrack up more billable hours to prove your Constitutional rights. However, you will more than likely remain in jail for those appeal years. Maybe you win your appeal and are released from jail (after having spent several years incarcerated) with no home, job, or fiances remaining . . . only to be sued for $10M in damages and the pain and suffering of your “victim” and their “family.” Yes, standing up for our Constitutional rights often comes at a steep price these days.
try walking the streets of burlington with a mossberg twelve gauge shock wave shot gun hanging off your back and see how far you get/////
Just now we find out that there are criminal gangs in Vermont. Guess what they have been here for years. Before Covid I observed a drug deal going down on the side of the Dunkin Donuts in Brattleboro with gang members proudly wearing their colors.
The proper way to rid Vermont of gang members.
1. Create a special police task force.
2. Abduct gang member, restrain and place a bag over their head.
3. Drop said gang member off in deep woods. Loosen restraints release and let him or her find their way back to wherever.
4. Repeat as necessary.
“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those that would do us harm”. – George Orwell
Seems like artwork to me. How else are these utes going to express their selves in this oppresses environment to mark their turf appropriately. Given the fact Burlington progressive leadership has ceded their moral authority, it is totally in line with the general decay and the decline.
I hope that the effort put into finding justice for the perps reaches the level of those that defaced the mural just off Church St. not too far back.
With CGI at the levels of fabrication it is, and false flags being rampant as they are, and ‘qui bono’ in the mix, it could be ANYONE, and until someone either confesses or positive ID of the individuals on camera, i.e. NOT rumors taken as facts, this is just: rumor.
Burlington has inner city problems because it wants to play the Urban
Sprawl and Dominion game that the fascists at the UN want us to play — there is $$$ in Burlington — lots of upscale drug addicts and alcoholics playing the Mammon game — and loving it but NOT living — and as long as Burlington thinks it bigger than it is… this will continue to be a magnet for other devotees of mammon, albeit the other side of the beancounter.
IF gangs are interested in Vermont (NOT enough filthy lucre going to illicit addictions yet), they are unlikely to announce themselves that way — I mean really. Didn’t they read Lao Tzu? (You can bet they have).
This feels very much like a Hegelian dialetic to get more money to Burlington to save its sinking butt…
Sodom and Gormorroh in situ…but lets just pretend all is well in Whoville, and we had nothing to do with accepting the agenda…
It is but the truth that they have been in Vt. for years. Decades to be exact. Rutland came first to the best of my knowledge. And like roaches, once you see one, there are many more where it came from and you’ll never be able to rid your home of ’em. Get ready for endless taxation as tourists start to fly the coop and 2nd homebuyers opt out for greener pastures. Got to keep those homeless housed at your expense and build those injection sites among other priorities. And despite what Brooklyn Bernie tells you, none of it comes FREE.