The ongoing struggle to keep unwanted transients out of Burlington’s Decker Towers public housing project took an unexpected turn when a resident was arrested for a pepper spray incident.
Shortly after noon on Wednesday, February 28, officers with the Burlington Police Department were dispatched to Decker Towers, 230 Saint Paul Street.
Police say a resident of 230 Saint Paul Street, Brandon Luther, 32, was attempting to clear transients out of the stairwell at Decker Towers. When some individuals refused to leave he sprayed pepper spray into the area.
In doing so he sprayed an individual who was, in fact, a paid cleaner employed by the Burlington Housing Authority who was cleaning the stairwell. BHA staff identified Luther. When officers went to his residence, he surrendered and confessed to his actions. He was arrested for simple assault and flash cited into court. He was arraigned and released.
Luther has 77 police engagements since 2013, including arrests for trespass, larceny, and retail theft.
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Categories: Uncategorized
And yet BHA will do nothing to get those transients out. Sad. Luther’s arrest record has nothing to do with BHA’s incompetence.
Set up a gofundme for more pepper spray.
another goat herder housing complex coming to st. albans city, if the city tax payers vote for it/// the propaganda news media in the city will promote it as will the city manager/// another tiff operation///
The simple solution to clean up Decker is to go back the original purpose, for low income ELDERLY people, and dont allow any tenants with extensive criminal records.
The change that allowed people to qualify for living there at lower ages, with a disability is what messed the place up. They dont have to necessarily evict anyone simply by age, just make it a policy for new tenants. The courts have allowed for housing discrimination by age for just that reason. And by the way, simply being a junkie is NOT a disability, and that situation is completely reversible if you have the will and the desire.