Mayor Stanak is knowingly eliciting another eventual confrontation and dispersant of at least one if not many, encampments.

by Kolby LaMarche

I was taking a course in poetry during my junior year at Burlington High School. We’d meet as a class at the top of Church Street, near the public bus station.

The same bus station where I, and several other students, were occasionally heckled by all too familiar faces. 

I arrived a bit before class to enjoy a bagel. There had been quite a line, so I was forced to walk and eat. 

Like most people who have journeyed to Church Street, I had seen my share of arguments, brawls, needles, and the like. 

But no more than 45 seconds out of Burlington Bagel would I see what appeared very much to be human feces. It was, as I confirmed with a hesitant nearby classmate, shit. 

My poppy toasted with cream cheese became almost unbearable. And since then, I have heard other such unfortunate accounts. 

Which leads me to this scenic shot recently shared across social media: (Warning, graphic, view at your own risk).

I mean, why not? In Burlington, you can, according to city ordinance, defecate up to three times before facing any real punishment. 

Not to mention public restrooms, where you don’t have to be a paying customer, are notoriously hard to locate, I understand completely. But what isn’t hard is to find is somewhere, anywhere other than Church Street to defecate. 

Not every homeless person in Burlington is ready to take a crap on Church Street. Most know better, are tuned into social norms, and are more “polite” to roost somewhere else.  

It is that differentiating factor, which has me concerned over recent news. 

For some time, in 2021, former Mayor Miro Weinberger, and the council, allowed a homeless encampment to grow in the City’s South End, on Sears Lane. 

What began as a small camp, soon grew to a large community which then posed dangers to public health and safety, according to the City. There were alleged disputes from persons with firearms, sexual assaults, arson, and rampant vandalism. 

The demolition of Sears Lane was rebuked by numerous advocacy and activist organizations who claimed the action taken by the City was inhumane and illegal.

Now, Progressive Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak’s administration has announced the requested allocation of $50,000 to support encampments this summer, one of which has claimed prime waterfront property. 

In fact, the Mulvaney-Stanak administration has already begun efforts, with council Democrats acting surprised at the finding.

Council President Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) rightly told WCAX, “If we support the growth of encampments like that, I am concerned about unintended consequences.” 

The Burlington Democratic Party would then send out an email to members, doubling down on their reaction, requesting, among other things, “clarity on the Mayor’s encampment policy”.

Clarity would be helpful, I agree. While it may be easy to buy water bottles and food supplies from Costco on the City’s card, guaranteeing the safety of campers and visitors seems like a daunting task.

Especially when you are facing serious budget constraints (i.e, no privately contracted security), and especially when you have an extraordinarily under-staffed police department.

I sympathize with the immense challenges she, and former Mayor Weinberger, face(d) in navigating this crisis. I do.  

But Mayor Stanak is knowingly eliciting an(other) eventual confrontation and dispersant of at least one if not many, encampments.  

As well-intentioned as Mayor Stanak may be, placing people, particularly those on the margins, in environments which may sour quickly, with potentially violent repercussions, holds a lesson we’ve already been taught.

Furthermore, to that point, it may even contribute to the perpetuation of addiction, poverty, and violence. All of which we have witnessed and are witnessing now.

Mayor Stanak promised bold, fresh, progressive leadership. To radically re-think what services the City should provide.

After just weeks of running Burlington, Mayor Stanak’s campaign promises seem to be catching up to her early, on more than one front.

Burning Sky is dedicated to providing critique and commentary on the issues of the day from an unapologetic perspective, fueling change in the heart of Vermont. Authored by Kolby LaMarche.

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