UPDATED WITH CORRECTION 6:42 PM
Asks ACLU to sponsor forum even though business groups have already offered
By Guy Page
When Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George complained on Twitter Tuesday about “misinformation and inaccuracies being spread by my opponent” and asked for a candidate forum “ASAP,” she already had candidate debate offers from prominent, non-partisan Chittenden County organizations.
George faces a Democratic primary challenge from Ted Kenney, a Williston lawyer running on a platform of “criminal justice reform and safe streets.”
Despite a tweeted request by lawyer and former Burlington City Councilor Ed Adrian to specify her complaints about Kenney, George declined to offer details. On June 10, Kenney aired a Facebook video in which he called out George for failing to impose reasonable conditions of release on alleged serial car thief Marlon Taylor, who has been arrested five times in the last three months, and promptly released.
As reported this week by Vermont Daily Chronicle, George is promoted by the George Soros-funded Fair and Just Prosecution organization, along with fellow FJP-supported district attorneys George Gascon of Los Angeles, Larry Krasner of Philadelphia, and Chesa Boudin of San Francisco (since recalled by dissatisfied voters).
As in those larger cities, Burlington is experiencing an increase in gunfire incidents, homelessness, drug trafficking, and shoplifting.
These problems – and George’s role in solving them – are clearly a matter of interest before the August 9 primary election. Two leaders in the Greater Burlington area pointed out to George via Twitter that she already has a candidate forum offer on the table.
“My understanding is that Burlington Business Association and the Lake Champlain Chamber and several other groups sent you an invitation for a forum. That might be a good place to start,” Adrian tweeted. [EDITOR’S NOTE: In an earlier edition, Adrian’s quote was mistakenly attributed to Austin Davis, government affairs director of the Lake Champlain Chamber. The Chronicle regrets the error.]
“If you check your campaign email, I know 4 orgs yesterday sent you an email with an invitation to a forum,” Austin Davis of the Lake Champlain Chamber tweeted.
It’s possible that George didn’t respond to invitations from these groups because their members are businesses upset with the increase in shoplifting and drug trafficking in downtown Burlington, and George’s unwillingness at times to jail or even bail arrestees. In her tweet, she called on organizations more supportive of her socially progressive criminal justice practices, such as ACLU – Vermont, three prominent media organizations (not Vermont Daily Chronicle), and the Burlington Democratic Party.
On her campaign website, George is direct about the main problems she believes the Chittenden County criminal justice system faces:
“Understand and acknowledge that our legal system is built on systemic racism and classism. Our system is not broken – it was designed to disproportionately impact black and brown people, and people living in poverty. We must reckon with this fact and work to repair the harm to these communities.
“Gun Violence. Sarah believes that we must hold people accountable who commit acts of gun violence. We must do this by partnering with community organizations that can address the root causes of gun violence and interrupt the cycle of harm caused. This requires a wholistic response to a complicated and critical issue in our community.
“Hold police accountable. Sarah pushed for legislation that would lower the bar for bringing criminal charges for excessive force by police. She supports the many hardworking and ethical officers, and holds others accountable for any misconduct that would degrade the trust between law enforcement and the community. By doing this, she can strengthen the relationship between the community and law enforcement.”
Categories: Elections
i guess this comes down to the word “reasonable”, the definition of which has kept lawyers in business for a couple of hundred years… reasonable force…reasonable conditions of release…reasonable suspicion. If Sarah George seeks “root causes” of criminal and other anti-social behavior, she need to look inward at the lack of deterrence a marxist, America-hating prosecutor propagates toward persons contemplating violating the law. That’s not “misinformation” Sarah, just an opinion, to which I am entitled under the Constitution, you know that musty old document you despise. The citizens of Chittenden County deserve better, much better, and now we finally have a very qualified candidate for the office of State’s Attorney in Ted Kenney.
“Gun Violence. Sarah believes that we must hold people accountable who commit acts of gun violence. We must do this by partnering with community organizations that can address the root causes of gun violence and interrupt the cycle of harm caused. This requires a wholistic response to a complicated and critical issue in our community.”
In other words SOS. They’ll keep coming back year after year with new restrictions on private ownership of firearms by citizens. ! And if you believe them, to quote George Strait, “I’ve got ocean front property in Arizona” ! I see it as, We’re coming to take them away, ha, ha, We’re coming to take them away , ho, ho, We’re coming to take them away, ha, ha, ho, ho, he, he. to the rubber room where you can not hurt yourselves or others ! After all, they are a lot smarter than us, and they are doing this for our own good
hey Sarah, sometimes the truth really hurts!!!
I knew Ted’s dad very well, long ago and liked him a lot! I was law clerk to Tom Hayes at the time and Tom Kenney and he had adjacent law offices on College Street in Burlington.
I don’t believe that the criminal justice system is built on “racism and classism”. That is just an easy thing to say when we see a lot of people of color who are arrested for various crimes, and of course more publicized when the media shows that is who is being arrested. We have many influences from gang activity in VT, minorities being raised in a certain environment and from broken homes where they learn from each other. The same can be said for many white people who learn from their family members on how to commit crimes and accept it as a way of life. Sometimes being arrested an incarcerated is an “earned badge” for being caught. Constantly releasing them, and especially without bail and with minimal conditions of release can just reinforce their repeated bad behaviors. Some people have a better life inside our “recreational” centers than out on the streets. They have medical needs attended to, have a roof over their head, are provided food, can get access to smuggled drugs, and get to hang out with their friends.
Sarah George’s involvement with a Soros backed organization is like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank. Her own track record speaks for itself. She’s in the wrong line of work. Social crusading and prosecuting criminals are usually polar opposites.
So–Just now on WCAX 6 PM “News” the UVM nurses complained of being “under attack” & assaults in the E/R, specifically mentioned was a “lack of prosecutions” by A/G Sarah, huh..Now WHY would THEY lie or “spread misinformation”? The don’t & are not..This woman is just plain lazy or following commands from her “donor”, and old & twisted evil man whose name I will NOT mention here..She MUST be sent down the road talking to her lunch bucket..NO medical service provider should EVER have to fear for their lives when trying to HELP people, EVER..
Maybe State’s Attorney George should spend some time shadowing the ER nurses to see the results of her inaction…
If, as george states there is systemic racism in the criminal justice system, she and other members of her party, democrats and progressives have had 40+ years of majority rule in Chittenden County.
Whom does she believe controls the systems that allegedly cause systemic racism?
Her views and job actions indirectly affect every Vermont resident, yet she believes her self not accountable to anyone but perhaps her donors?
It is incumbent upon every Chittenden County voter to vote this socialist elitist out of office. She’s done enough damage in Vermont.