Democrats on the Burlington City Council pushed through their “Burlington Forward” resolution — a policy proposal meant to more forcefully address problems around homelessness and public drug use — despite stiff opposition from Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and the Progressive caucus.  The 7-5 party line vote late Monday night sent the resolution to four different committees for more debate. Reports are due back to the full council on September 14.  “This resolution was developed to restore a simple expectation that everyone in Burlington feel safe,” Council President Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) said. “That means children playing in parks free of expired needles, families enjoying the waterfront free of violent behavior, employees trying to comfortably come home from work, and visitors experiencing the very best of the city.” Before the debate could begin, though, the council heard from more than 100 people during a three-hour public comment period. A majority derided the proposal and the Democrats for bringing it forward. Progs, along with the many advocates who spoke at the meeting, were quick to brand the resolution “Burlington Backwards.”  “This framework is not the way to move forward on these things,” Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 2) said. “It’s heavy on enforcement, couched in the technocratic word ‘accountability.’” Councilor Marek Broderick (P-Ward 8) didn’t mince words in his takedown of the resolution.  “I find it to be inhumane, ineffective and an attack on the unhoused, those suffering from substance use disorder, our city’s union labor, and has once again stoked the flames of hatred and shame in its targeting of people who are already on the margins of society,” he said.  Mulvaney-Stanak reiterated her criticism of the proposal and called out the Dems for refusing to collaborate with her office before putting it forward. She said the city is already on a path to progress with programs instituted by her administration. “Our framework is comprehensive by design, and many of its strategies are already producing results, while others need time to be fully realized,” she said. “There are no quick fixes, and unless you throw our entire community values out the window and remove people, there is no way to get there with quick fixes.” Dem councilors, meanwhile, described the resolution as necessary and said that it was merely a starting point for a broader conversation. Councilor Buddy Sing (D-South District) defended aspects of the resolution that promise to bring people engaging in public drug use or other antisocial behavior to court.  “When it’s someone you love, there’s a lot of things you refuse to see because you’re clouded by emotion and what it means to love somebody.” he said. “I believe Burlington has not kept proper boundaries, not for us as a city, and not for those suffering with addiction.” Ahead of the meeting, advocates rallied on Church Street before dominating the nearly three-hour public comment period. Sixty Burlington residents spoke out against the resolution while just 24 spoke in favor of at least moving forward with the resolution as a starting point.  Introduced at a press conference on July 24, the resolution marks an effort to bring more “accountability” to the city’s current approach, which council Democrats criticized as being too lenient on those who break the law.  The measure contains a wide array of policy recommendations with the intent of pushing drug use and camping out of public places, strengthening the public safety presence downtown, and bolstering social services while demanding neighboring towns and the state do more.  The proposal takes aim at “unpermitted social services” such as Food Not Cops and their daily food service in City Hall Park. And it calls for keeping needle exchange services and a proposed overdose prevention center out of downtown by imposing new zoning requirements. Last week, the mayor sent several community-wide emails panning the proposal before calling on Democrats to table the resolution. Traverse refused. Many on Monday who spoke against the resolution railed against the punitive aspects that they see as a return to a War on Drugs approach. Activists defended the work of Food Not Cops and other mutual aid groups. Social workers and advocates decried efforts to “scapegoat” needle exchanges and the proposed overdose prevention center for a wide range of social ills.  “Despite repeated mention of compassion and meaningful support within the ‘Burlington Forward’ framework, it ultimately prioritizes surveillance and policing, two things that simply create the illusion of safety for some of us while actively harming the individuals who need our support the most,” said nurse practitioner Gena Zollman.  But supporters of the resolution consistently said that the current situation was untenable and the proposal was, at the very least, a good place to start.  Burlington developer and philanthropist Ernie Pomerleau said his daughter opened two different downtown businesses that failed — not for lack of trying, he said, but because customers didn’t feel safe. Chip Mason, a former city councilor and attorney with Gravel and Shea, said he believed the city had gone “too far” in embracing a harm reduction-forward approach. He said he had helped administer CPR for people overdosing, and interrupted drug use and sexual activity in the parking garage near his office.  “Our staff and clients feel unsafe,” Mason said. “Telling us to wait is not an acceptable response.” Chiuho Sampson, owner of A Single Pebble, the Chinese restaurant on Bank Street, spoke out in support of the Dems resolution. She talked about her own experiences as an immigrant and the positive interactions she’s had with some homeless people.  “We all want a compassionate alternative,” she said. “I do, too, but I also believe compassion should never require us to accept fear, disorder, or lose a public space that belongs to everyone.” The perspectives shared revealed stark differences in the lived experiences of Burlingtonians. Some said they never felt unsafe downtown, while others said they feared stepping on Church Street’s cobblestones.  Michele Asch, board chair of nonprofit Building Burlington’s Future, spoke in support of the resolution with a call for the community to “support the children.” Old North End parent Kate Paarlberg-Kvam said her children know to get an adult if they find a used syringe in their tulip beds and were more afraid of Burlington police than homeless people.  Some were simply frustrated by the evident lack of cooperation between council Dems and the mayor’s office.  “It seems to me that Burlington’s biggest problem isn’t homelessness or drug use or affordability,” said Jason Van Driesche, who said he voted for both Mulvaney-Stanak and Traverse. “It’s a mayor and city council who can’t figure out how to work together.” The post Burlington Dems Push Through Public Safety Resolution Despite Criticism appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less