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Burlington businesses confront mayor over downtown drugs, defecation

Published by

Guy Page

on

Click to see WCAX news segment

By BDN staff

Burlington business owners packed City Hall Friday morning to confront Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak over crime, open drug use, homelessness and deteriorating conditions downtown, according to a WCAX news story reported by Calvin Cutler. 

Todd Raymond, manager of the Friendly Toast on St. Paul Street across from a needle exchange, told the meeting he was recently jabbed by a discarded syringe and now must undergo testing for HIV and hepatitis.

“I’m not safe anymore,” Raymond said, according to WCAX. “I used to not have to worry about AIDS or hepatitis or any of that stuff, and now I’m having to get tested for this.”

At the nearby Vermont Pub and Brewery, Elise Pecor said employees have struggled to keep the business’s patio clean and safe.

“We’ve had someone defecate on our patio three days in a row,” Pecor said. She also reported foot traffic is down 20% from last year.

Mulvaney-Stanak told the standing-room-only gathering that she is “not okay with the status quo” and said the city is working to hire more police, install portable bathrooms and intervene before disruptive behavior occurs. She also renewed her call for state assistance, including funding for a proposed 100-bed, low-barrier homeless shelter in Chittenden County.

The meeting followed Monday’s City Council vote calling for greater state involvement in addressing homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse and criminal activity. Gov. Phil Scott has criticized the proposed 100-bed shelter.

9 responses to “Burlington businesses confront mayor over downtown drugs, defecation”

  1. ltmrebellion Avatar
    ltmrebellion

    Westward Ho Burlington, VT Google it.

    Reply
  2. RGB Avatar
    RGB

    Progressives don’t know how to run a household, never mind an entire city.

    Reply
  3. Curt Hunter Avatar
    Curt Hunter

    Gracious…I think drug use and defecating in public are against the law in most places. Folks get arrested. Is Burlington different?

    Reply
  4. Kenneth M Martin Jr Avatar
    Kenneth M Martin Jr

    Progressive is just another way of calling yourself Democrat. Progressive and Democrats are one of the same. That’s why Bernie Sanders ran and changed his calling to independent because he didn’t want to be associated to the crime and corruption of Democrats even though he is truly a democrat! if you want to end all of these problems, you need to stop voting for these Democrats and Progressive and independence that are deliberately destroying Vermont. Vermont does not have a budgeting problem. Vermont has a spending problem. Get rid of the idiots that are giving away taxpayers dollars to all of these homeless and illegals that they invite to the state! Not only are you paying for them to come here and stay but you’re paying for all of their crimes. Ask your politicians why you didn’t get to vote on supporting all of these drug addicts and illegal that they are handing out billions of dollars to every year.

    Reply
    1. BRIAN F MARTIN Avatar
      BRIAN F MARTIN

      You’re close. Progressive is a way to cloak that you are a socialist. it’s got to the point some are calling themselves Democratic socialists now.

      Reply
    2. beaulac34885bb993 Avatar
      beaulac34885bb993

      Bernie, used the Democrats every election cycle simply to get on their ballot. Being listed as an Independent would push his name down the ballot and make him more likely to be overlooked by uninformed voters. That, and he liked the free publicity from the DNC. Of course, the DNC welcomed Bernie because, as you stated, he is really a Democrat and they could count on his votes.

      Reply
  5. Tom Chase Avatar
    Tom Chase

    Gov Scott should see to it that none of the Meta money some $92.5 million goes to bail out Burlington. They have been screaming out looking for state money to pay for what they did to ruin that town and area. They have no fiscal responsibility. The mayor can’t connect with reality.

    Reply
  6. Jane Weiss Avatar
    Jane Weiss

    If I remember correctly, it was the city council that voted to defund the police and cut the force by 30%. The mayor’s comments are as usual putting the blame on others and she wants the state to bail her out of her cesspool. Yeh she is working to improve things, the thing that needs to be improved is getting her out of office along with most of the city council. She fights the ones that are trying to move Burlington forward (as the put it) She allows a needle exchange to be placed right in the center of Burlington businesses. Students are now coming into Burlington. I heard an interview on channel 3 on move in day for UVM, when asked why she chose UVM, she said because she loves how beautiful Burlington is. Boy is she in for a rude awaking. She makes cuts in the city government and then gives her wife a huge raise, what was it $60,000 a year. She wanted the residents of Burlington to form a meal train because her wife and herself are too busy to cook. What about the rest of the world who are holding down 2 or more jobs just to make ends meet, and the list goes on and on and on. People are afraid to go down to downtown Burlington (at least the ones with common sense) I made the mistake to go down there on a Friday night to attend a concert, I wasn’t even out the door and some lady approached me, drunk and high on something, asking for money. Never again. I am so sympathetic to these downtown businesses and especially to the owner of Friendly toast, my heart goes out to you. Vt Pub and Brewery, I am so sorry that you have to experience this crap (literally), that is so disgusting. the businesses on the same street as the needle exchange. I really wonder how many of those needles are brought back, and they want to stop drug use in the city but providing a way to inject the drugs and fighting for a safe place to let them inject their drugs. This just doesn’t compute. Oh, let’s not forget those businesses right on church street who have to deal with and see this kind of activity day after day. Church St is not safe anymore. Oh but Burlington is Back? HA!

    Reply
  7. Tom Chase Avatar
    Tom Chase

    I was at a store on Church St to get some food items several years ago (before the city problems when it was safe). The customers in the store were like zombies, dart here and there don’t give a damn if in their way they would run you over. Absolute zombie land. Left and never returned. Yup that’s big city life in VT, bet in NYC people treat people like people on a percentage basis as I’ve learned. And most of the legislators that come from that county are zombies also.

    Reply

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