Burlington, Vermont’s mayor held her fourth in a series of public forums on community safety this month. This most recent session focused on hate and bias incidents.
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, a Progressive, kicked off the latest forum noting they are intended to provide an in-depth discussion of the multifaceted elements of safety in Vermont’s largest city.
“This panel is going to explore issues of hate and bias here in Vermont and Burlington. And I can't think of a better topic to really be diving into now that we're several weeks into the new federal administration, to explore what does that really look like here in Vermont?” the mayor explained. “Part of what we really are trying to do during this period of time is make sure accurate information is shared with the community, that we affirm that we as the city of Burlington continue to be a city committed to inclusivity, equity, diversity and will continue to do so because the work will continue. That is the core value of the city of Burlington.”
The panel discussion included comments claiming rhetoric from the Trump Administration has emboldened bias and hateful actions. But Vermont Interfaith Action Director Melissa Battah noted such animus has been occurring for some time.
“Even prior to this current administration, actually since the shooting of the Palestinian men here in Burlington, the Islamic community, the Muslim community, as well as the Jewish community, have really been seeing an increase in hate, hateful speech, hateful acts, intimidation, fear. And so we were able in January to launch what we are now calling the Vermont Community Resilience Campaign,” reported Battah.
It’s not just adults dealing with the ramifications of hate and bias. Vermont Human Rights Commission Director Big Hartman cautioned that there is an increasing number of reports about discrimination in schools.
“This can be elementary schools, high schools, and I got to say middle school’s the worst. When students are exposed to discrimination and harassment in school, and the schools fail to take prompt and appropriate remedial action to stop that discrimination and prevent it from recurring, they could potentially violate our public accommodation statute.” Hartman added, “We have a large body of cases right now involving schools.”
The panelists said Burlington and surrounding Chittenden County rank among the lowest in the state when it comes to reporting discrimination and bias incidents. Author and Human Rights Activist Jim Carrier said that is detrimental to finding solutions.
“In the absence of your voice, that apathy and that absence will be interpreted by the perpetrators and particularly the victims as acceptance,” advised Carrier.
Burlington’s next public safety forum is scheduled for May 8th at the Fletcher Free Library.
