Editor’s note: This commentary is by Infinite Culcleasure, an independent candidate for Burlington mayor.

[I] am running for mayor because Burlington is a community that not only believes in accountability, but also in the possibility of transformation and the power of redemption, of hope and of giving people a second chance.

I was 11 years old the first time I was taken into police custody in Brooklyn, because I share the same skin color with a man who had robbed a local store. When I moved to Vermont at 18, I learned that like New York and other cities, Burlington has limited opportunities for people without privilege — black, white or otherwise.

As a young man of color, to be approached for drugs in Burlington is a common experience. It’s often the case that some of us do wind up internalizing this identity that’s imposed on us. That’s what happened to me.

Burlington, and Vermont, is a lot of different things. And one of the things that brought me back was that I didn’t lose my right to vote. A lot of people with felony convictions don’t realize that, because society wants to disempower us even after we’ve paid our debts to society.

Some people think there is something inspiring about my story … because it is a story about transformation and redemption in an oppressive racist culture.

When I was arrested while attending UVM, I was summoned by my dean up at UVM, this amazing woman by the name of Joan Smith. She sat me down and said:

“I read about what happened with you in the papers last week. You know that’s grounds for expulsion right?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Well I don’t see what good would come out of that. It didn’t happen on this campus, your professors speak very highly of you, and, I can’t tell you how many white boys we find with ounces of cocaine in the dorms, and they never go to jail. It looks like your ass is going to jail. So, I think you should be able to at least come back here and finish your degree after you do your time.”

And I did.

The late Joan Smith — and countless of other Burlingtonians I’ve been fortunate to have in my life — embody the uniqueness of our city. Through our campaign, we’ll have an opportunity to give more nuance to some of our chronic social problems and to demonstrate the power of transformation. Most importantly, this is an opportunity to give back to the community that taught me about accountability and gave me another chance.