BURLINGTON — Mayoral candidate Infinite Culcleasure was forced into the spotlight last week after a flurry of media attention surrounding prison time he served in the 1990s for cocaine-related convictions. Many came to Culcleasure’s defense and criticized VTDigger’s coverage of Culcleasure’s past.
Culcleasure has been a community organizer in Burlington for much of his adult life through organizations like the Burlington Community Justice center, Parents and Youth for Change and the Spectrum Youth and Family Center, according to his campaign biography.
An unsolicited email tip about Culcleasure was sent to VTDigger and other media organizations, sparking several reports last week about his criminal record.
In 1991, when he was 20, Culcleasure served a 2½-year prison sentence, and served another nearly 3½-year sentence in 1999, both on felony cocaine-related charges, court records show. Culcleasure wrote in his biography that he has a criminal record.
When the news came out, Culcleasure sent VTDigger a brief response addressing his criminal past. After a story was published, he released a statement about his story of “transformation and redemption in an oppressive racist culture.”
Many who know Culcleasure say he is forthcoming about his criminal history. Hal Colston, who works with Culcleasure at the Partnership for Change, describes the mayoral candidate as a peer who never hid from his past.
“He’s made himself anew,” Colston said. “We all deserve a second chance, and I think he’s taken advantage of that.”
Culcleasure graduated from UVM in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and later earned a master’s degree in urban policy analysis and management from the New School in New York City, according to the biography.
Culcleasure addressed his criminal record during a recent interview with WCAX.
“My life experiences are actually probably more similar to most of the people who live in Burlington than the people who actually run our local government now,” Culcleasure told WCAX reporter Eva McKend.
“We should all take responsibility and be held accountable for what we do, and given the opportunity, live our lives to the fullest,” Culcleasure said.
Commenters on a VTDigger article that detailed parts of Culcleasure’s criminal history wrote that the article pulled Culcleasure’s story out of context and perpetuated racist narratives. Others pointed out the disparity between the amount of coverage Culcleasure has received compared to one of his opponents, Carina Driscoll, a former state representative and stepdaughter of Bernie Sanders.
Culcleasure and Driscoll are both running for Burlington mayor as independents against incumbent Democrat Miro Weinberger. Driscoll won the endorsement of Burlington Progressives during a caucus last week.
Selene Colburn, a former Burlington city councilor and current Progressive Burlington state representative, said she met Culcleasure in 2014, around the time Colburn was elected to the Burlington City Council. Culcleasure was working for the Progressive Party at the time, she said.
Culcleasure’s criminal record was one of the first things they talked about, Colburn said.
“He told me about that part of his past, and how it set him on the path that he is on, a path of a lot of community engagement, and commitment, and helping people,” Colburn said.
“That’s the part of the story I wish had been there, right from the get-go, because it’s a really inspirational story and a really transformational story,” she said.
Colburn said Culcleasure’s community organizing made the difference during a crucial Burlington City Council vote.
She recalled a 2014 proposal to put two ballot initiatives to voters that would allow noncitizens to serve on all city boards and commissions, and another to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections.
“Somebody who is a New American, the path to citizenship can be really, really long. But they have kids in the school system, they are paying taxes in our community,” Colburn said.
The council was not sold on the proposal. But Culcleasure helped get people to the meeting and speak in support of the proposals during the public comment section, and Colburn believes that changed the minds of councilors who weren’t going to support the measure.
“The council vote changed that night I think because of that organizing,” Colburn said. Both measures eventually failed during the March 2015 election.
Colburn said it’s worth noting that African-American men are disproportionately incarcerated for drug crimes.
“We have a narrative about black men in our culture that is really racist, and I was sad to see coverage that I felt like furthered that narrative,” she said.
Jay Diaz, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, said he met Culcleasure in 2012, around the time Diaz moved to Vermont to start work at Vermont Legal Aid. Diaz asked VTDigger to specify that his comments are his personal thoughts and opinions, and are not on behalf of the ACLU.
Diaz and Culcleasure have worked together in recent years through the Partnership for Change, he said. Culcleasure was a key factor in a recent Winooski City Council decision to provide better bus routes for kids in the winter, Diaz said.
“Before they agreed to do that, which was just recently, Infinite himself would help drive kids to school,” Diaz said.
“This is direct, important work that ensures all kids, especially the most underserved, the most marginalized are getting the assistance they need,” he said.
Culcleasure told Diaz of his transgressions early in their relationship, he said.
Culcleasure has paid his debt to society, and has paid it “many times over,” Diaz said, through decades of work in the community.
“I was saddened to see that whatever his platform was, whatever his story was, ignored, because someone anonymously sent a tip about something that happened 25 years ago,” Diaz said.
Culcleasure is likely not surprised at the media attention about his record, Diaz said.
“I characterize him as a cool customer. He takes things in stride and he works with them. I don’t think it was unexpected that he was going to talk about this,” Diaz said.
“I’m not saying that we should forget, but it’s important that we forgive,” he said.
Culcleasure and Burlington City Councilor Max Tracy, P-Ward 2 worked together during Culcleasure’s time as a Progressive Party staffer and during Culcleasure’s work on the Wards 2 and 3 steering committee, Tracy said.
“He’s very intelligent, very plugged-in with city issues,” Tracy said.
Race may have played a factor in media coverage of Culcleasure, Tracy said. Tracy recalled his successful 2014 bid for City Council, in which it was revealed through media reports late in the campaign that his opponent, who was white, had a criminal history.
During that race, Tracy said his opponent may have been covered differently if he was a person of color.
“This is one of those examples, where Infinite had a criminal history, something he never tried to hide, but suddenly this became breaking news,” Tracy said.
Tracy also said Culcleasure told him of his criminal history early on in their relationship.
“This has been a problem in the Vermont media for a long time, of playing up crimes committed by people of color, and not doing the same for white folks,” Tracy said.
Culcleasure responded to requests for comment on this article Thursday morning by inviting VTDigger to his campaign’s launch event. The event is on Friday at the St. Joseph School in Burlington.
