Editor’s note: This commentary is by David Scherr, a candidate for State Senate in Chittenden County. He is a former public defender who works on criminal justice reform issues.
Here in Vermont we say their names: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many others.
But here in Vermont some take false comfort that they lived and died elsewhere.
Here in Vermont we have one of the most disparate rates of incarceration for black people in the nation. Here in Vermont black and brown drivers are pulled over at higher rates than white drivers, and police are more likely to search their cars. Here in Vermont a black person is more likely to contract the coronavirus than a white person.
Leaders of color have fought for years, here in Vermont, for justice and equality–for the truth that black lives matter. It is time for all of us to recognize and support them, to lift up their hard work, and to join them. The required collection of race data during traffic stops, the establishment of an Executive Director of Racial Equity, the move toward an ethnic studies and social equity curriculum, and the Report of the Racial Disparities in the Criminal and Juvenile System are examples of their hard-won achievements. I am grateful that my work in the Vermont Attorney General’s Office has allowed me to assist with some of them.
But serious racial disparities persist. Systemic racism has not been dismantled. We have much more work to do, including the passage and enforcement of laws that would address police use of force. We need to extend the scrutiny of our justice system to the actions of prosecutors, judges, and defense attorneys who make decisions that result in disparate rates of incarceration. We need to shrink the footprint of traditional law enforcement and expand community supports–including mental health and substance use disorder professionals–to respond to community needs. And we need to change our sentencing laws to lower disparities, as well as increase the use of restorative justice practices.
It is time for the equal protection of the law to be a lived reality, not a failed promise.
We all must support the organizations and individuals here in Vermont who are leading this work. Learn more and take action with:
Black Lives Matter Of Greater Burlington
Community Voices for Immigrant Rights
Showing Up for Racial Justice – Burlington
The Root Social Justice Center
Vermont Ethnic Studies Coalition
Vermont Human Rights Commission
Vermont Learning for the Future: Equity in Education
Vermont-NEA: Advancing Racial Equity in Schools
Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity
