BRATTLEBORO — Local leaders and social justice advocates are closer to agreeing, yet continue to struggle, with how to study community safety in the era of Black Lives Matter.
“Our purpose is to fully examine the role of the police and acknowledge truths of racism and white supremacy,” town Selectboard Chairman Tim Wessel said Thursday during a five-hour online meeting. “That’s a term that will be very polarizing, so I’m looking for something that our entire community can get behind.”
This southeastern Vermont hub has spent weeks debating ways to review its police department that are fair to both people who believe it should be defunded and others who want protection in a town where opioid-overdose deaths top state tallies and racial justice events have drawn verbally abusive opponents now facing charges of hate-motivated disorderly conduct.
More than a dozen social justice groups outlined a proposal Thursday for the town to pay for a professional facilitator to lead a citizens study committee.
“This is in hopes of being able to introduce some kind of ongoing process to evaluate public safety,” said Wichie Artu, one of the plan’s authors. “We know from our personal experiences and those of our family and friends that this work needs to be done.”
Local leaders and advocates agree on the need for a study but differ on specific language in the written proposal. Social justice groups, for example, have offered an introduction that states the town “was stolen” from the Abenaki people upon its chartering in 1753.
“We further acknowledge the centuries where people in power explicitly (and implicitly) have used incarceration, policing, law-making, court orders, and other tools of public safety to prioritize white lives and safety over the lives of black, indigenous, and people of color,” it continues. “These same tools have been used to control and oppress other marginalized groups of people: psychiatrically-labeled people, people who are homeless, people who use or have used drugs, people whose identity challenges currently accepted gender roles and/or sexual relationships, and the list goes on.”
Several Selectboard members expressed concern with such wording.
“From a municipal perspective,” Wessel said, “I don’t believe a democratically elected municipal body should be making overtly political statements.”
Others want to ensure the committee would be open to all residents, not just those critical of police.
“I welcome people into this process, just not at the price of excluding others,” resident Franz Reichsman said.
Some of the 75 attendees of the online meeting expressed frustration with the lack of progress during the second five-hour session on the subject in two weeks. But others voiced encouragement.
“I think this is probably the most important issue that we could be discussing as a town,” resident Tom Grasso said. “And if it takes a little more time to figure out, it’s well worth it.”
Town Manager Peter Elwell, hearing agreement on large parts of the proposal, suggested municipal staff revise the plan with consultation from the social justice groups and return Aug. 18 with a document for consideration by the Selectboard and community.
On that, all concurred.
“It’s not like, our way or the highway,” said Ain Thompson, one of the plan’s authors. “We want to work with whoever wants to work with us.”
“We all share the same goals,” Selectwoman Elizabeth McLoughlin added, “and I’m sure that we can work together.”
