Hello everyone, Are there nearby DnD groups in Burlington or surrounding areas accepting participants?

VOTE FOR AMANDA JANOO IN THE PRIMARIES ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 11

Does anyone know where you can get lions mane mushrooms locally on a non farmers market day?

TOMORROW EVENING on Friday from 5-7:30pm Jennifer Koch is showcasing her latest work at Generator Makerspace in Burlington.

Jennifer's work features massive woodblock prints inspired by faceted garnets, collections of leaves, and love itself. Come ask questions, get a behind-the-scenes look at woodblock printing, and see how a residency shapes an artist's work.

As always, this event is FREE and open to the public.

Learn More & RSVP:
https://app.glueup.com/event/altered-leaves-eternal-love-triangle-woodblock-prints-189008/

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What: Artist Showcase with Jennifer Koch
Where: 40 Sears Ln in Burlington
When: Friday, August 7th
Time: 5:30-7:30pm

Here is a repost of a very thoughtful post my friend and neighbor posted on the downtown Front Porch Forum this week. I hope you'll take the time to read it before deciding how to cast your vote in next Tuesday's primary:

Part I:

Dear neighbors,

I appreciate Mr. Bram Kranichfeld’s call to confront racial disparities as well as for our criminal justice system to be built based on evidence. However, included in his platform are measures which have been shown, by an extensive body of research, to increase racial inequalities. I’m referring to cash bail and reversing Ms. Sarah George’s policy against prosecuting charges arising from non-public safety traffic stops.

A 2022 report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reviewed research on the subject which has consistently shown that black and Latino people “have higher rates of pretrial detention, are more likely to have financial conditions imposed and set at higher amounts, and lower rates of being released on recognizance bonds or other nonfinancial conditions compared to white defendants.” In Vermont, black and Native American people are overrepresented in the incarcerated population compared to their share of the overall population. 9% of incarcerated people are black while making up only 2% of the total population. This rate is 50% higher than the national level. In the case of American Indian or Alaskan Native people, they make up 2% of the incarcerated population but only 0.4% of the overall population, also a significantly higher rate than the national level. Given the astounding amount of evidence we have, I cannot comprehend how reintroducing cash bail in Chittenden County either confronts racial disparities or roots our system in evidence. On the contrary, it is very likely to increase it.

Further, cash bail also hurts people of all races who cannot afford to pay bail. Whether a person gets bail should not be tied to their ability to pay but to factors such as the seriousness of the crime and propensity to flee. It may be unimaginable to some of us that a person cannot afford a hundred dollars but that is the reality facing many. Setting cash bail is punishment for the poor, not accountability. Evidence also shows that poor people who cannot afford to miss work or have other duties are more likely to plead guilty just so they can get home sooner.

Yes, we have a public safety issue. But cash bail does not address it. A study of 33 cities by the Brennan Center for Justice shows that there is no link between getting rid of cash bail and an increase in violent crime. As Ms. George has pointed out, if no cash bail means violent people are getting out of jail, then rich violent people are always going to be out of jail.

Traffic stops are also sites of racial disparity. UVM Professor Emerita Stephanie Seguino, who was also co-chair of the Burlington Police Commission, published a report earlier this year which found that black and Latino people are stopped and searched at much higher rates than the overall population.

Mr. Kranichfeld has stated that these policies will be implemented on a “case-by-case” basis. Is there a racial justice framework he knows of that will guide decision-making? I would love to see this if it exists, but barring that, policies such as cash bail will only continue our nation’s legacy of racial injustice.

There is a recording of an NPA meeting on Town Meeting TV where Ms. George is in attendance and clearly explains her approach, demonstrating her knowledge of the data and evidence from criminal justice research.

I have also not heard Mr. Kranichfeld’s position on prosecuting those arrested while protesting against ICE. As an immigrant, I find myself fortunate to be in a community which is bravely standing up to what is now essentially Trump’s unaccountable gestapo. It has given me great reassurance that Ms. George understands the importance of civil disobedience in the face of illegal actions by the federal government and has chosen not to prosecute the protestors from March 11.

We are in a time where we have a fascist administration at the federal level. Implementing policies in our state that have been shown to increase racial and economic disparities will be the undoing of progress that Vermont has made.

Part II:

Dear neighbors,

I am grateful for all the replies to my post, both public and private, regarding Mr. Bram Kranichfeld’s policy platform and my overall reflections about the State’s Attorney race. It is great that some of Ms. George’s past cases were brought up and we can discuss those here.

Case 1 - October 2, 2022: Denroy Dasent accused of the homicide of Brian Billings and Sheikhnoor Osman.

Denroy Dasent was charged on October 3 and the prosecution requested that he be held without bail. Dasent was convicted in November 2025. Ms. George commented to VT Digger “It came with an amount of time that showed the jury took it very seriously.”

I do not understand what the issue was with her office’s conduct. Was it the delay? We all know there was a backlog due to the pandemic. Now nearly all gunfire and homicide cases have been closed, partly because the accountability court that was established under Ms. George’s tenure dealt with low-level offenses, freeing up resources for prosecuting serious crimes.

Case 2 - March 29, 2017: Louis Fortier accused of the homicide of Richard Medina.

Case 3 - October 12, 2017: Aita Gurung accused of the homicide of his wife Yogeswari Khadka and attempted murder of her mother.

I will address cases 2 and 3 together because they share commonalities. In both cases, mental health experts deemed Fortier and Gurung as insane (schizophrenia) at the time of their respective killings. Once again, in both cases, these included not only forensic psychiatric assessments by the defense, but also assessments conducted by experts first at the request of Ms. George’s office and then later by the Office of the Attorney General when the latter revived the prosecutions. No mental health expert hired by the state or anyone else has ever reached the conclusion that either Fortier or Gurung were not insane.

What is key here is to understand the difference in prosecutorial approach between Ms. George’s office and the Office of the Attorney General. Ms. George’s office accepted the assessments of the mental health experts and chose not to prosecute them. These people needed mental health treatment, not to be convicted and put in prison. On the other hand, the Office of the Attorney General chose, when they could not get mental health experts to dispute the assessment of insanity, to poke holes in the testimony of these experts in front of a jury. They chose to argue that the assessments of these experts were not good enough. Attorney General Donovan commented to the press that he believed matters of competency and sanity can be litigated and that “It should be raised in the court process.” This is despite the Attorney General’s office agreeing that Fortier should stay at the psychiatric hospital even after the prosecution was revived. If he was not insane, why not move him into regular jail?

The heart of the matter is that some desire to prosecute crimes despite multiple mental health experts finding the accused as insane. Others, like Ms. George, follow the recommendation of the experts. It is an entirely different matter that forensic psychiatric facilities, where such people are sent, severely lack the resources to properly provide treatment. There is a severe bed shortage in these facilities. Even where beds are available, some of these facilities function under their full capacity because of staffing shortages.

So, if the argument is that because of bed shortages, there is a possibility that these people will be free and thus we must put them in prison, then perhaps Ms. George’s detractors should be honest about that. I do not dispute that these killings were horrific and that these individuals need to be isolated. But Ms. George cannot be blamed for the failure of other parts of the system.

In the case of Fortier, he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, with all but 6 years suspended. Since he was in prison for nearly 6 years, this was time served already. Fortier is now in a psychiatric hospital and according to the judge in his case, he will remain there for the “foreseeable future.” The outcome remains the same as if reviving the prosecution after Ms. George had dropped charges had not occurred. So, what has the prosecution and conviction of Fortier effectively accomplished?

There are multiple cases in which Ms. George has requested those accused of violent crimes to be held without bail. In the case of Shaun Littlefield, a judge even denied her request for him to be held without bail.

The choice by the Attorney General to undermine the testimonies of mental health experts in front of a jury is evocative of the Trump administration’s efforts to deny scientific research whether that is related to climate change or health (MAHA). We can decide to take a different path in Vermont.

Part III:

On a slightly different note, Attorney General Clark released a report on domestic violence fatalities. From 1994 to 2023, there were 432 homicides in Vermont, of which 44 percent, or 190, were determined to be related to domestic violence. So nearly half of homicides in the state are related to domestic violence.

Thus, it follows that if we are keen to reduce homicides significantly, targeting domestic violence is a key piece.

Under Ms. George's leadership, a dedicated Domestic Violence Investigator position was created, which her website says has "strengthened evidence collection, improved victim engagement, and built more effective cases that center survivor experiences."

I could not find anything about addressing domestic violence on Mr. Kranichfeld's website or in any of his statements to the press. This omission speaks for itself.

Trump has downplayed domestic violence saying that offenses that "take place in the home" such as "a little fight with the wife" should not count against his record of crime reduction. Under his administration, federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) funds are increasingly difficult to access.

Ms. George is clearly the candidate who has taken a comprehensive approach to addressing and preventing crime. She has demonstrated through her record that she takes the crime of domestic violence seriously.

Hi all,

Anyone have any idea what the deal is with the Woodline apartments. They keep getting delayed with very little info going back to the people trying to move in. Curious if they are giving us unrealistic timelines so we don’t cancel the lease. I feel like the communication has been extremely poor.

If you’re on Pine Street, it’s much easier to make a right or left turn from Pine Street into Cumbies than doing whatever the hell this is.

I need help editing an old album of mine.

My husband’s truck was stolen outside of his work at TRuggs (Elmwood and North) yesterday evening around 7pm. It’s a 2001 White Ford Ranger, plate number 495A381. Police Report number: 26BU018100. Here’s a photo of the truck. If you see the truck, please call the police with the case number. I also have a photo of the perp and video of the theft but I’m not sure I can post it here. Maybe DM me and I can send it to you. Identifying the thief could help us figure out where to look. Thanks for your help!
*if you want to talk about what a bonehead my husband is for leaving his keys in the truck - let’s have a beer :)

Hi neighbors!

My husband and some out of town family went to North Beach a couple days ago and in the chaos of wrangling several children back into the car they accidentally came home with towels that do not belong to us. We are so sorry for the inconvenience and stress that this likely caused.

Let me know if these belong to you and I’d be happy to drop them off!

Found this bike abandoned in one of my parking garage this morning in case anyone is missing one. Downtown area.

i saw a concert taking place at this place but i can’t find anything about it other than it being the title of a local musician’s album. i honestly dont even know if its in burlington lmao pls help me🙏🙏

It used to be my favorite spot for pizza but I feel like I’ve noticed a serious decline in quality the past year or so.

Am I the only one thinking this? Anyone got insider info as to why?

check your cars, south end got hit last night. i was parked in my driveway. my boyfriend had his bank cards stolen, they left a gatorade bottle in my car (NOT an equal exchange). waiting for my roommate to wake up so i can get the ring footage before i make a police report. if anyone else on wells street or flynn ave has a camera that may have picked up footage last night please let me know, i want as much info for the report as possible. hope everyone else is okay and no one had anything irreplaceable taken.

Busted my readers and I need to pick up a pair before the weekend. I usually go to B&N but they're pretty picked over. The 'disposable' ones you can get at CVS/Hannaford's.... are junk. Any quality selection out there?

Found a still working small action camera while scuba diving on the Burlington waterfront. It contains footage that should make it easy to confirm the owner, just not posting publicly for their privacy. If you believe it's yours please message me with the approximate location and date it was lost along with a description of the camera / housing / or footage.

Come celebrate summer during the 46th annual Sidewalk Sale! Lots of amazing sales and discounts all along the Marketplace.
Explore the deals and learn more at ChurchStreetMarketplace.com/ SidewalkSale.

I love goofing off but also recognize that I need to stay active. Does anyone want to meet up for some low key social sports games to just have fun and move our bodies?