‘We Are Under Siege’: Burlington, Vermont Residents Complain of Open Drug Use, Homeless Encampments
Residents of a Vermont city plagued by rampant homelessness and drug use are speaking out against the “lack of respect” shown for law-abiding citizens, and complaining that they cannot go outside at night due to the crime.
Burlington, the small state’s most populous city with just 44,500 people, experiences a crime rate of 60 per one thousand residents, far more than the state and national average, law enforcement data shows.
Just a few weeks ago, a newly-elected Burlington School Board member resigned after police seized about 86 grams of heroin and fentanyl from him during a September 16 traffic stop, Breitbart News reported.
In August, the pastor of the city’s 150-year old First Baptist Church alerted local media to open drug dealing and homeless encampments surrounding the sanctuary.
“We are definitely under siege,” Pastor Kerry Cameron told WCAX, explaining that the church wants to help people struggling with drug addiction but is met with disrespect and criminal behavior.
“Where is the accountability? We are being asked to set up cameras, put up fences, all of these things. Where do we say, okay, it’s time to step up to the plate and help yourself?” she said. “It’s very difficult to be showing compassion when we don’t receive the compassion in return.”
Several other disgruntled residents told Fox News this week that they do not feel safe. Vermont itself has suffered a 500 percent increase in drug overdose deaths over the last decade, the outlet noted.
“It’s really good during the day, but during the night, like people have said, it’s really dangerous,” a young local named Lucas said.
“I don’t walk at night,” an elderly woman named Nancy said. “‘Cause it’s dangerous.”
“People get beat up at nighttime,” she continued, adding that she considers herself to be “very lucky” that she has not become a victim herself.
One of her neighbors, who uses a wheelchair, went outside for a smoke one night and “got beaten up really bad” by suspects who also attempted to destroy the victim’s chair, she said.
“Nobody goes out” after dark, Nancy added.
Patricia, a Burlington business owner, said that the city government needs to focus on “community safety” as much as it does on the wellbeing of the homeless and addicts.
“There seems to be a lot of focus in this town and by the government on helping people who are addicted,” she told Fox News, adding that some businesses have abandoned the city due to the crime and drugs. “There seems to be a lack of respect for people who are doing business, you know, who are trying to run a store.”