Police shut down the busy roadway near the South Prospect Street intersection after students set up a roadblock around 5 p.m. and refused to leave until they met with UVM president Tom Sullivan. Diverted traffic flooded side streets in an effort to get to Interstate 89 after the demonstration began.
Many of those protesting said they stood in solidarity with John Mejia, a UVM staffer who has vowed to refrain from eating until the university and the city of Burlington address a list of nine demands.
The assembled included second-year graduate students from the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration program who staged a walkout and didn’t sit for their final exam.
“Everybody has to sacrifice something in the movement,” Doretha Benn said. When asked if she was worried about failing her class and not being able to graduate, Benn said, “I think we should never be penalized for standing up for what we believe in.”
As the evening wore on, the students distributed hand warmers, scarves, coffee and food. A handful of UVM staffers also mingled with the students.
Shortly before 8 p.m., UVM’s vice provost for student affairs Annie Stevens addressed the protesters. “President Sullivan isn’t available tonight,” she said to a chorus of jeers and boos from the crowd. “He does want to meet and will reach out to whoever you want him to reach out to.”
The announcement ended the road blockade, and vehicle traffic on Main Street resumed. The students then marched their way to the Waterman Building to reconvene. Once inside, organizers pledged to continue with their protest actions until their demands were recognized.
In response to the latest demonstration, UVM spokesman Enrique Corredera said in a statement that the university “does not condone any activity that can result in serious unintended consequences.”
“Taking over a major intersection in the city of Burlington, and impacting the lives of thousands of individuals and families is such an activity,” he wrote.
Corredera said that Sullivan “welcomes” a meeting with the organizers and vowed “to continue a dialog with students.”
“The university will remain focused on the work it is doing to advance its diversity and inclusion goals, and will continue to speak out against every form of racism, bigotry and injustice on our campus,” Corredera’s statement read.
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I would have run right over them. Blocking residents at 5pm from getting home after working a long hard day. Something these kids probably never will understand. Parents have killed our society with their lack of parenting.
This protest has nothing to do with the residents of Burlington, they should have just stayed on campus.
Thanks to BLM for challenging an issue that the mainstream accepts as normal. Racism isn’t going to disappear without confronting the system that institutionalizes it. Civil disobedience and boycotts are effective tools when negotiation fails. Negotiation that drags on indefinity wears everyone down. Get it done UVM. It’s win win!
If you want to lose support for your cause, this is the way to do it: block a public street so that innocent people are put in danger. And yes, that is what blocking a public street is: it is endangering the public. Would they have moved for an ambulance? What if someone were rushing a child to the emergency room? What if someone who is unemployed were trying to get to a job interview on time? I’ve been generally supportive of this movement, but that support is now waning. It appears to be a movement of very childish people who need to grow up.
The person that they are protesting against for putting up flyers legally under free speech did so within the law. These protesters have now created a hazard and have broken the law. So under their premise they should all be expelled from school. Keep your protests on campus and off the streets. How would these students feel about being block from attending class during their finals?
These children at UVM have overplayed their hand. Shame on Del Pozo and the Burlington Police for condoning and enabling them to break the law and disrupt our community. How many thousands of gallons of gasoline were needlessly burned by motorists stranded by their illegal behavior? How many hundreds of hours of working peoples time was wasted by these childrens temper tantrum? BLM has given themselves a well deserved black eye.
Getting sick of this black supremacy group yet>?
Violence will soon follow as they continue down the road map drawn by their national charters.
Leathrhune- can you name ONE official policy that “institutinalizes” (a fake word) racism?
From the BFP,
Carrese said five ambulances were headed toward the hospital during the time of the protest. None had patients in critical condition, he said, and no patients were placed in jeopardy because of the delays.
“I’m sorry that you were delayed. I’m also sorry that people of color are suffering on this campus,” Edosomwan said when asked about the disruptions. “Our lives have been disrupted ever since we stepped onto this campus.”
While I support their cause, These protesters have to realize that their lives are no more important the the lives of every other person. What if someone in one of these ambulances had been critical and died? Could you live with the fact that your cause took a life?
The irony of HomerC’s comment on parenting and his bravado of running right over them with his car.
“While I support their cause, These protesters have to realize that their lives are no more important the the lives of every other person. What if someone in one of these ambulances had been critical and died? Could you live with the fact that your cause took a life?”
You might want to rethink what you support as you are supporting them shutting down our roads. This is not uncommon for BLM. Just do a quick google search and you can find this kind of behavior all across the country. They are demanding things- and they will not stop until you grant their demands. They are a race based supremacy group more than willing to use such tacticts to force their agenda on VT. And they dont care about all lives- they care about “black lives- specifically black womens lives” as their website openly proclaimed until recently.
You have given them an inch- they now want a mile.
This was and is entirely predictable when you feed into the demands of a racist organization being coddled by white liberals to afraid to defend themselves or the values they want to uphold.
I have said it before and I will say it again- Vermont is being trolled by these groups and these people.
you dont have to accept it.
IF being called a racist is what you want- then keep letting these people get away with it
And if you want to encourage more of this nonsense- give into their absurd demands.
they will be back with more within days
leaterhune, don’t bother responding to Snow Creek. They’re not willing to accept examples of racism from the executive branch, and don’t appear to know the meaning of the word “implicit.” I can use it in a sentence: “Many of the arguments against Black Lives Matter are implicitly racist.”
“I would have run right over them” – yes, and we wonder why we need signs explicitly saying that black lives matter…
“They’re not willing to accept examples of racism from the executive branch”
I have yet to see any examples of Institutional racism in the United States beyond the only one in existence which I have pointed out- Affirmative action…Which primarily discriminates against white men.
I will ask again- please cite an official policy of institutional racism in place in the United States. Just one
And once again, the so-called “travel bans” issued by the President are an example. And once again you argue that somehow the federal government doesn’t count as an institution. And we rinse and repeat.
Or you argue that various regulations related to drug laws, incarceration, housing, access to education, and others aren’t racist because they don’t come out and say “treat white and black people differently.” But the end result is that people are treated differently in our systems because of the color of their skin.
And you keep beating the affirmative action drum, which is well and good, but who cares? I’m a straight white guy, excelled in school, have a good job, and still want to fight for justice for people who have less than I have for no fault of their own. If that means I’m passed over for an opportunity once in a while, so be it. I’ll be okay.
the travel ban is focused on dangerous unstable countries- Not any specific race or religion. Nor is it even an official policy- as its currently tied up in courts.
And again- its YOUR opinion, and YOUR assertion that schools are somehow racist- there is no proof of this. Nor is there any policy in place.
You AGAIN avoid my answer and instead reply with baseless innuendo.
IF you want people to listen to you- you are going to have to try and debate with actual facts that you can actually use as examples of what you proclaim is going on. Until you can actually come up with an official policy that is a form of “institutional racism” – then your claims will continue to be false
Or you can join the crowd shutting down our highways as a response to no one wanting to deal with your hollow claims
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-opportunity-race-and-education/
Edit: and some raw data – https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/data.html?src=rt/
Again- no official policy. What you feel or what the brookings institute feels means little. What matters is what is actually reality- and the reality is there is no official policy or law discriminating against minorities in the USA. Not one.
I have dealt with this nonsense victim hood my whole life. I am not taking it any more. If Vermont wants to become a mini California full of would be outraged people constantly insisting you concede to their lastest list of demands-than keep allowing these groups to persist.
IF not- then speak up. You have nothing to be ashamed of. We are not racists. We are not a racist state. we have done nothing wrong.
stand up for yourselves and speak up
It’s data from the government. You are now ignoring the facts that you claim don’t exist. You claim that I’m “feeling” this way, when actually I’m reading data that shows that a third of schools in majority black and hispanic areas don’t offer chemistry courses. That is racism.
You are responding to “victimhood” with an immense amount of either ignorance or guilt. You can stand up for yourself while still being kind and generous to others, and working to ensure that we as a nation treat all people equally.
In the meantime, you can remain grumpy and offended while hanging out on the wrong side of history.
We are all right how does a group made up of 90% white privileged kids represent Black Americans? And Ted these kids are not going to an finals they are not even smart enough to think for themselves and just cry and have their parents complain till they get the grade they want. Next time they pull this shit the cops should pull out the water cannons.
“how does a group made up of 90% white privileged kids represent Black Americans?”
When did we start talking about Congress?
You are confusing income inequality with racism. Of course there is rich schools and poor schools. However there is no policy in place that declares which races attend what school.
There used to be one- perhaps you are too young to remember… It was called “desegregation busing.” OF course that was back during times of actual desegregation..
While yes I will agree that poverty in our school systems is an issue- I will disagree that its caused by racism. As there is no policy mandating who goes to what school. A white child in a minority majority school in a poor town will have the same lack of opportunity as a black child in that school.
that has nothing to do with racism.
oh- and I am not guilty, grumpy, or offended. I am simply tired of being ranted at by an increasingly racist supremacy group. We have been down that road in the USA already. Vermont doesnt need this nonsense
Income inequality disproportionately affects non-white people. Why do you think that is?
I certainly hope the police were issuing fines. Blocking main street hundreds of yards from the entrance to the biggest hospital in the state shouldn’t be condoned.
“income inequality disproportionately affects non-white people. Why do you think that is? “
The same reason you see so many poor white people- they adopt the culture that has been advertised towards them. They are brainwashed by what they think a black person should be in the same manner a white redneck is brainwashed by “larry the cable guy” into thinking thats the kind of person they should be. The problem is- P Diddy isnt drinking his vodka onstage – he is drinking water out of a ciroc bottle as a form of advertising. Much in the same way “larry the cable guy” isnt actually getting anything done- he is making money off of being a fictional characters. These people are pretending to live a lifestyle to make money and too many young folks wind up tragically living out those fictional lives in actual reality with tragic results. The “gangsta” culture glorifies violence and prison. Yet few actually live those lives. The few who do- wind up in prison or dead. Just look at DMX or Tupac (a classically trained pianist raised middle class) as examples.
When entire allow fictional characters to dictate their behavior as is seen with the rap and redneck cultures you wind up with poor people being used as pawns in a money making scheme.
If you want to see a minority culture not affected by this because there likely is not enough of them to be a worthy demographic to mine for profits- then look no further than Asian Americans….
part one continued on part 2
part 2
They do just fine
Why?
Because no one tells them to be a gangster or a redneck. They are told they are smart and successful. And go figure- they turn that positive message into a positive reality.
Of course there are other factors such as the loss of the nuclear family that also contribute to poverty- but none have anything to do with racism.
I am done for the day.
Yet another reason to stay out of Burlingstad! It appears we need another wall, separating Burlingstad from Vermont!!
The hypocrisy of these protests is unbelievable. This “movement” is nothing more than a group of insulated, coddled, upper middle class children, the majority of whom are white, taking up the latest trendy “cause” for their own self-promotion and self-righteousness. Most have never experienced racial injustice or prejudice in their upper middle class lives. Their attempts at protest are nothing more than to be on the right and “politically correct” side of the trendy BLM movement. They want to exercise their right to free speech while condemning and even preventing the speech of others simply because they disagree with it. How is this not hypocritical?
Part of college used to be about open-mindedness and learning about new perspectives. Now it seems that students only want to hear reaffirmations of what they already believe. They are swaddled in political correctiveness and spoon-fed their own carefully chosen opinions. This is not open-mindedness. It certainly isn’t tolerance. It is not progress. It’s movement cannot even be charted. The revolution has eaten it’s children.
We are all right please tell me the % of minoritys that make up the UVM student body and also the % of minoritys that make up Vermonts population. Not very big numbers at all. You need to change your screen name once again to something like l am uneducated . But you my friend havent been right in any of your post.
“I certainly hope the police were issuing fines. Blocking main street hundreds of yards from the entrance to the biggest hospital in the state shouldn’t be condoned.”
You’re saying that one group’s constitutional right should be violated because there’s potential that someone could die? I’m just spitballing here, but I wonder if there’s some other topical issue that this could apply to?
Snow Creek, I’m not talking about how people dress or what kind of vodka they drink. I’m talking about the POLICIES that led to some groups of people having fewer options than others, and the lack of current POLICIES that lead to change.
The difference in your situation is that white rednecks have the ability to take a chemistry class if they want. The people of color do not have that choice.
“I’m talking about the POLICIES that led to some groups of people having fewer options than others, and the lack of current POLICIES that lead to change.”
I have asked you repeatedly to name one of these policies – and you have yet to do so.
Wrong again we are all right. Affirmative action says minoritys can take any class they want and are usely moved to the front of the line when it comes to admissions at colleges and universities over white students that come from similar financial backgrounds. Just ask Elizabeth Warren she claimed to be Native American so she could get into Harvard. The only people that seem to be discriminated against in this country now a days is white males. But no one cares about them as long as they keep working and paying for everyone elses free ride.
I’ve pointed out that numerous policies in every facet of government result in prejudicial outcomes. I’ve shown you numbers that indicate that. You don’t understand the word “implicit,” and expect a racist policy to come out and say it, which simply doesn’t happen.
“You’re saying that one group’s constitutional right should be violated because there’s potential that someone could die? I’m just spitballing here, but I wonder if there’s some other topical issue that this could apply to?”
The constitution doesn’t provide the right to shut down a public street because you’re unhappy. It guarantees that these students should suffer no governmental persecution because of what they say. Put the protest on the sidewalk, and there’s no issue with it. Blocking Main Street, which again, happens to be less than 400 yards from an entrance to the largest hospital in Vermont, shouldn’t be tolerated.
These kids have every right to protest, but they don’t have the right to shut down a public street without a permit. Do it legally and with no risk to the public, and people will probably be a lot more receptive to the message.
To follow up on my last comment, there are way too many people that just don’t understand what the first amendment actually gives us the right to do. It protects us from government persecution from what we say, it doesn’t give us the right to do whatever the hell we want and be immune from the consequences while we’re using that right to free speech.
This same issue came up after the Charlottesville protests. Some posters on here seemed to think that the Nazi’s constitutional rights were being violated when Uno canned him. They weren’t. The US government can’t prosecute him just for expressing his white supremacist views. His private sector employer can and should fire him for those, however.
People really need to do a bit of reading on the first amendment. It doesn’t give carte blanche to do whatever the f you want under the banner of protest. You still have to obey the laws of the community, and there is still potential non-governmental consequences for entirely legal free speech.
I remember street protests at UVM during the Vietnam War. There probably have been other instances too. I’m sure the responses were the same back then. Rock on UVM students!
“In response to the latest demonstration, UVM spokesman Enrique Corredera said in a statement that the university “does not condone any activity that can result in serious unintended consequences.”
“Taking over a major intersection in the city of Burlington, and impacting the lives of thousands of individuals and families is such an activity,” he wrote. “
Oh, BOO-HOO, people were inconvenienced on their way home. I was stuck in that traffic “nightmare” (and if you actually think that was bad, try going to any real city in the country, where the evening commute takes hours without a protest). Change is not borne from convenience. Change happens when those who are passionate about it are willing to risk their grades, their bodies, and their freedoms to draw attention to a cause they believe in. Confining themselves to the campus green is not going to raise awareness. All of you complaining about being stuck in traffic need to grow up. Talk about first-world problems.
As for Corredera, I question his suitability for work at an institution of higher learning, where the next generation’s minds should be broadened … not smacked down.
Burlington Police did a fantastic job with their handling of this. A few protesters blocking an intersection isn’t reason to bring out tear gas and rubber bullets. They eventually cleared the crowd up without escalating the situation.
Also lets be honest, there are more than few commenters on here that just really want to see BLM supporters getting beat up.
BLM = Bullshit Leaving Mouth
Vermont is arguably the LEAST racist state in the union, so if these whiners think it’s bad here, good luck when they go home. (Most, after all, are from away…. which, of course, makes them OUTSIDE AGITATORS and therefore deserving contempt. They are largely badly behaved visitors to our state and should be ashamed of themselves.)
When we invaded Iraq we turned it into a terrorist-generating machine, which prior to our invasion it was not. Similarly, BLM serves to spread racism, not contain it, because it is so pushy and whiny. Middle of the road people like me get fed up. Hey, BLM enthusiasts, why do you think Donald Trump got elected? Because of people LIKE YOU. How pitiful it is that you must define yourselves as downtrodden. Don’t you have anything positive to do? Like finding a career or writing a song or taking nice photos? Who is stopping you?
Cut the crap and get on with living, and stop blaming everyone else for your laziness.
As a former EMT I was incensed that 5 ambulances were stuck in traffic on their way to the hospital.
It was pure luck that no one (white or black) was suffering from a cardiac arrest, stroke, suicide attempt,or any other life threatening emergency.
These actions were dangerous and could have cost someone their life-Black Lives Matter but so do other peoples.
When I was growing up in Vermont, if somebody called me names or bullied me, I didn’t blame the people who had nothing to do with it. I didn’t stop eating, or demand to see the principal and tell him to do something about that person. I took it upon myself to deal with the issue. If the person was bigger than me, I would get some friends to help or bring in my 6 foot big brother. To me, it was a lesson about learning to take care of myself If I came home a little messed up and my parents asked me what happened, I would say I had a little scuffle today but everythings ok now.
The Burlington Chief should have ordered them to be removed from the road.. They were blocking traffic, 5 ambulances were stuck in traffic, what if someone in 1 of the ambulances was dying? What about the parents trying to get to daycares to pick up their children, if you don’t pick them up at a certain time you are charged $5.00 a minute. Working people have to get to work, they can’t afford to be late. They don’t have parents paying their bills, sending them money so they can skip classes and play in the streets.Young people think everyone owes them something.Their demands are outrageous..The way these fools act and whine like babies, the parents should act like parents and tell the brats they are there to learn or they will be pulled out of college. A trip to the woodshed would do wonders for these snowflakes !!!!
“When asked if she was worried about failing her class and not being able to graduate, Benn said, ‘I think we should never be penalized for standing up for what we believe in.'”
Good for the reporter for asking the question.
Your reporter is the only one who has had such insights since the area media have begun trying to cover this movement.
I say “trying” because you are the only organization to comprehend the need to pose a question relating to the perceived consequence of behavior.
Congrats to Seven Days for using your head.
Activities like this, blocking traffic and causing a serious traffic tie up caused quite an uproar when it happened in New Jersey. Some people may be going to prison over it and it likely effected the governors chance at a presidential nomination.
So what is happening in Burlington? Is anyone being charged? If not how is that equal justice? It just encourages more of the same kind of irresponsible behavior.