I’m sure I’m not the only one guilty of this, but whenever something bad happens to people or places I love, I immediately access some kind of revenge fantasy. I become a hybrid of Sherlock Holmes and Django in Django Unchained, ready to solve crimes and take names. In my imagination, I start asking big questions, threading together a conspiracy that coalesces into finding the mystery perps and giving them a solid thrashing before dropping them off with the bemused constables. (Meanwhile, I haven’t seen my AirPods in three weeks, and while I’m pretty sure they’re under some laundry or in a random pocket, I’ve yet to crack that case, Watson.)
In other words, I’m not going to be the one to catch the Radio Bean thieves. In case you missed the news, the popular Burlington bar and music venue was burgled on Sunday, July 23. The thieves, whom we will be calling the Dickhead Gang from here on, snatched money and property from the Bean, as well as $9,000 worth of gear from the club’s weekend house DJ, Taka.
“I didn’t even notice it at first,” Radio Bean owner Lee Anderson said. “I came into the office the next day and saw one of the doors open, with all this wood on the floor, and was like, ‘Ah, fuck.'”
Reached for comment, a Burlington Police Department spokesperson said the investigation into the Bean burglary was in its early stages and information on the case was not yet available.
But, as Anderson wrote in a GoFundMe campaign intended to help Taka recover his stolen gear, the break-in is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the venue’s problems.
OK, take a sip of coffee before you read the next bit, because I like my readers to maintain consciousness while perusing my column. Anyone remember a few months ago, when I wrote about Vermont’s draconian, often damaging Dram Shop and Social Host liquor liability laws? No? You skipped that one? I’m fucking shocked.
Briefly, Vermont is one of only two so-called “strict liability” states in the country (‘sup, Alabama?), which means that plaintiffs in various cases — typically involving drunk driving — can sue not just bars for negligence but also the owner of the property. As a result, insurance companies will only offer Vermont bars sky-high rates that seem to climb every year.
“I just signed our new policy,” Anderson said. “I had to make a lot of things happen to even get there … and it’s going to be coming right back up next June and likely increase again, so I’m just not sure what I’ll do about that.”
Fortunately, on May 15, Gov. Phil Scott approved H.288, a bill that changes the liability standards that apply when a bar is sued, which in turn could lower the cost of insurance. The new law gives Anderson some optimism, tempered by a healthy amount of caution. He hopes for relief, he said, but has difficulty putting faith in a system that doesn’t distinguish between raucous dive bars and places like the Bean.
“It’s frustrating, because insurers look at all these cold, hard facts, like square footage, dance floors, amount of alcohol sold,” Anderson explained. “But if someone actually came down to Radio Bean, they’d see that we never have to call the cops; we never have to forcibly remove someone. It’s a chill community with folk shows and poetry readings. And even when it’s a rock show or Taka, it’s all really civilized and respectful; no one is smashing shit up when they leave. So it’s really tough to get lumped in with these sorts of rowdy bars for us.”
With Radio Bean pushed to “a breaking point and facing possible closure,” according to Anderson, he recognizes just how important the local community is to the future of his club.
“The Bean has been through some tight spots over the past 23 years, and I’ve pulled a lot of rabbits out of a lot of hats to make it happen,” Anderson wrote on the GoFundMe page. “But just to be clear, without support right now we won’t make it.”
The community has reacted with passion and speed. Anderson’s GoFundMe campaign has already raised well over $20,000, the first $9,000 of which will go toward replacing Taka’s gear. The rest will go to the Bean.
Considering how much talk Anderson has seen on social media lately about Burlington “falling apart” and “not being what it used to be,” he said, he finds the community’s reaction inspiring. While he acknowledges that there are fewer venues in town than there were a decade ago, he thinks the spirit of the community is unchanged.
“Losing ArtsRiot was tough,” Anderson said of the South End music venue, which has been dormant for more than a year. “I think people realize how important a place like the Bean is. I’ve received so many messages from musicians and people in the community; it’s really beautiful.”
A decade ago, you could catch live music every night of the week in multiple Burlington clubs, bars and coffee shops. Now, it’s tough to find more than a handful of live entertainment options until midweek. Losing Radio Bean, one of the only spots left in town that gives the stage to new, unknown bands and off-the-beaten-path genres, would be devastating to our music scene.
This article appears in Aug 2-8, 2023.
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