sarahVermont Cannot Afford to Step Back from Fair and Impartial Policing
To the Editor:
We are writing on behalf of the Central Vermont Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice to express our deep concern and dismay regarding the recent dismissal of Etan Nasreddin-Longo, Director of the Office of Fair and Impartial Policing and Community Affairs, without a stated reason.
Nasreddin-Longo has served the state of Vermont with integrity, vision, and skill. He is widely respected in his field and trusted by the diverse communities he worked tirelessly to engage. His leadership has been instrumental in guiding law enforcement toward greater accountability and fairness, and he has built crucial relationships rooted in respect and trust.
At a time when anti-bias work in law enforcement is more critical than ever, his removal calls into question the Department of Public Safety’s commitment to the very principles of fair and impartial policing. This action undermines the credibility of both the Department of Public Safety and the Vermont State Police. It not only deprives the state of a talented and effective public servant, but it also jeopardizes years of community trust painstakingly built through his efforts.
The dismissal of Nasreddin-Longo weakens the legitimacy of the Department of Public Safety and the Vermont State Police as organizations committed to equity, accountability, and justice. In a moment when Vermont should be deepening its investment in fair and impartial policing, this decision instead creates doubt and erodes confidence.
Gov. Scott, Jen Morrison, commissioner of Public Safety, and Col. Matthew Birmingham, director of the State Police should clarify the reasons for Mr. Nasreddin- Longo’s dismissal, and take steps to ensure that Vermont’s commitment to fair and impartial policing is not only preserved but strengthened.
Ginger Nickerson, Montpelier, for Central Vermont Showing Up for Racial Justice
We Are On Our Way to Totalitarian Rule
To the Editor:
The grand experiment is over. Here’s how it happens:
Donald Trump will soon merge ICE with the U.S. military to become his political police force.
Trump is systematically disempowering the judiciary as he prepares to oust, then arrest, his adversaries.
Trump justifies all of his actions by claiming that the left is out to destroy America and Democracy.
Trump will continue to use the power of his presidency to defund and end those institutions that stand in the way of his unchecked authority.
There will be no midterm elections in 2026, as Trump will manufacture false flag crises and then use those false crises to postpone or cancel elections that he claims are being undermined by the left.
Trump will move to close news outlets that he claims are purveyors of “fake news” and will do so under the guise of saving our nation from lies and treasonous speech.
Trump will do all of this and more. He started laying the groundwork for doing these things in 2015, when he began his run for a first presidency.
As a descendent of Lithuanian and Galician Jews, many of whom died in the gas chambers of Hitler’s Germany, and as a student and former teacher of history, I can state with unequivocal clarity that we are on the quite unstoppable road to totalitarian rule.
Trump will not only seek and win a third presidential term, but he will transition the United States from democratic republic to a unitary system. It’s fascinating to me the depth of cognitive dissonance that Americans possess. Americans seem to believe that our somewhat democratic traditions will save us in the end. Americans are wrong.
Dan Weintraub, White River Junction
From Working Roots to Hollowed-Out ‘Luxury State’
To the Editor:
Recently, I took a road trip with my children through Vermont, Route 14 to 16, looping back on Routes 5 and 2, Orleans, Washington, Caledonia County. I told them how these roads once pulsed with life: berry farms, creemee stands, mom-and-pop shops, family delis, and barns full of cows by the roadside. Vermont wasn’t wealthy, but it was proud, working-class, self-reliant, and alive.
Now, business after business sits shuttered. Barns collapsing. Storefronts rotting. My teenager stared out the window and asked, “There are more people now than 25 years ago, why is there nothing left?” Her question hit hard. The population has grown, but opportunity has not. Schools are consolidating, not because we’re growing, but because families are leaving. The young working families who once filled our classrooms are moving out, replaced by wealthier newcomers treating Vermont as an elitist playground.
I told her about when her grandmother worked at Bombardier before it closed, one of many employers driven out by overregulation, endless permitting battles, paired with activism and protest. Manufacturing vanished, and with it, the middle class. For decades, Democrats have held near-total power in Montpelier, while the legislature overrides even our Republican governor. The result? Higher taxes, more government, and budgets that outgrow family paychecks.
Vermont now ranks among the top states for homelessness. Home prices top $300,000 while wages lag far below the national average. Small businesses buckle under taxes, energy costs, and red tape.
This decline isn’t coincidence, it’s correlation. As one-party rule grew, Vermont’s backbone broke. Neighbors stopped being neighborhoods; communities stopped thriving.
It’s time for common sense to return, leadership that honors work, supports small business, and restores pride in earning, not entitlement. Vermont doesn’t need more bureaucracy, it needs revival. A return to its roots of freedom, responsibility, and community.
Sherilyn Matthews, Northfield
Letters to the editor represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of The Bridge. Submit your letter by email to editor@montpelierbridge.com. Preference is given to submissions by those who live in central Vermont, should not exceed 300 words in length, and may be edited for brevity and accuracy.
