Tracy Brannstrom
MONTPELIER — Downtown has been the subject of a growing chorus of concern this month, with several residents posting on Front Porch Forum about encounters they say left them feeling harassed, intimidated, or unsafe. Many of those posts described these encounters as involving people believed to be unhoused.
The majority of the posts came from women, who describe encounters they say are changing where they walk, shop, and move around the city, in some cases limiting where they go or prompting them to change their routines.
Among those raising concerns was Montpelier resident Anni Paisley, who, last week on Front Porch Forum, called for women to form an action group to bring their safety concerns to city officials and raise public awareness.
Paisley said a small group plans to meet soon. She told The Bridge that a Facebook post from the Montpelier Police Department on Aug. 23 was part of what prompted her to organize, leaving her with “a deep unease that our concerns were not being taken seriously and that our voices were being silenced.”
In the post, the police department said it was prioritizing foot and directed patrols when staffing and call volume allow. It also wrote: “public spaces belong to everyone, and people have the right to gather, access public property, and express themselves, even when that expression may be unpleasant or offensive. Police cannot take enforcement action simply because behavior makes others uncomfortable. When conduct crosses the line into criminal activity or creates a legitimate public safety concern, we respond.”
Concerns about downtown safety came before the city council on Aug. 26, when councilors discussed what the city can do to increase safety amid an understaffed police department and limited overall resources.
City Manager Kelly McNicholas Kurry told councilors she speaks regularly with Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Pearson about public safety and urged residents who feel unsafe to call police dispatch, where trained dispatchers can determine whether the situation requires a police, mental health, or medical response.
“We’ve got professionals, they are trained, they know the direct resources, they know the status of those resources,” McNicholas Kurry said.
She also acknowledged that those resources are stretched. At times, she said, a crisis clinician is several calls behind and cannot respond immediately. “But it’s better that that is in the queue than someone on the street not knowing how to deal with that, or ignoring it, or not feeling like there’s any resources,” she said.
Several councilors said Montpelier should press the state for more support, as Burlington officials have done in recent weeks in seeking additional help with public safety and homelessness.
Councilor Pelin Kohn said she wanted the city to go beyond advocacy and take a more proactive approach to securing the resources it needs.
“I don’t only want to see advocacy,” Kohn said. “I think we are doing great advocacy with our lobbyists, us attending different meetings, like using our personal connections … but I think what we need [is] a proactive approach before things are happening.”
Councilor Jim Sheridan proposed asking for a greater Vermont State Police presence downtown.
Councilor Ben Doyle suggested a more community-based part of the solution, suggesting councilors and city officials spend more time building relationships with unhoused individuals, including by attending the weekday Community Table lunches held at Trinity United Methodist Church.
Those connections, he said, could “reinforce that social contract that I think helps diminish negative behavior.”
Doyle also said downtown is feeling more vibrant this summer, for the first time since the 2023 flood. Alongside the challenges discussed at the meeting, he said, there is “a lot of positive energy,” including new businesses opening.
Mayor Marc Gwinn said the city has to contend with two realities at once: People living outdoors are struggling and need help, while those using shared public spaces have a right to feel safe there.
He said the city faces criticism from different sides — that helping people with food and shelter is interpreted to mean the city is condoning disruptive behavior, while enforcing rules around public spaces means the city lacks compassion for people in need.
“It is possible to both have compassion, provide lunches, meet people with humanity and dignity, and also hold people accountable,” Gwinn said. “The harder question is figuring out how to do both together.”
“I don’t know the answer,” Gwinn said. “Neither does the faith community. Neither does the state government. Neither does anybody on council, and neither do the police or the city manager.”
McNicholas Kurry said she will recommend the city add a public safety section to its strategic plan, which comes before the council for discussion this month. 0She said in the past Montpelier has seen similar concerns emerge as summer progresses, including around Confluence Park last year. “By the time August rolls around, we’re seeing more incidents that are of a violent nature,” she said.
“This is something we should be preparing for every year as we’re getting through the summer — if the conditions are not going to change, if the investment in resources is not going to change,” she said.
Councilor Sheridan agreed that the city should plan accordingly going forward.
“This is not going to go away just because the winter comes,” he said. “It’s going to be back, and I think we have to be a lot clearer about how we want to move forward with the meager resources we have.”
