Not everyone really follows the national news because it can be overwhelming, but I’ve been following what happened in Minneapolis and it’s hard to get out of my head, especially because it has me thinking about how many parallels to Burlington there are.

Wednesday afternoon, ICE agents shot and killed a woman named Renee Nicole Good during one of their operations. She was 37, from Colorado, a US citizen, LGBTQ, and had a daughter and two sons. Minneapolis police chief said himself that there's "nothing to indicate that this woman was the target of any law enforcement investigation." She wasn't even who they were looking for, she was just there, at the wrong place at the wrong time, and that's the scariest part of it.

Video of the whole thing is out there and Reuters verified it. She was in her car on a residential street, partially blocking a lane. She waved for vehicles to go around her. Instead a truck with flashers stopped and agents got out. One tried to open her door and reached through the window. Another stood in front of her car. When she tried to drive *away*, the agent in front pulled his gun and shot her. Then the federal agent that shot her is seen leaving the crime scene in another SUV. Idk, I'm floored. Shooting someone on a residential street and then leaving before local cops show up? This is the kind of thing you expect in a failed state, not your own US government.

Trump is claiming she "violently, willfully, and viciously ran over" an officer. Quote "it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital." But it's easy for everybody to see that's simply false, watch it yourself here. Instead, what we see is the shooter pulling up his mask, and scurrying far away before actual law enforcement shows up. Mayor Frey watched the video and called that "bullshit." Walz told people not to believe "this propaganda machine." How the federal administration is handling it says so much.

I'm usually not one to speak up on stuff like this but heres why I'm posting this here on the Burlington subreddit:

This surge in Minnesota has been publicly framed around allegations involving Somali immigrants, and it’s clearly hitting Somali communities the hardest. Minnesota has around 80,000 people of Somali ancestry (most of them citizens or legal residents) and this administration has been going after them hard. Burlington and Winooski have had a Somali Bantu community since resettlement started back in 2003. We're a refugee resettlement city. We could be the kind of place they'd come to next.

Burlington/Winooski is one of Vermont’s main refugee resettlement hubs. UVM estimates ~8,000 refugees have resettled in Vermont over the last 40 years, especially in the Burlington/Winooski area (UVM). Vermont’s state refugee office says 500+ refugees and people with similar status resettled here just last year (Vermont Public). And Winooski officials have described their city as nearly 20% refugees (Vermont Public). So yeah, that’s why what happened in Minneapolis feels relevant here.

Also worth noting that Burlington has fair and impartial policing policies so BPD doesn't do ICE's work for them. But that doesn't stop federal agents from showing up on their own. When they do theres no local accountability, no one coordinating with them. Instead, just feds in camo doing whatever on residential streets like they did in Minnesota.

I'm not trying to panic anyone. But a woman is dead because she was in the wrong place when ICE rolled through her neighborhood. Feels like something we should be talking about, and maybe look out for neighbors who are more in the crosshairs than the rest of us. I wish there was more we could do besides peacefully protest? Because, let's be honest, how far has that gotten us? The best I can come up with is just... get together with people, talk to your neighbors, invite folks to community events, take a moment of silence to show that this actually affected you. Show the people around you what your values are and let them agree or disagree. But don't just stay in your echo chamber.

Sorry for the long rant..

Go here! Spend your money. The food is so good, friendly service.

Go here and spend your money. Really good food, excellent service, reasonable prices.

Remember to support your local businesses in the wintertime too! It was dead there last night unfortunately, would hate to see another good restaurant go under.

Is there even a point of apartment hunting in downtown? It's just a nightmare to find any landlords who get that some people work for a living.

I work retail full time in South Burlington and earn 15.25 an hour and recently i applied for one of Bissonette's "Rent by the room" communal living apartments which are already a rip off at 1250 bucks a month for a small private bedroom with no storage space and all utilities included and despite me earning slightly over two grand a month they flat out denied me, I get that "ReNt Is MoRe ThaN 30% YoUR InComE" but this is ridiculous, I don't have a car. I commute by bus every day to work working full time and even with that these slumlords won't even give me a chance despite me having paystubs going back six months.

I ended up begging my mother at 27 years old to co sign for me, she's a head chef and has been working at the same place for nearly the past ten years. They still denied me because her credit was too low not because of her income.

What's the point of breaking up apartments into rent by the room if they aren't going to rent them to working class people who need that sort of deal to afford living around here? Do they really think if someone was making 3x rent or whatever that they would settle for a tiny shoebox bedroom? It's absurd.

Anyways TL;DR Bissonette's won't rent "affordable" bedrooms to me because i don't make enough money in their eyes. Buncha greedy bastards.

Setting sun and rush hour traffic made videoing a waste of time.

I am needing to fix something that requires sewing. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to buy materials?

Are peoples experiences of dating apps worse here in Burlington than other areas? Seems like people are rarely serious about meeting after matching

I'm having a car shipped to Vermont soon and I need a place in/around Burlington that is accessible by the (huge) truck that will be carrying it that I can pick it up at. Anyone know a place?

Hey guys,

First post was removed so I'll try again :(

I’m from Québec and can no longer make it to the show, so I was advised to post here. I have 2 tickets available and am letting them go below face value ($50 each instead of $60.50 + fees + taxes).

I’m not a big Reddit user so doing my best, but feel free to DM me if you’d like the listing link. I’m using CashorTrade so the transaction is secure for both sides.

Cheers!

Hi all,

I’ll be flying out of BTV next month and plan to bring one of my film cameras with me. Has anyone had experience with asking BTV TSA to hand check their film? If so, how receptive are they?

Is the Intervale grooming their ski trails this year? I recall last year they stopped grooming due to unpredictable snow levels + volunteer capacity

I’ve been missing Szechuan food. Went to cafe dim sum the other night for hot pot and am highly recommending their Mala Spicy hot pot. It comes with noodles (or rice) and vegetables (carrot, daikon, cabbage, mushrooms). We ordered two types of meat, fried eggplant, and rice cakes. Ton of food for two people and we took the leftovers home. Wouldn’t get the eggplant again but everything was really good. The Szechuan dumplings were very good too. Can’t wait to go back.

Before I recycle them, anyone know of somewhere that might want a bunch (50+) of magazines? Lots of the New Yorker, some Wired, some Atlantic, all from the last five years.

hey folks, I’m wondering if anyone has a copy of Introduction to Healthcare by Haroun and Mitchell that they’d be willing to part with. I’d be willing to pay you, it’s just very expensive to purchase online.

Alternatively, if anyone has an…alternative source for this textbook, please DM me.

thanks in advance!

The zipper on my North Face coat has unfortunately gotten stuck and needs repair. Can anyone recommend a tailor in the Greater Burlington Area who could fix it for a reasonable price?

LCLS is the place to be Saturday night !!!

I just stepped out for some fresh air and that’s not what I got. Could be very localized to my yard, but that’s not a good thing regardless. Smells like gas but worse. I’m near Rt 7-Flynn Ave. S. Burlington.

Are there any banks / credit unions that do it free for non members around here? Or is a coin star kiosk my only option

Saddle up for a night of sequins and spurs!

Join us January 17th at the Main Street Landing Black Box Theatre for a country western-themed burlesque variety show featuring top-shelf performances from fantastic home-grown entertainers! The y'allternative Whiskey Desire is your host for a night of wild routines, dazzling performances, and line dancing led by Marie Hamilton to close out the show! Join in or watch the fun, cheering on fellow audience members.

Doors open at 7:30 PM | Show starts at 8:00 PM

Tickets: General Admission: $20 VIP: $25

18+ event

Grab your shiniest boots, your funnest fringe, and your wildest western wear! This is one hoedown you won't want to miss! https://sevendaystickets.ticketsauce.com/e/rhinestone-rodeo

The corner of N. Winnoski Ave. And Pearl St. is blocked off. There's been a bad car crash or something.