Law

From VICII:

The Prosecutor—aka the District Attorney or, in our case, the State’s Attorney—has enormous power within our legal and justice system: they decide which cases are brought against criminal defendants in the District Courts; they decide which charges to bring; they decide the plea bargains to enter; they decide on sentences; and they are the officers who are responsible for the police and the conduct of the police in our communities. Because of that power, Prosecutors are elected by the people and have strict ethical duties to represent all the people of our counties, including the defendant, and they ultimately have the responsibility of seeing that justice as well as punishment is accomplished by the legal system. Unlike the defense attorneys who represent the individual accused of crimes and have the duty of providing a zealous defense for those individuals, prosecutors represent the people or the State of Vermont.

The discussion is hybrid with an in-person presentation at the Association of Africans Living in Vermont at 20 Allen Street, 3rd floor, and on a hybrid zoom presentation at 6pm.

Join us as the Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George discusses the role of the Prosecutor in our criminal justice system and the importance of State’s or District Attorneys in all of our lives.

For more information: vicii.org

From the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance:

Think of all of the time and money directed to training, education and consulting on the issue of systemic racism. Consider all of the public policy work and community oriented action currently underway. Why are we still doing this in 2022? Why can’t we win on racial justice and equity? Are we missing something? An NPR/Ipsos Poll indicates that 50 percent of White people do not believe that systemic racism exists. Amongst those, it’s less clear how many of them are actually doing something about it. How do we win in today’s climate of ongoing backlash knowing that part of our team is Hiding Behind Objectivity?

We’re joined by Vincent Mitchell, Director of Student Culture, Vermont Racial Justice Alliance.

This episode of The Juxtaposition won a Hometown Media Award for Racial Justice and Civil Rights Programming Independent Producer at the 2023 Alliance for Community Media. 

From Vemont Interfaith Action:

Democratic Candidates Sarah George and Ted Kenney join leaders of Vermont Interfaith Action (VIA) in a forum to discuss their race to be elected as Chittenden County State's Attorney in 2022. VIA leaders from the Racial Justice: Public Safety Local Organizing Ministry asked questions about how candidates define and are influenced by restorative justice principles; how they plan to engage with law enforcement officers and the public; what priorities they will set for their staff; and how factors such as race, mental health, and substance use disorders will affect their decisions about prosecution.

For more info: viavt.org

For more information on the Burlington Police Commission and its current procedures and meeting dates, please visit burlingtonvt.gov/Police/Police-Commission.