Law

A community opportunity to meet and conduct an informal interview of the Burlington Police Chief candidate acting Chief Jon Murad. Hosted by Councilor Ali Dieng with over 75 Burlington residents, City Councilors and Burlington Police Commissioners participating in an open online forum.

Mayor Miro Weinberger announces the appointment of Jon Murad as Police Chief. Chief Murad has served as Deputy Chief at the Burlington Police Department since October 2018 and has served as Acting Chief since the summer of 2020. Previous to joining the Burlington Police Department, Chief Murad served in the New York Police Department as an officer, Detective, Sergeant, and Assistant Commissioner.

From the mayor:

“Burlington’s next Police Chief will need to turn around troubling local crime trends, work to eliminate racial bias and racial disparities from policing and law enforcement, and stabilize and rebuild our department,” said Mayor Weinberger. “I know that Chief Murad is up to this enormous challenge because he has already demonstrated he can do it. He has served the Department with distinction and for the last year and a half, has led the Burlington Police Department as Acting Chief through one of the most challenging periods in its 150-year history. At a time when so many are stepping away from the challenges of policing and the contentiousness of the current public arena, Chief Murad is stepping up.”

“I am honored by the Mayor’s confidence, grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve Burlington, excited to enter a new chapter with the Council, the Police Commission, and community stakeholders, and eager to work with the women and men of the police department to keep moving forward for the Queen City and our neighbors. Ours is a wonderful city, where my wife and children have made our home, where my parents spent their careers, where I’ve been privileged to lead the BPD for the past twenty months. I know I have more to give to this wonderful city, and strive to make it safe and fair, everywhere for everyone.”

From the producer:

In this episode we talk about the new deportation memorandum, what is a memorandum? What protections does it bring to the migrant community? How to apply or request procedural discretion in a deportation? We will also talk about Rosca de Reyes and Candelaria Day!

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En este episodio hablamos del nuevo memorándum de deportaciones, que es un memorándum? ¿Qué protecciones trae a la comunidad migrante? ¿Cómo aplicar para la discreción procesal en caso de una detención por parte de las agencias de migración?.También hablaremos de la Rosca de Reyes y la Candelaria! 

Sandy Baird and Kurt Mehta lead a discussion about Julian Assange and Wikileaks.

From VICII:

Julian Assange, a journalist, editor, publisher and activist was born in Australia in 1971. In 2006, he founded Wikileaks, an international journal which publishes well-researched political information and commentary often involving confidential information from confidential sources.

In 2010 Mr. Assange and Wikileaks published leaks provided to them by Chelsea Manning, an intelligence analyst working in the US military. Those leaks revealed serious human rights and possible war crimes committed by the United States in its wars across the globe particularly in the Middle East. Assange also published confidential and embarrassing emails of the Democratic Party sent during the election in 2016 indicating that the Party preferred Clinton in the primary campaign over candidate Bernie Sanders.

Based on this release of classified documents, the United States sought the arrest of Julian Assange and his extradition to face charges of violations of the Espionage Act and possible Treason. Mr. Assange sought asylum in the Embassy of Ecuador in 2012 in London which was granted by the then left government of President Correa. With a new election and a new unsympathetic government in Quito, that asylum was withdrawn and Assange was expelled from the embassy. He was arrested in England where he has been held in Belmarsh Prison since 2019. Now, with declining physical and mental health, Assange is facing extradition to the United States which indicted him for publishing classified information which allegedly caused serious harm and death to American troops. For these charges Assange could face life imprisonment or worse in the United States.

The United States is now demanding the extradition of Mr. Assange from the United Kingdom. Mr. Assange and his supporters in response are demanding that Assange be released as he has committed no crime and that he has only done what the best of journalists have always done, that is to report the truth.

Mr. Assange and his supporters assert that all their journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution which guarantees freedom of the press. Julian Assange and his supporters further demand his immediate release from his years of confinement to reunite with his friends and family and to continue the important role of upholding the best of tradition of a free press, to disseminate the truth to the citizens of the world.

For more information: vicii.org