Police in Vermont blasted a local prosecutor for her decision to not file charges against six people who took part in a violent clash with law enforcement in March.
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George announced Wednesday that she would not be filing the charges against six people arrested during a violent protest opposing an operation by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Burlington-area TV station NBC5 News reported. Police and public safety officials tore into George for the decision, saying that while ICE caused “harm” to the community, attacking law enforcement shouldn’t be tolerated.
“I am confident that some protesters escalated the situation and went beyond civil disobedience into unacceptable and perhaps criminal behavior, including the three individuals cited by BPD – but I am just as confident that there were some law enforcement officers who agitated, who escalated, and who responded in a way that may ultimately be deemed legal, but was also unacceptable,” George claimed in a statement released Wednesday. “So to charge these six individuals with no criminal records, and expect that they bear the burden of all the harm caused that day — is not something I was interested in our office being a part of.”
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“BPD recognizes the degree of harm that was experienced on March 11 as a result of the actions of federal immigration officials, and we acknowledge the impact this harm has had on members of our community,” the Burlington Police Department said in a statement to NBC5 News. “At the same time, the rule of law must be upheld. Engaging in physical confrontations with law enforcement in the street is not protected speech or expressive conduct under the First Amendment.”
The three anti-ICE rioters arrested by the Burlington Police Department were referred to a “restorative justice” program according to NBC5 News, but police said they would not be participating.
ICE agents were seeking to arrest an illegal alien on March 11 when the illegal alien rammed into multiple ICE vehicles and at least one “bystander vehicle,” according to a timeline posted by NBC5 News. As agents awaited a warrant to enter a house the illegal immigrant fled to, protesters arrived, sparking a multi-hour confrontation.
After ICE obtained a warrant and entered the house, taking three people into custody, the anti-ICE rioters attempted to prevent the federal agency’s vehicles from leaving, with at least one vehicles’ tires being slashed, according to NBC5 News.
“Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George’s recent statement just gave permission for people at large gatherings to obstruct police officers and interfere with arrests. This is a disheartening decision that sets a dangerous precedent,” Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison and Vermont State Police Director Col. Matthew Birmingham said in a statement responding to George’s decision.
“State’s Attorney George has a vastly different vision from our own for what public safety and the rule of law looks like,” Morrison and Birmingham continued. “She has missed an opportunity to delineate between the lawful conduct the First Amendment protects and the lawlessness of criminal behavior that escalates volatile situations and harms communities.”
Multiple Vermont State Police officers were injured while trying to keep order during the ICE operation, with one suffering eye injuries when a police van’s window was shattered, while two female state police officers were punched in the face, according to the Vermont Daily Chronicle. Reviews by state and local law enforcement agencies indicated that no excessive force was used, Vermont Public reported.
“Lawbreakers in Chittenden County already seemed to know they can act with impunity. Individuals at the Dorset Street incident repeatedly stated that State’s Attorney George would not prosecute them for their behavior that day. It turns out they were right,” Morrison and Birmingham said.
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