Burlington Blocks Streets Following No Charges for Killer Cop

Submitted to It’s Going Down

On Tuesday December, 12th 2015 in Burlington, Vermont a group of comrades from Black Lives Matter and other community activists gathered outside of Burlington city hall. The call had been made by those active in the Black Lives Matter movement in Vermont for a response of some kind to the recent announcement that the pig who murdered 12 year old Tamir Rice would not face any charges for the unprovoked slaying of an innocent child of color.

Tensions with Burlington pigs had been heightened earlier this year with the appointment of the city’s new police chief Brandon Del Pozo who is an open advocate of increased surveillance measures and racial profiling. About 40 community members arrived at city hall at around 5pm accompanied by the rank-n-file based Workers Defense Guard who were there to provide security.

Comrades decided among themselves to take and block off the major intersection of Main st. and Church st. The demonstration moved out into the roadway blocking traffic with signs and chants disrupting the ability of Burlington’s bourgeois to get home to their waterfront condos down the street, as well as halting the spectacle of consumption at Church st’s retail row. At a couple points during the action some drivers drove into the crowd and attempted to intimidate the demonstration by running their cars into participants who bravely stood their ground and continued holding the intersection.

Workers Defense Guard comrades forcefully directed some of the more threatening motorists back the other way up Main St. One car was stopped after hitting several protesters by comrades jumping on the hood of the car as the driver attempted to further endanger participants in the demonstration. After about 30 minutes a group of pigs showed up with rubber bullet guns. The group had collectively decided earlier to hold the intersection until such a show of force was given so as to avoid the arrest of those who would be at higher risk in the hands of Burlington pigs than others in the demonstration. Comrades walked backed onto Church St and began marching up and down with signs and chants followed by 8 pigs wielding riot gear. The group gathered back up at city hall at which point the pigs went back to their sty and comrades went their separate ways.

BLACK LIVES MATTER. JUSTICE FOR TAMIR. FUCK THE POLICE.

-Wildcats! of Vermont