Burlington Council Directs Mayor to Move Free Lunch Program

A daily free lunch distribution program can continue to use a Burlington city parking garage — at least for now.

On Monday, Burlington city councilors directed Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak to come up with a plan to relocate the operation. The decision was part of a wide-ranging resolution that is meant to support downtown businesses and tamp down crime, including at the Marketplace Garage, where mutual aid group Food Not Cops has served home-cooked meals, mostly to homeless people, for five years.

Initially, after hours of debate and public testimony, councilors agreed to strip provisions from the resolution that would have required the program to find a new spot by June 15. But as the meeting neared its sixth hour, the council’s Democratic majority introduced new language that gave the mayor until July 14 to figure out a long-term solution for the lunch service.

Progressives, including the mayor, charged that the Dems were legislating on the fly and undoing a compromise they had just agreed to make. But the Dems weren’t persuaded. The resolution passed on an 8-4 vote with Progressive Councilor Carter Neubieser (Ward 1) joining the seven Dems in favor.

The prolonged — and politicized — debate was another example of the council’s enduring inability to find consensus on matters of public safety, an issue that has dominated their discussions for five years and counting.

“We’re closing the door not only on a collaborative resolution for this lunch location [but also] we’re closing the door on collaboratively working on these important issues,” Councilor Joe Kane (P-Ward 3) said.

City leaders have been in talks with Food Not Cops for months about moving out of the garage, which is just off the Church Street Marketplace. But the topic was brought to the forefront earlier this month after more than 100 business leaders circulated an open letter that said the program is harming downtown and should be evicted. The disruptive construction on Main Street has added another layer of frustration for merchants whose storefronts have been cut off from traffic for more than a year.

“Some attendees have repeatedly stolen from businesses or caused harm,” the letter said. “We respectfully ask that this program be relocated to a more appropriate and secure setting — not eliminated.”

There’s been some public pushback. Three dozen other businesses and organizations — including Betty’s Bikes, T. Ruggs Tavern and the union representing workers at the Howard Center — have circulated their own letter, saying the shopowners’ pleas fail to recognize the underlying causes of poverty and disorder. On Monday, nearly 100 supporters of Food Not Cops gathered in City Hall Park to protest the proposal and serve a free meal. Organizers led chants and waved signs, prompting honks from passing cars and cheers from the crowd.

“Who keeps us safe? Who keeps us fed?” they yelled. “Food Not Cops! Food Not Cops!”

Rallygoers challenged the narrative that the lunch is a magnet for crime, noting a lack of data. “It’s scapegoating,” said Stephen Marshall, an advocate who was once homeless. “They have not identified how moving the lunch will change an iota.”

Sam Bliss, a volunteer with Food Not Cops, said the service actually makes Burlington safer because fed people are better behaved than those who are hungry.

During the meeting’s public forum, both a 20-year-old college student and white-haired homeless woman testified that Food Not Cops has kept them fed. Others invited councilors to come see the daily event for themselves, saying it builds community and brings together people from different social classes. The majority of 60 speakers at the meeting spoke in favor of leaving the program in place.

A smaller group spoke in favor of the resolution, arguing that supporting local businesses does not make them anti-homeless. They emphasized that the lunch should continue — just not in the parking garage.

Democratic councilors largely agreed. Councilor Mark Barlow (D-North District) said many people have told him they’re too afraid to park in the garage. Other Dems said the city could find a better location for the lunch, perhaps with running water, and would provide $2,000 to help with moving expenses.

Even so, three Democrats agreed to remove the provision requiring that Food Not Cops relocate. Several minutes later, however, Councilor Allie Schachter (D-East District) introduced the amendment that included the July 14 deadline.

Progressives were gobsmacked.

“Guys, I thought we had a beautiful moment,” Councilor Neubieser said. “I was actually very, very hopeful for just the ability of this council to function in a productive manner and in a way that we could build some collegiality.”

Other Progs warned that setting a deadline would cause Food Not Cops, which operates with anarchist principles, to dig in their heels and refuse to leave. They encouraged the Dems to allow Mulvaney-Stanak more time to discuss the issue with the group and find a solution.

Democrats, however, said there needs to be a plan in motion.

“As a community, we owe it to each other to work harder for better outcomes for all of us,” Councilor Buddy Singh (D-South District) said. “That’s what we are trying to do here.”

Besides the lunch issue, the resolution included a number of other steps to prop up downtown. It asks public works officials to communicate better about the Main Street construction, including by improving a map showing road closures. Councilors also want officials to find a way to reopen a westbound lane of traffic, a step city officials have previously said would add at least half a million dollars to the project budget.

To improve Burlington’s image, the measure asks city staff to consider a public relations campaign that would showcase the city as a “vibrant, safe and inclusive space.” The city should look into expanding its free parking program, the measure says, and the police department, which is understaffed, should more regularly respond to businesses that report crimes.