VICII

From VICII: 

Join us for a discussion on the state of the “rebellious island” and the six decades prolonged US “blockage”. This program features Vermonters who just returned from an educational trip to Cuba.

Hosted by Sandy Baird, CAFS President Armando Villaseca, Burlington High School Special Educator Alan Reichard, and some other participants of this edifying voyage to the "rebellious" Island.

From February 26th to March 5th, 2023, The Vermont-based Cuban American Friendship Society led a dozen teachers and one student from the Green Mountain State on an Educational Trip to Cuba. The teachers and members of CAFS made face-to-face connections with the people of Cuba and visited Cuban schools. The exchange was conducted in Havana and gave the visitors a glimpse of the struggling island in light of the six decades of prolonged U.S. "blockage" of Cuba and the enduring Cuban revolution.

The Cuban American Friendship Society (CAFS) is a local non-profit which was founded by Sandy Baird over 30 years ago to help break down the barriers between our two countries by hosting people-to-people exchanges as well as professional, cultural, and athletic trips to Cuba. The Cuban American Friendship Society has helped hundreds of Vermonters travel to the island nation to visit schools, medical facilities, organic farms, sports facilities—as well as to see how much we have in common even as our current administration reverts back to Cold War tactics.

For more information: vicii.org

From VICII:

People for Police Accountability is a grassroots movement currently campaigning to create an independent Community Control Board to oversee our local police, with both investigative and disciplinary authority. The change will be before voters this Town Meeting Day, on March 7th, 2023. People for Police Accountability advances the idea that police must be held accountable to the community they serve. "We are fighting for this change in Burlington, Vermont due to very well documented instances of police misconduct within the Burlington police department", says the pro-charter change group.

To help inform your vote on this crucial and divisive issue, The Vermont Institute of Community and International Involvement (VICII) will sponsor a two-episode series of discussions.

On the 15th of February, Councilor Gene Bergman presents the pro argument in this ballot item.
On the 22nd of February, Councilor Ben Traverse articulates the opposing views.                     

For more information: vicii.org

From VICII:

The Vermont Institute of Community and International Involvement opens the New Year with a presentation and discussion of Policing the City by the Acting Chief of Burlington Police Jon Murad. The presentation takes place in a hybrid in-person/Zoom format gathering at the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) 20 Allen Street in Burlington's Old North End. The Acting Chief discusses public safety in Burlington—most importantly, he talks with the community and asks for ideas of what we can all do to prevent law-breaking in the New Year.

Moderated by Sandy Baird, Citizen Journalist; and Jacob Bogre, Director of AALV

For more information: vicii.org

Habeas Corpus, "you have the body," is a directive to the state to produce the body of a person who may have been falsely imprisoned in order for that person to challenge the legality of that arrest and detention. Based on the presumption of innocence, habeas is a guarantee that a person will not 'disappear' into the black sites of the correctional system and lose his or her liberty without a finding by a court that due process of the law has been afforded to the person and that probable cause has been established to detain or arrest the person and if probable cause is not established to release him or her.

Vermont Institute of Community and International Involvement presents Sara George Esq., State's Attorney and Chief Prosecutor of Chittenden County, who leads a community discussion on the legal meaning of Habeas Corpus, an ancient right in our law to challenge unlawful detentions and the importance of that right to preserve our basic freedom from arbitrary and false imprisonments. Ms. George is a graduate of Vermont Law School. She was appointed by Governor Phil Scott to be the State’s Attorney of Chittenden County in January 2018 and was officially elected to the post in November 2018. Ms. George’s mission is to “do her part to overhaul a racist and classist legal system” and to “make her job unnecessary.”

For more information: vicii.org