Burlington business owner says public safety concerns are putting customers off: ‘The worst we’ve seen’

A business owner in downtown Burlington, Vermont, admitted that urban homelessness The drug crisis and soaring crime cost his sporting goods store more than at any time in its long history.

John George-Wheeler, owner of Skirack, a sporting goods store in the heart of Vermont’s most populous city, told Fox News Digital this month that the economic cost of driving customers out of the city center due to safety concerns was worse than any other recession. . or the economic downturn his business has endured in its 55 years of existence.

“We have gone through quite a lot in these 55 years. We survived 2008 and other economic downturns. And historically speaking, this is the worst we’ve seen,” George-Wheeler said.

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“We definitely need support from our local Vermonters,” he said.

The local business owner, like other members of the Burlington community, faces many of the issues plaguing the city, including the rise in homelessness, drug addiction and crime plaguing the picturesque city.

“So when we deal with construction, road closures, economic downturn, homelessness and drug addiction, we must, of course, care about those people who suffer from drug addiction, but also care about those people who call this place home or work in downtown day after day,” he said.

“And this is not just one, one-sided problem. She is multifaceted. And we really need to approach it in a unified and unbiased way to support the people who pay taxes here.”

Homelessness in Burlington is at an all-time high, with more than 350 people living on the city’s streets. Among them are people who are addicted to hard drugs such as fentanyl, which has led to 1000% increase in overdoses this year alone, leaving first responders on edge.

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Data through 2024 shows that violent crime is also on the rise in the city. Aggravated assaults are up 40 percent and shootings are up nearly 300 percent. Local residents told Fox News that they found it.”it’s dangerous” to go out publicly at night.

The store owner spoke about the mood of local entrepreneurs in connection with these problems. He said it’s been tough for many, but they’ve found ways to come together and spread awareness about the problems and brainstorm solutions.

“I think a lot of businesses are tired and exhausted and fed up. But I also know that there is a strong group of businesses that are redoubling their efforts to support each other. Whether we feel that support from other sources or not, I think we have each other’s backs. And this is the Vermont that I grew up in, a Vermont that takes care of its neighbor, takes care of its neighbor,” George-Wheeler said.

Many of these problems have arisen from a combination of factors, including the opioid crisis plaguing Vermont, the post-pandemic housing crisis and the depletion of police forces that has occurred since the 2020 racial justice movement.

That same year, the City Council approved a resolution supporting a 30% reduction in police force through attrition. Additionally, the resolution declared that racism is a citywide public health crisis. As a result, the previous limit of 105 officers was reduced to 74.

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Over the years, the Burlington City Council has voted to increase the number of police officers as well as increase funding by $2.47 million. However, the city is having a hard time filling these positions as there are currently only 68 officers on the force.

Pomerleau Real Estate CEO and Burlington community leader Ernie Pomerleau told Fox News he believes the initial vote will be defending the police was a “mistake.”

“So they allowed police attrition to destroy the force – that was a mistake,” he told the publication, adding: “We need to support the police.”

George-Wheeler told Fox News that he believes the community is doing everything it can to help the homeless, but stressed that the community also needs to start doing better policing.

“I think we really need to treat people, period. However, you cannot do this without the support of the other party. And in terms of police and police response, admittedly, they are not fully equipped to deal with the problems. at hand, and I think the city government agrees with this too, because in their recent budget they passed – the mayor allocated funding for the additional hiring of ten officers.

“We understand that they are understaffed and unable to cope with the challenges we face as a community,” he said.

Fox News spoke with another Burlington business owner named Patricia, who expressed a similar point of view, saying that the focus cannot only be on compassion for the homeless and drug addicts, but must also consider the well-being of business owners and the community as a whole.

“There seems to be a big focus in this city and government on helping people with addiction,” she said. “It seems like there is a lack of respect for the people who are in business, you know, who are trying to run a store.”

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