The Progressives on the Council tend to be left leaning on many issues and often at odds with the city’s Democratic mayor. And in June 2020, the Progressive mem

The Progressives on the Council tend to be left leaning on many issues and often at odds with the city’s Democratic mayor. And in June 2020, the Progressive members of the Council successfully sponsored a measure that sought to reduce the size of the city’s police force by about 30 percent. [...] The police say making arrests for bike thefts could be challenging. They cite a memo from the local prosecutor which stipulates that, according to Vermont law, in order to effectively prosecute someone the police must prove the person “actually knew” the property was stolen. [...] “We have an increase in houseless folks around Burlington,” Ms. Hightower said. “It is not something people are comfortable seeing and it sparks an emotional response.” [...] Mr. Turner and the others in the group say they believe the bikes that end up in the park are being sold in exchange for drugs. [...] “Meth is a game changer,” said Ms. Boudah, the leader of the outreach team. Some Meth users are known to become fixated on stealing things — such as bikes.