RANDOLPH – The Coalition Of Intellectual Liberals (C.O.I.L.) of Vermont has requested that towns without police forces show support for the defunding of police by a symbolic move. The “Defund What You Never Had\u201d movement is spreading throughout that state. C.O.I.L. Spokesperson Connie Stable said, \u201cIt’s time Vermont’s 200 towns without police took a stand on defunding, rather than sit back and watch demonstrators in the Towns and Cities that do. Besides, the Legislature votes on things you don’t have or need all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The concept originated in Randolph, where locals say they were ahead of the curve when their entire police force defunded itself two years ago<\/a>, so they are happy to finish the process. Andover Town Moderator Welton Faire was firmly behind the proposal, saying, \u201cGreat idea! People can vote on a zero budget line item at Town Meeting. Maybe this defunding idea can carry over into things like airports, universities, bus terminals, and other services and organizations that we don’t have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lower Waterford Select Chair Sonny Shiner agreed in principle when he responded, \u201cPeople will feel good about voting for nothing and getting nothing in return; that’s Vermont at its best. It’s what makes Vermont strong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone backed the idea, however. Republican Senator Tweeter Drumph of Guildhall disagrees. In a social messaging post he stated that these C.O.I.L. types are being stirred up by out-of-state activists and panderers who are intent on destabilizing decades of tradition. \u201cGet these C.O.I.L.’s off our necks. It is not a matter of defunding what you do not have. It’s funding what we can convince you you need!\u201d<\/p>\n Image Credits: VPR<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"