Here is a look at developments related to ongoing protests in Vermont and around the country over police violence and racial prejudice following the deaths of Minneapolis resident George Floyd and other black Americans.

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POLICE BUDGET CUT

The mayor of Vermont’s largest city has proposed cutting $1.1 million from the police department amid calls by activists in Burlington and nationwide to defund the police.

About $300,000 would be used for a racial equality and police transformation fund, Mayor Miro Weinberger said as he discussed his proposed city budget Monday. Hundreds of people phoned into the meeting.

“This is a moment where we need to make long-overdue progress towards police transformation and racial justice,” he said.

But many residents said the mayor’s proposal doesn’t go far enough. The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance has urged the city to reduce the police force by 30% and remove officers from schools.

The move comes amid mass protests around the country and in Vermont over police violence and racial prejudice following the deaths of Floyd and other black Americans.

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POLICE-CONSULTANT

The Select Board in Bennington has voted unanimously to hire the head of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity to help make community policing changes within the police department after a review found the department’s practices have created deep mistrust in parts of the community.

The review predated the current nationwide push for police changes that followed the death of Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Curtiss Reed Jr., executive director of partnership, was picked as a consultant and is expected to hold a kickoff meeting next week, the Bennington Banner reported Tuesday.

The report by the International Association of Chiefs of Police was presented in April and included 25 recommended changes. Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan recommended the review following criticism of the department’s response to reports of racial harassment of a black state lawmaker.

Reed’s proposed work is expected to cost $24,700. Board Chairman Donald Campbell said during a Monday meeting that “a number of individuals” in Bennington have vowed to contribute a total of $20,000 toward the expense.

The board tapped Reed because of his background working with law enforcement agencies and on civil rights issues, he said.

“He is worth every penny,” Campbell said. “I have come to trust Curtiss very deeply. He is a man of great depth and even greater commitment.”

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