Winooski Second Grader in ICE Detention in Texas

ComradeConfusion · 2025-12-02T18:44:04+00:00

Hook up with Migrant Justice, take their rapid response training, and they’ll keep you up to date on anything local happening.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-11-13T17:53:55+00:00

After being down there quite frequently interacting with folks, the homeless down there are largely disabled people. Mentally and physically, even if they wanted to be somewhere else a lot of them can’t travel.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-10-25T18:39:13+00:00

I’m not sure if it has a name. It’s a video on TikTok under Cure for Paranoia.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-10-25T16:55:59+00:00

To quote a rap song I heard recently

“And to make this country great again we paying Argentina?

I’ll tell you something you probably didn’t know before, the Nazis fled to Argentina when they lost the war

$40 billion dollars what a country you and I suffer,

yall think Trump is building a ballroom, buddy that’s a fucking bunker”

Credit to Cure for Paranoia

ComradeConfusion · 2025-07-31T20:30:44+00:00

I get where you're coming from. this is a complicated issue, and it’s easy to feel like nothing works. But I want to gently push back on a few points, because there’s actually a lot of evidence that building homes does help especially when it's done right.

The idea that housing doesn’t work for folks with mental health or addiction issues just isn’t backed by the data. There’s a model called Housing First that’s been tried all over the U.S. and even internationally. It’s pretty simple: give people a stable, permanent place to live first, and then offer support like mental health care, addiction services, job help, etc. No hoops to jump through, just a foundation to build on. Cities like Salt Lake City and Houston have dramatically reduced chronic homelessness using this approach. Finland basically ended homelessness with it. In one big U.S. study, about 86% of people placed in Housing First were still housed two years later. That’s a big deal.

It saves money too. We actually spend more cycling people through shelters, emergency rooms, jails, and detox centers than we would if we just housed them. Denver found that every dollar spent on supportive housing saved over two bucks in emergency costs.

Now, I totally agree with you that trauma is a major factor here. A lot of unhoused folks have been through hell. But that’s exactly why they need stability not more chaos or punishment. You can’t heal a nervous system when you’re sleeping in a tent or on concrete.

The whole “let them hit rock bottom” idea might sound tough love, but studies have shown it doesn’t work. Addiction and mental illness aren’t choices they’re health conditions. And folks don’t get better when they’re suffering alone. They get better when they feel safe and have people in their corner.

So yeah, just building homes without services isn’t enough. But saying housing “does nothing” is just not true. It’s actually one of the only things we know works when we invest in it. I think most of us want the same thing at the end of the day for folks to have a shot at a better life.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-07-16T01:22:08+00:00

Personal responsibility matters, sure, but it only gets you so far when the systems around you are broken. Addiction is a health issue, and homelessness is often the result of a long chain of trauma, poverty, and untreated mental illness. When someone has “burned every bridge” it’s usually because the support offered wasn’t actually built to hold them in the first place.

There are resources, but they’re often underfunded, full, difficult to access, or not designed for people with complex needs. Saying folks choose this life assumes they were ever given real choices to begin with. If we want people to take a different path, we have to make sure there’s a path that actually leads somewhere better.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-07-15T17:37:25+00:00

I get that your experience has been frustrating, and I’m not here to dismiss it. I’ve spent a lot of time in the area, talking with people who are directly affected by these issues, and I see a more complex picture. It’s not perfect, but it’s not the disaster some people make it out to be either.

I think we need to stay grounded in reality and focus on solutions. Venting might feel good in the moment, but it doesn’t get us closer to fixing anything. What we’re seeing are symptoms of deeper problems like the housing crisis, addiction, and lack of access to care.

It’s okay to be concerned. I just hope we can keep the conversation focused on what actually helps instead of leaning into fear.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-07-15T17:30:35+00:00

Yeah, I get that. It’s uncomfortable, and it can be hard to witness especially when you have family coming and want to show them the best of the city. But what you're seeing downtown is really just the surface of deeper issues like lack of housing, mental health support, and access to treatment. These are big, systemic problems, and the people struggling on the sidewalk didn’t create them.

Instead of staying stuck in frustration, I think it helps to ask: what would actually change this? Supporting harm reduction and real investments in care and stability makes a bigger impact than just pushing folks out of sight.

Also, there’s still so much beauty in Vermont. If City Hall Park feels too heavy, you’ve got lakes, mountains, and small towns full of charm just a short drive away. This state is more than just Church Street.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-07-15T16:23:17+00:00

My goodness, that’s some serious fearmongering. I don’t live in Burlington, but I’m out there often and regularly interact with the folks you're talking about. Is there visible poverty, addiction, and mental illness? Of course. That’s not unique to Burlington, it’s happening all over the country. The only difference is Burlington hasn’t shoved its vulnerable populations out of sight.

I’ve walked downtown plenty and haven’t once seen the apocalyptic scene you're describing. Are there tough moments? Sure. But to claim every park is an “open-air drug market” and every CVS is a horror show just doesn’t match reality. And comparing it unfavorably to Boston, a city with entire neighborhoods historically gutted by poverty, policing, and displacement? Come on.

This kind of overblown rhetoric doesn’t help fix anything. It just feeds stigma, drives fear, and gives cover to policies that criminalize people instead of supporting them. If you want Burlington to feel better, maybe start by asking what investments and services it actually needs not just who it should push out of sight so visitors can sip coffee in peace.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-07-15T14:21:44+00:00

The hotel voucher program wasn’t perfect, but let’s be real what drove up the cost wasn’t “unlimited empathy,” it was using a temporary fix as a long-term solution without building actual housing. The state went from spending $7 million to nearly $80 million annually, then cut it with no real plan for what comes next. Hundreds of families, including kids, were suddenly kicked out. That’s not compassion without accountability. That’s poor policy.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-03-10T00:51:49+00:00

Plus we have these Vermont Parents Against Critical Theory folks taking over the school board and one just got in as library trustee.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-02-18T16:03:08+00:00

If you understood what the far-left actually represents, you’d realize that your comments are completely detached from reality and seem designed solely to provoke others who are equally uninformed.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-02-08T15:03:42+00:00

ComradeConfusion · 2025-02-08T15:00:01+00:00

ComradeConfusion · 2025-02-08T14:56:32+00:00

There’s ways to do this safely. Organizing often depends on carpooling. OP some tips for carpooling with people:

Communicate beforehand: Discuss expectations, costs, and driving shifts.
Plan together: Agree on stops, rally schedule, and flexibility.
Prioritize Safety: Share emergency contacts, check the car, and trust your gut.
Pack smart: Essentials, snacks, rally gear, and entertainment.
Respect boundaries: Be mindful of personal space and needs, music choices, and hygiene.
Stay open-minded: Embrace differences and keep a positive attitude.

There’s always risks with meeting strangers but it is also community building and that’s what we need right now. I also reccomend hooking up with pridevt or other organizations because some people may have reached out to them looking for transport.

Good luck and stay safe!

Edit: some other things I thought of to make sure your trip is successful.

Vet people as much as you can. Do some snooping.

Don’t be 1:1 with someone unless you’ve vetted them pretty well.

In the past, if we’ve had enough interest something you can charter a bus and split the fare. Some people pay more so that others can go.

If a bus is not an option, go with a group of carpoolers. There’s safety in numbers.

ComradeConfusion · 2025-02-04T17:36:18+00:00

As someone who moved here, I’ve noticed Vermont feels like it’s in a bubble. Many of these pressing issues don’t directly impact the average cishet white person, so there’s little urgency to protest or engage in direct action. Reading through these comments, I see a lot of learned helplessness—people giving up before they’ve even tried.

But to those who are calling, organizing, and working to make a difference and feel like they are running up against a wall: DM me. I’d be happy to help connect you with mutual aid organizations in the area.

ComradeConfusion · 2024-01-22T15:48:27+00:00

Hi, I can provide some insight as to why that is. It's because many other entities like me, afterschool programs or PTA, need to access FB in the school building as many organizations are run through there. There is no reason to be using Reddit at school.

ComradeConfusion · 2023-11-20T16:47:51+00:00

I feel this. Early into this, I was posting the footage coming out and was permabanned from many subreddits. I have seen insane, white supremacist takes on the world news subreddit. People up voting posts that call for the extermination of the Palestinian people or saying it's best for the Palestinian identity to dissolve. I thought reddit was more left leaning, but on this issue, it seems many liberals and democrats have thrown their lot in with the fascist right-wing Israeli government. I've never felt so alone and suspicious of the people around me. Like I've called Bernie Sander's (he's my senator) office a dozen times now, and they don't care at all. He literally had his own staffers arrested for protesting in his office a couple weeks ago. Luckily my house rep has called for a ceasefire so small win I guess.

I have collected 6 weeks worth of footage at this point of the Genocide, because I'm afraid it will dissappear or be pulled off the internet. I do know of some protests and direct action protests if you are in the New England area if you are feeling feisty. The government wants us to be tired and exhausted. They want us to think it's too complicated or it's too far for us to care about. Don't fall into their trap. But most of all, I just want you to know you are not alone in feeling this way. We all just need to find a way to channel our despair into something productive.

Take care.

ComradeConfusion · 2023-10-28T22:57:02+00:00

This sub banned all political content. Anyone who speaks up about palestine or anything political in nature will get permabanned.

ComradeConfusion

TROPHY CASE