Burlington business owner says public safety issues are turning customers away: ‘The worst we’ve seen it’

A business owner in downtown Burlington, Vermont, admitted that the city’s homelessness and drug crisis, as well as its spiking crime rate, has cost his sporting goods shop more business than at any point in its long history.

John George-Wheeler, the owner of Skirack – a sports store at the heart of Vermont’s most populated city – told Fox News Digital this month that the economic cost of customers being driven away from downtown due to safety concerns has been worse than any other recession or economic downturn his business has seen in its lifespan of 55 years.

"During that 55 years, we’ve made it through quite a lot. We made it through ’08 and other economic downturns. And in terms of history, this is the worst we’ve seen it," 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, has been grappling with a combination of multiple problems plaguing the city, including upticks in homelessness, drug addiction and crime that have gripped the picturesque city.

"So when you have the intersection of construction, road closures, economic downturn, houselessness, and drug addiction, we have to, of course, take care of those people who are hurting from addiction, but also take care of those people who call this place home or work downtown day in and day out," he said.

"And it's not one, one-faceted issue. It's multifaceted. And we really need to approach it in a unified, open-minded manner in support of the people that are paying taxes here."

Homelessness is at an all-time high in Burlington – with more than 350 individuals living on city streets.  Among them are people addicted to hard drugs like fentanyl, which has led to a 1,000 percent increase in overdoses this year alone, leaving first responders strained.

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2024 data reveals that violent crime is also up in the city. Aggravated assault has increased 40 percent, and gunfire has gone up nearly 300 percent. Local residents told Fox News they find it "dangerous" to be out in public at night.

The shop owner described the mood of local business owners in the wake of these issues. He said that many are finding it tough but have found ways to band together and spread awareness of the problems and brainstorm solutions. 

"I think many businesses are tired and exhausted – fed up. But I also know there's a strong group of businesses that are doubling down their efforts to support each other. Whether we are feeling that support from other sources or not, I think we have each other's back. And that's the Vermont I grew up in, the Vermont that looks after their neighbor, cares for their neighbor," George-Wheeler said.

Many of these problems have stemmed from a combination of factors, including an opioid crisis afflicting Vermont, a housing crisis following the pandemic, and the depletion of the police force that occurred in the wake of the racial justice movement of 2020. 

That year, the city council approved a resolution that year to support the reduction of the police force by 30% through attrition. In addition, the resolution declared that racism was a citywide public health crisis. As a result, the previous cap of 105 officers was lowered to only 74.

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In the years since, the Burlington City Council has voted to increase police officer numbers as well as increase funding by $2.47 million. However, the city has struggled to fill the roles, as there are currently only 68 officers on the force. 

Pomerleau Real Estate CEO and Burlington community leader Ernie Pomerleau told Fox News that he believes the initial vote to defund the police was a "mistake." 

"And so, they allowed attrition to take down the police force – that was a mistake," he told the outlet, adding, "We need to support the police."

George-Wheeler told Fox News he believes in the community doing all it can to help the homeless, but stressed that the community needs to start bringing better policing into the equation as well. 

"I think we do need to get people in treatment, period. However, you can't do that without supporting the other side. And in terms of police and police response, admittedly, they aren't fully equipped to deal with the issues at hand, and I believe that city government also agrees with that because they did pass in their recent budget – the mayor passed funding for an additional hiring of ten officers.

"We do realize that they are understaffed and unable to handle the issues we're facing as a community," he said.

Fox News spoke to another Burlington business owner named Patricia who made a similar point, stating that the focus can’t just be on being compassionate to homeless and addicts, but must include the well-being of business owners and the community at large.

"There seems to be a lot of focus in this town and by the government on helping people who are addicted," she said. "There seems to be a lack of respect for people who are doing business, you know, who are trying to run a store."