American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont

A Burlington mother secured a $150,000 settlement against the city over claims of excessive force and racial discrimination by police during a 2021 incident involving her 14-year-old Black son, who has behavioral and intellectual disabilities. The lawsuit, dismissed in May 2024, alleged officers restrained the teen, paramedics used a mesh bag and ketamine to retrieve stolen vapes, and the city initially sought to dismiss the case, which a judge rejected.