A death on Elliot Street - The Commons

Brattleboro, Vt.Vol. Brattleboro, IV No. 7 • July Vt. 2009Vol. FREE III No. 6July 2009•WINNERNew EnglandPress AssociationBetter NewspaperContest, 2008VOICESVOICEStk Thoughts onproximityTHE of crime ARTStkTwelveLIFE Tribes & WORKtk respondsPRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDBRATTLEBORO, VT 05301PERMIT NO. 24FREESee page 2 to learnhow you can supportindependent mediaVermont Independent MediaP.O. Box 1212Brattleboro, VT 05302www.commonsnews.orgpage tkpage tkpage 14 tkDonors to Vermont Independent Mediareceive The Commons in the mail. See page 2. 21www.commonsnews.orgTheC ommonsW i n d h a m C o uWni ntdyh’ sa mI nCdoeupnet yn’dseI n dteSpoe nudrecnetfS oru rNc ewf osraNnedwVsiaenwdsV i e w sFIRST PRIZEGeneral ExcellenceGeneral News StoryBIWEEKLY/MONTHLYDIVISIONpage 11ARTSSummer artsrounduppage 20LIFE & WORKNew lifefor a deli inNewfanepage 8Celebratingopen-sourcesoftwarepage 9SPECIAL REPORTA <strong>death</strong> on Elliot StreetA Brattleboro stabbing raises contradictionsabout the life, lore, and reputation of an area• Street with a reputation, page 2.• Timeline of a tragedy, page 3• Police step up enforcementof local ordinances,state laws , page 4.• Drug arrests onthe rise, page 6• Kids speak out, page 6Above: David T. Snow, the victim of astabbing on the sidewalk of Elliot Streetin the early morning hours of June 15, ina photo from his fiancée’s MySpace page.Snow had proposed only the night beforehis <strong>death</strong>. Right: Days later, an impromptushrine from friends still marked the spotwhere Snow, 26, bled to <strong>death</strong> on thesidewalk.Tempers flare overclosing of public hallBy Michael WilmethThe CommonsWILLIAMSVILLE—The notion ofa public hall in a village center seemsnatural, almost inevitable. But howWilliamsville Hall should be operated,and by whom, is a matter of contention,the center of trouble that hassimmered and sometimes threatenedto boil over.Built in 1910 to house theWilliamsville Grange, it was turnedover to the town of Newfane in 1969,when the Grange ceased operations,and for a few years it continued tobe a lively center of social life, as ithad in the Grange’s heyday, housingmeetings, dinners, and performances.During the last two decades of thelast century, however, it fell into disuseexcept as a storage space for thehighway department.About ten years ago, a group oftownspeople, who saw the hall as anunderutilized public asset falling intodisrepair, petitioned the Selectboardfor access to the hall in order to cleanit up. Despite initial reluctance on thepart of the selectmen, the group beganto restore the building to usablecondition, and were soon approachedby the Council on Aging about usingthe space for senior meals.Improvements were made to thehall to meet health codes, and in 2001the first senior meals were held inWilliamsville Hall. They have continuedmonthly since then, and the councilhas bought a new refrigerator forthe hall and obtained a $5,000 grantfor a new range, as well as contributingto the cost of heating the building.The ad hoc citizens’ group becamethe Williamsville Hall Committee, formallyrecognized by the Selectboardsix years ago. In recent years it hasraised money to patch and paint walls,improve fire safety, and has taken onpart of the work of renting the hallfor private use. It has begun fundraisingand seeking grants to weatherizethe hall.With the Williamsville GeneralStore closed and a church buildingacross the road from it long vacant,the hall is the only gathering placein the village center. It is used in alternateyears for Newfane’s townmeeting, annually for a popular towntalent show, and is rented out for weddings,reunions, parties and otherfunctions. A Passover seder lastn see WILLIAMSVILLE HALL, page 7EmmaBradford, 15,of Guilford,hangs from thetriangles aspart of trainingfor CircusSmirkus’s 2009big top tour.Sitting withinthe ropes isFiona Lowryof Sunderland,Mass. Thetwo first-yeartroupers arepracticingperformanceroutines for theshow, whichwill presentfour shows inBrattleboroin July.Guilford teen preps for70-show circus tourBy Jeff PotterThe CommonsGREENSBORO—“Let’s walkthrough the transitions. Everybodyin place.”Seconds after hearing one oftheir coaches call them to attention,a group of young acrobatsmove from their scattered teenchatter, partner up, and to musicJEFF POTTER/THE COMMONSthat they can hear right now onlyin their imaginations, begin waltzsteppingaround the perimeter ofthe dark circus ring in the shadowof two rope pyramid-shaped, threedimensionaltrapezes — “triangles”in circus argot — suspended in theair from the tent ceiling.Underneath each triangle, twoteens move out of the dance routinen see CIRCUS, page 18

2 NEWS The Commons • July 2009 The Commons • July 2009 NEWS 3Contradictory neighborhoodElliot Street tragedyCourt documents, friends’ posts offer a harrowing chronology of a confrontationBy Thelma O’Brienand Clara Rose ThorntonThe CommonsBRATTLEBORO—“If we lookat the history of Elliot Street,” sayslongtime resident Fran LynggaardHansen, “there is a lot to learn.”Elliot Street might have developeda reputation early on as the setting fora rough-and-tumble working-classimmigrant culture, a reputation thatwasn’t exactly helped by the bar scenein the 1960s and 1970s.“In the 1960s and ’70s the area wasnotorious for Alice’s Restaurant anda bigger bar, the Village Barn, in thefar back of Harmony parking lot,”Lynggaard Hansen says. “Druggiescame from the tri-state area, and youcould buy anything available just outsidethe door.”While Lynggaard Hansen believesthe street used to be more dangerousthan it is now, attitudes about thatsection of downtown are pretty wellingrained and stem from the standardattitudes about the poor and thehomeless.“Our town really is no different thanany other,” she said. “I think the drugproblem has gotten worse but pointingfingers of blame at certain peopleis not the answer.”J. Timothy O’Connor Jr., 73, callsthe Elliot Street neighborhood of hisyouth “a nice community, a nice residentialarea. We took care of eachStudy your passion.At UI&U you can design your B.A. program around yourown interests and ideas—to integrate your education intoyour own work life and personal goals.Offering:802.257.9411888.828.8575www.tui.eduBrattleboroCenter@tui.eduother when tragedies happened. Wedidn’t ask the government for help.”O’Connor, whose grandfathermoved to town from Putney in 1910and eventually settled on Elliot Street,has a benevolent view of the citywhere he’s lived most of his life. Heconsiders moving back and settling inBrattleboro with his wife, Martha, aftergraduating from Georgetown Lawin 1961 “one of the best choices I’veever made.” He’s practiced law hereever since, currently concentratingon real estate.For 12 years, O’Connor served as astate representative, and he currentlyholds the post of town moderator.His memories gravitate to the senseof community his family gained fromneighbors and friends including TomLynch, town planner, and the Bakerfamily, well-known merchants in thecity.O’Connor recalls the immigrantpopulation on Elliot Street as mixed.“They were Irish, they were Frenchand most of them worked for EsteyOrgan and at the Vinton Paper Mill.It was always a nice area.”He is aware of changes in certaincity neighborhoods but he can’tquite put his finger on the causes, althoughhe’s seen the complicationsof family life.“I did quite a few domestic relationscases when I was first practicing,” hesaid. “But when I went home at nightI started worrying about everybody• Come to campus one weekend a month.• Do the rest of your studying from home.• Earn your degree while continuing to meetyour work and family commitments.B.A. • B.S. • M.A. • M.Ed. • Ph.D.M.A. in Psychology • Psy.D.else’s children so I began doing otherthings.”O’Connor thinks everybody’s toobusy now. “We forget about what’simportant. Brattleboro has done somany things, providing activities forkids, and I am impressed by the Boysand Girls Club on Flat Street.” Hepoints out programs that are gearedtoward the poor. “You know they dofood stamps and meals at school.” Hestill believes the opportunities for kidsare there.“There are those who can’t adapt towhat I think are normal things like goingto work every day, doing your joband having some consistent activity,”he said, adding that obeying the lawwas high on his list.“Youngsters need discipline. WhenI was young we had a curfew at nightat 9 or 10,” agreeing that the city cannotimpose that kind of curfew undercurrent conditions.UI&U:Brattleboro’sBest KeptSecret!He believes the law must be enforced.“What happened on ElliotStreet, the murder, was a tragic thingand no matter what you do some tragedieshappen,” he said.Property ownersOn the day of the murder, a communitydiscussion on iBrattleborooffered a number of anecdotes aboutElliot Street and violence. “I haveseen in that area drug use in broaddaylight,” one person wrote; anotherrecalled when “someone was thrownthrough a plate glass window on Elliotlast summer.”Yet a talk with landlords and propertymanagers in this heavily commercialand moderately residential areaof Elliot Street points to a negation ofthis stereotype and toward the lesscondemning idea that this could havehappened anywhere in Brattleboro.Jason Cooper has owned ByronCorporation since its founding in 1982,and has overseen the company’s eightresidential properties on Elliot Streetin the area in question since they werepurchased in 1992.When asked if he’d seen anychanges in the neighborhood duringthis time, he said, “I’ve seen a verydramatic change, without question.“When I first came into town,”Cooper explained, “the group ofbuildings that I currently have includeda restaurant that was boardedup and had been foreclosed on atbank auction; the property acrossthe street was an awful building thatwas boarded up, which the bank hadrepossessed and was trying to giveaway; and there were several otherbuildings on this street that were completedisasters.“Over the 15-plus years that I’vebeen involved, this street has madedramatic changes and is much, muchbetter than it had been. The buildingshave been fixed up. Most of theapartments that had the worst possiblepeople in them and had the worstpossible landlords not taking care ofthem—those people are all gone. Andthe street is just day-and-night differentthan it had been.”Cooper admits that there have beensome drug-related issues that persist,but maintains that his and other entitieshave diligently whittled these incidentsdown.“Back in the earlier years, in theearly-to-mid 1990s, we definitely hadproblems with some tenants whowere involved in drug activity, andthe police were involved. Wheneverwe have a tenant like that, we do whateverwe can to the limit of the law toremove them as quickly as possible.We take very good care of our tenantsand we will not accept that sortof behavior.“But it’s not necessarily limited tothat street — from time to time thathappens,” Cooper continued. “No matterhow carefully we screen a tenantROGER KATZ/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONSThe BushnellBlock on ElliotStreet, with itsneighborhoodstore andapartments,was demolishedto make way forthe BrattleboroTransportationCenter in theearly 2000s.— we’ll do police checks, backgroundchecks, credit checks, etc. — usuallywe can get a pretty good idea of whatkind of person we’re dealing with, butnot always; it’s not perfect.“We have made improvements tothe neighborhood by making surethat we rent to the kind of peoplethat I would want to have as neighbors,and I would want to live with,and who I want my tenants to haveas neighbors.”Chris Hart has been the executivedirector of the Brattleboro HousingAuthority since 1995, an agency thatoperates a large, 62-unit high-riseapartment complex on the samestreet as the incident in question.Of the five properties managed bythe housing authority, the high-rise isone of only two located downtown andis the only one situated prominentlyon a street, as the others are either insecluded areas of West Brattleboroor “tucked away,” as Hart describes.Yet she does not see any differencein number or nature of complaintsacross the five properties.“Where the high-rise is has beenfairly stable, especially since the[Windham] Land Trust took overthe Spring Street buildings,” she said.“It’s pretty quiet. Our folks have notregistered a lot of complaints aboutbeing bothered; we’ve had minorvandalism in our parking lots, whichhas been about the same as vandalismwe’ve had at our other housingdevelopments.“The only complaint that we occasionallyget is [when] someone isin the building [who] shouldn’t be,”Hart continued. “And usually, whenwe investigate, we find that it wassomeone there to visit a tenant [andwas] buzzed in at the door. At onepoint, we had someone sleeping inthe lobby of the high-rise, but we’vealso had people found to be sleepingin other community rooms, so that’snot unique to the high-rise. It rarelyhappens in our properties, but it happensat all of them.”Although, when pressed aboutElliot Street’s reputation, she replied,“The only thing that we have heard onoccasion from tenants in the high-riseis, ‘Oh, people on Elliot Street — it’s arougher crowd.’ ”In response to the issue of thestreet’s reputation, Cooper said, “Thatkind of crime? I haven’t heard anyonesay, ‘That’s Elliot Street.’ That’s notthe attitude at all.”That kind of activity, he says, “couldjust as easily have happened in frontof the co-op or the High Grove parkinglot or in the Harmony lot, it couldhave happened on Main Street—anywherein town that people hang out.”“[This] was just the place wherethose people happened to be hangingout when that confrontation happened,”Cooper says.By Jeff PotterThe CommonsBRATTLEBORO—TravisSprague of Dummerstonbegan his night hangingout with his friends on ElliotStreet, hardly expecting that by theend of the night his older brother,David T. Snow, would die in his arms.Police reports and affidavits fromthat night, along with memoriesposted on MySpace and Facebook bySnow’s family and friends, paint a poignanttimeline of a senseless tragedy.In the early morning hours of June15, Andrew Everett Sheets, 41, a convictedfelon with alcohol on his breathand cocaine in his bloodstream, cameup to Sprague, 18, and his friends repeatedly,asking the youths for moneyso he could buy cocaine.At one point, Sheets went into theWeathervane Music Hall at 19 ElliotSt., later emerging. Some guys in theWeathervane ripped me off, he said,mounting his bicycle.As a car pulled out of the Harmonyparking lot, Sheets pulled his bike infront of the vehicle. You ripped me off,he told the car’s occupants as he brandisheda small switchblade. As the cartook off, Sprague saw Sheets stab oneof the tires on the driver’s side.As Brattleboro Police OfficerJoshua Lynde, working the third shift,talked with a group of youths by theTransportation Center just down thestreet, Sheets came up to Lynde. Thepeople in the car took my money, Sheetstold the officer. Lynde took off and beganlooking for the vehicle.Lynde soon returned and foundSheets. I was unable to locate the subjects,Lynde told Sheets. You can gohome if you want, and I’ll follow upwith you later.I’m not going anywhere, Sheets toldthe officer. I want my money.As soon as the officer left the scene,Sheets approached Sprague and hisfriends. Are you the guys who rippedme off? Sheets asked them.Just calm down and leave us alone,Sprague told Sheets, who threatenedto beat him up, showing him the knife.David Snow lived at 15 Elm St.with Judy G. Brown, 23, who hadagreed to marry him the previous day,and their friend, Tanya J. Currier, 24.Around 2 a.m., Snow and Curriertook the dog for a walk around theirusual loop: down Elm Street to FlatStreet and over to the parking garage,then up the stairs to Elliot Street andback home.Snow and Currier walked out ofthe Transportation Center onto ElmStreet, just in time to see Sprague, hisbrother, arguing with Sheets. Curriercould see Sheets holding somethingbut could not tell what it was.Snow came over. Calm down andhave a seat, he told Sheets.Sheets refused. I’m going to fighthim, he said, shoving Snow in thechest.Snow stepped between Sheets andhis brother.Sheets came at Snow with the knife,cutting his shirt.Accounts vary on what happenednext. Sprague told police that Snowswung back at Sheets, while anotherwitness, Philip D. Paquette, 18, saidSnow stepped back and yelled at hisassailant.Sheets then stabbed Snow in theneck.I told you, he said.As Currier turned and kept walkingtoward home with the dog, she heardSnow yell, I’ve been stabbed.Back home, as Brown began towonder why the dog walking wastaking so long, she heard a commotionon Elliot Street and left to checkon Snow’s and Currier’s well being.As she walked from Elm to Elliot,she came upon Currier and the dog.Dave’s been stabbed, Currier said asBrown rushed to the crowd.Officer Lynde and his colleague,Officer Peter DiMarino, had continuedlooking for the car that Sheetshad described about ten minutes before.Lynde returned to Elliot Streetto suggest to Sheets that he come tothe police station and file a report.Lynde returned to the scene momentsafter the stabbing, at 2:44 a.m.As the officer got out of the cruiser,Sprague approached. This guy juststabbed my brother.Drop the knife, the officer said.Sheets dropped the weapon andput his hands up. Lynde radioed formedical response. Lynde turnedback to Sheets, who got down on theground. Lynde kicked the knife outof reach, cuffed Sheets, and put himinto the cruiser.Snow, walking west on Elliot Streettoward the fire station, was holdinghis neck. I’m losing a lot of blood, hesaid before falling to his knees on thesidewalk.DiMarino applied pressure toSnow’s neck to try to stop the bleeding.Brown held her fiance’s hand ashe made gurgling sounds as he triedto speak to her. Squeeze my hand if youcan hear me, she said. He squeezedher hand several times.As Snow’s face lost color, his friendsand family “began to get very upset,yelling that they were going to killSheets,” Lynde wrote in his affidavit.The officer removed Sheets to thepolice department and placed him ina holding cell. Sheets told Lynde thathe stabbed Snow because the groupwanted to fight him.D a v i d S n o w w a s t a k e n t oBrattleboro Memorial Hospital at3 a.m., where he died in his brother’sarms, according to Wade Scottof Swanzey, N.H., who created aFacebook tribute page in his cousin’smemory.Detective Erik Johnson chargedSheets with the crime, reading himhis Miranda rights at 4:11 a.m.Sheets refused a breathalyzertest, and a search warrant wasissued authorizing a blood sample,taken the next morning at BrattleboroMemorial Hospital. According tocourt documents, Sheets admittedto the nurse that he had consumedcocaine the night before.On June 16, Sheets was arraignedand pleaded innocent in WindhamDistrict Court to a charge of seconddegreehomicide.By Vermont statute, first-degree homicideis defined as “[m]urder committedby means of poison, or by lyingin wait, or by wilful, deliberate andpremeditated killing, or committed inperpetrating or attempting to perpetratearson, sexual assault, aggravatedsexual assault, robbery or burglary.All other kinds of murder shall bemurder in the second degree.”Sheets is held without bail atSouthern State Correctional Facilityin Springfield. A status conferenceis scheduled for Monday, Aug. 31 at9 a.m. at Windham District Court.Pretrial conference and jury drawingwill take place after Nov. 5, accordingto a felony scheduling order andnotice of hearing issued June 15 byJudge Karen R. Carroll.Sheets faces a penalty of “not lessthan 20 years imprisonment,” with amaximum term of life without parole.A graveside funeral service forDavid Snow took place June 20 atEvergreen Cemetery in Winchester,N.H.In addition to Brown and Sprague,Snow leaves his mother, YvonneShippee, and her husband, Thurman,of Dummerston; his father, DavidT. Snow Sr., and his father’s wife,Wendy, of Walpole, N.H.; his daughter,Keyaira Nowell of Walpole, N.H.,and Brown’s children, Emma andKyle; brothers Devon Shippee ofDummerston and Christopher Snowof Westmoreland, N.H.; a sister, HollyShippee of Dummerston; his paternalgrandmother, Maureen Carrollof Keene, N.H., two aunts, and severalcousins.He worked for LTD Landscapingin Jamaica for a number of years. “Anavid outdoorsman, he enjoyed camping,four-wheeling, snowmobiling,and being with his friends,” his <strong>death</strong>notice read.His family and friends have left anelectronic trail of grief on social networksonline, with Brown, his fiancée,posting a tribute on her MySpacepage that includes 48 photos of Snowliving what would have been an unexceptionaland happy life: hamming itup for the camera in Price Chopper,sleeping on the couch, laughing whilegiving her a piggyback ride, sharingmoments on the swing with the kidsthey shared.Travis Sprague “is not doing tooJudy Brown has transformed her MySpace page into anelectronic shrine for her fiancé, stabbed June 15 on ElliotStreet in Brattleboro.well,” his cousin reported on theFacebook group he created. “Heis still in shock and has a lot of anger[about] the <strong>death</strong> of his brotherDavid. So all I have to say is bestwishes to my cousin Travis.”Sprague’s one-word MySpacemood status is set to “enraged.”Police arrested a homeless man,44-year-old Mark Bresland, oncharges of felony desecration of ashrine or monument. Sprague andBrown were part of a group of Snow’sfriends who knocked Bresland to theground and began kicking him afterhe had taken four cans of beer left atthe Elliot Street memorial site.Brown, on her tribute page, describesher fiancé as “a wonderfulperson and soulmate” with “a heartof gold” who “would do anything foranybody.”Her mood status?“Heartrippedout.”Editor’s note: All italicized speechin this story was created from indirectquotes in court documentsdescribing the dialogue that tookplace that night.

6 NEWS The Commons • July 2009 The Commons • July 2009 NEWS 7Drug crimes, charges riseBy Thelma O’BrienThe CommonsBRATTLEBORO—Related issuesof staffing and morale and citizencomplaints account for part of thedramatic increase in drug possessionarrests by the police departmentin 2009.Police Chief Gene Wrinn reportsthat from January through May of2008 there were zero possession arrests.This year for the same period13 arrests are recorded.“Anecdotally, I’d say the problemnow is greater than it used to be butwhat we care about is the reality ofnow not whether or not it’s worse,”said Wrinn, who is wary of pronouncementsabout cause and effect.But “in the last two months we’veput over 150 hours into bike and footpatrols. We’re increasing surveillance,and task forces from out of town aredoing undercover work. We’re justputting in a lot of effort.”The increased efforts paid off dramaticallyon Jan. 3, when, after a twomonthinvestigation and the work of10 officers, a court-permitted raidof a Canal Street residence yieldedmore than 370 bags of heroine with,Wrinn said, a street value of more than$11,000. Wrinn recalls that action resultedin two arrests.The chief is not at all ambivalentwhen it comes to citizen voices. “I’mnot willing to say that this causesthat, but I am strong about how citizensfeel. They are sick and tired ofdrugs and what they cause. They aresuffering.”Andrew Everett Sheets, 41,charged with the stabbing,in a 2007 mug shot from hisincarceration in Florida onmutlple counts, including adrug paraphernalia charge.Chief Wrinn said that staffing problemsduring the past few years that atone time left the department down11 officers out of a possible 28 havebeen resolved.Twenty-seven officers (one still intraining) are on the current roster,Wrinn said.Drugs a factor in stabbingAchieving some context for thebrutal murder that took place nearto 3 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16, onElliot Street, will take much more investigation,Wrinn said. That event,dominated by the stabbing <strong>death</strong> of26-year-old David T. Snow [story,page 3], left many people distressedand astonished, as well as frightenedof retaliation.Two people, who declined to givetheir names, offered comments tomake about Sheets, who came toVermont with a checkered history ofdrug arrests, probations, felonies, andjail time in Florida for four counts thatincluded fleeing from police, drunkendriving, carrying a concealed weapon,and possession of drug paraphernalia.But some evidence suggests thatSheets, who court records show waslast living at 897 Putney Rd. with agirlfriend, Daniell Soldo, was tryingto change his behavior before fallingback into the grip of drug abuse.A Newfane man, a cook whoworked for several months about ayear ago with Sheets at an upscale restauranton Main Street in Brattleboro,said he was not entirely surprised.“ H e w a s t h i s r e a l l y g o o dValleyPost.org Award-winning news from the Brattleboro arean No ads. n Democratically run.August 1 benefit in Dummerston.Dinner including local organic goat cheese, local organicpasture-raised pork, and local organic fruits and veggies.Live music.Tour of the New Leaf CSA farm.dishwasher. Everybody liked him.He was clean. He hardly drank and hedidn’t do drugs. We used to hang out.”And then over a few months thingsstarted to change. “He began to disappearfor an hour here and an hourthere. He tried to borrow money fromthe owners and he just slid downhill. Iremember he tried to sell me a bike.”He was soon fired. “It was like nightand day,” the former co-worker said.At Bucket O’Suds next to theBrattleboro True Value on Route 5,where Sheets had worked, a Vernonwoman mixed astonishment withher laundry chores as she was readingabout the city’s first murder ofthe year.“I absolutely didn’t believe it,” shesaid. “I knew him. I talked to him allthe time. He was so polite and helpful.I kept thinking they had the wrongguy. And then I looked at the pictureand I knew it was him.”She added, “I asked him about lawnmower repair and he said it was $50an hour and it was better just to buya new mower.’ Than he said, ’I wish Ihad more time and I’d come and mowfor you.’ It was so sweet.”Given current events, she said shewas glad she hadn’t encouraged him.Drug crimes on the riseA noticeable increase in car breakins,purse snatching, pharmacy theft,and burglaries supports Police Lt.Bob Kirkpatrick’s observation thatdrugs and drug-related crimes areon the upswing.“We know there’s a lot of drug activityon the street,” Kirkpatrick said.“We see more weapons, knives, guns.People of all ages are buying and sellingmarijuana, heroin and crack cocaine.If there are buyers there aresellers,” he said, echoing recent commentsby Secretary of State HillaryClinton prompted by the brutality ofthe drug wars sometimes just southof the Mexican border.“We know very well that the drugtraffickers are motivated by the demandfor illegal drugs in the UnitedStates, that they are armed by thetransport of weapons from the UnitedStates to Mexico,” Clinton said duringa recent visit to that country, addingthat the United States shares someof the blame.Kirkpatrick also favors communitypolicing, especially at housing developments,he said, emphasizing effortsdescribed by Chief Wrinn.$25 minimum donation. Limited number of tickets; reservations required.ROGER KATZ/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONSYoung people hang out on the steps of the storefronts onElliot Street in this file photograph.Young people speakout about Elliot StreetBy Jeff PotterThe CommonsBRATTLEBORO—Eyewitnessaccounts that accused killerAndrew Sheets was seeking moneyfor drugs for hours before the <strong>death</strong>of David Snow do not surpriseKaren Cribari.Cribari works as astreet checker at Youth Services,an agency that offers a cornucopiaof social services to youth andtheir families. She serves as thepanel coordinator for the agency’srestorative justice program.Cribari says one 16-yearolddescribed the BrattleboroTransportation Center as “theworst place” for drug activities,though two other young peopledescribed the parking garage asrelatively safe because of the numberof people in the area who havespecific restraining orders that barthem from the site.“For the 20-plus years I’ve beenhere, it’s been where the bars are,and the site for the nightlife afterthe bar stuff,” says Cribari, wholived around the corner, on ElmStreet, from 1987 to 1992.When the parking garage wasbuilt in the early 2000s, it replacedthe former Bushnell Block, whichhoused a grocery store on thestreet level and offered two to threefloors of apartments. “It was a dilapidated,pest-infested tenement,”she says, describing the building as“the epitome of a slum.”The parking garage, built on thefootprint of the Bushnell Block, “isstill the place where these thingshappen,” Cribari says.For people with no yards, thefront stoop and the sidewalk servesas part of their living space, shesays. Add to the mix the fuel ofdrugs and alcohol, people “whoare not skilled at nonviolent conflictresolution,” and the draw ofthe nightlife to young people fromother towns, and you have a potentialfor violence, she says.’Not surprised’Violence of the sort that killedDavid Snow “can happen here,”says David Dupuis, who works onthe front lines of Brattleboro asYouth Service’s community detentionmonitor. “The horrible thing isthat it didn’t really surprise me.”For the past two years, Dupuishas kept tabs on kids who are atrisk of going into the juvenile justicesystem or who have just beenreleased to his supervision. At anygiven time, he’s monitoring thewhereabouts and activities of fourto 10 young people.Dupuis, who is prepared for violence,goes out with a bulletproofvest, and who has had his lifethreatened because of the nature ofhis job, says kids see a “hard-coreguyculture” in some areas of town,including Elliot Street.Dupuis made two 16-year-oldkids on his caseload available todescribe the life and lore of ElliotStreet on the condition of anonymitybecause of their situations.“Everyone’s always high,” oneof the youths says, gesturing witha sense of teen swagger and a darksense of the absurd. “This is like abig town of high kids. Everyone Iknow in Brattleboro smokes weed.”Some of his contemporaries, hesays, “went from using to dealing,and if they’re on probation or something,they drink. They’re eitherpotheads or alcoholics.”“Or a pill popper,” the otherteen adds.“There are fights every weekend.People try to fight over stupidshit,” the first teen says.The teens both say they vaguelyknew Snow, the victim, who theysay was on the street a lot. “I heardhe was a good person,” the firstteen says. “He was a mouthy littleshit, but he was all right.”Both teens show no emotionover the killing that had takenplace on the street only severaldays before.“It’s not surprising,” the firstteen says. “We’re used to this kindof stuff. There’s always somethinggoing on.”The teens say that night or daythey see violence and crime onthe street, often happening rightout in the open. “You’ve got to belooking for it,” Dupuis points outto them. “You see a group of people.You know what they’re doing.Someone else might not know whatthey’re up to.”One of the teens adds lessonsfrom the street: “Lock your windowsand doors at night. Don’t flashmoney downtown. Don’t talk shit tothe wrong person.”“My experience is a little different,”Dupuis acknowledges. “Theirstories sound extreme, but they’revery much telling it how it is withtheir friends and the people theyhang out with.”n Williamsville Hall from page 1April drew 95 people from aroundthe region.While the the hall is valued bymany, it is unused most of the time,and because it is uninsulated andleaky it requires a considerable quantityof oil to keep open during the winter,even with the thermostat set at40–45 degrees between events. In thefiscal year 2009 budget, $3,000 wasallocated for the building’s heat, andaccording to town records $4,706.28was actually spent.Vote for winter closureAt an April 16 meeting, Newfane selectmenvoted unanimously to closeWilliamsville Hall between Oct. 30and May 1, and, in a 4–1 vote, to relievethe committee of its responsibilities.In the discussion that precededthe vote, the involvement of the HallCommittee in the rental procedurewas criticized as unwieldy.The board objected that the committeeacts as if it owns the hall; selectmanTodd Lawley acknowledged thatthe committee has “done some nicethings,” but complained that “theycome and tell us what they’re goingto do, instead of coming to ask if theycan do it.” There seemed to be littlereluctance to close the hall for half theyear. As selectman Jeff Gouger said,“What do we use it for? We don’t useit for anything.”The following day, the locks werechanged, as committee member JonJulian discovered when he attemptedto gain access to the building he hadhad a key to for ten years. After heobtained a key from the town offices,Julian received a call from selectmanGary Katz informing him he was notauthorized to use it and demandingits return.“It is the position of the hall committeethat closing it for six monthsis an overreaction to the costs involved,”said Dan Kinoy, chair of theHall Committee, “and that for manyyears items funding the operation ofthe hall have been voted on at townmeeting, so there’s no question thatthe voters of Newfane find it somethingworth supporting.” Kinoy hopesa compromise can be worked out,closing the hall for a shorter period— perhaps two months — during theheating season.The Selectboard chair, Gary Katz,told The Commons that keeping thehall open year-round is “a very nicething to be able to do, but not an absolutelynecessary thing to do, andit’s competing with things that are absolutelynecessary.” He said that lastwinter the hall cost more to heat thanthe much more heavily used town officesin Newfane Village.Katz attributed disagreement betweenthe Selectboard and the HallCommittee about the winter closure tothe committee’s singular focus on theWilliamsville Hall and the selectmen’sobligation to consider the hall in thecontext of overall town priorities.The total amount budgeted for thehall for the fiscal year that begins July1 is $6,400. The total annual town budget,apart from school costs, whichare budgeted separately, is typicallyabout $1,200,000, of which about$540,000 goes for road expenses.Steve Levine, another committeemember, pointed out that the townof Newfane has three villages —Newfane Village, Williamsville, andnearby South Newfane — and thatNewfane Village is, of the three, relativelyrich in facilities and amenities,including Newfane Union Hall. “Wedon’t have these things. We haveWilliamsville Hall. It means a lot,”he said. “The idea of it falling by thewayside is just not acceptable to a lotof people.”A majority of the five selectmen livein Newfane Village.In the last year, the hall has beenrented for 28 days; the proceeds gointo the town coffers. The rental fee,Kinoy said, has recently been raisedfrom “ridiculous to reasonable”: inthe warm months, $50 per day forresidents and $150 for non-residents;during the heating season, $150 forresidents and $200 for non-residents.Civic events pay nothing, but typicallycollect donations for the hall’s upkeep,which, along with money raisedby the Hall Committee, go into theWilliamsville Hall Fund, an accountcontrolled by the town.In general, the hall is used less inthe winter than in the summer, andduring the last winter the monthlysenior meal was cancelled due toweather two or three times. But in thepast year there were two one-day rentalsin both February and July.At the May 7 Selectboard meeting,Dan Kinoy, on behalf of the HallCommittee, formally requested thatthe selectmen rescind their decisionto close the hall, which he contendedwas contrary to Vermont open meetinglaw because warning was notgiven of the vote, nor public opinionsolicited. He also objected to the toneof the April 16 meeting, which he saidthe committee found disrespectful.Role of the Hall CommitteeKatz told The Commons that thecommittee, originally created by theSelectboard, no longer satisfactorilyserves the board, and that its actionsare not necessarily in accord with theselectmen’s intentions.He said the committee argueswith the board and wishes to act independently.He cited expendituresof money without prior Selectboardapproval, unauthorized turning upof the hall’s thermostat, and confusionon the part of prospective rentersof the hall about who to approachas reasons the selectmen decided totake back full authority over the hall.Levine described the claim that theMore than 75,000quality used books34–36 Elliot St.Brattleboro, VT802-257-7777Open 7 days a weekMon.–Sat., 10–6 • Sun. 11–5ICE CREAM! • FRESH ORGANIC GARDEN VEGGIES!OUR OWN ORGANIC EGGS!The Royal Soft-Serve Stand is now open thru October!The month of June’s featured flavor isFRESH-LOCAL “STRAWBERRIES~n~CREAM”COMING SOON “FRESH RASpBERRy SWIRL”and “FRESH BLuEBERRIES~n~CREAM”• Featuring our ownhard ice creamwith more than20 flavors• Serving superpremium soft serve• Non-fat frozenColombo yogurt• We have createdan extensive budgetfriendly lunch &dinner menu—fromfresh garden saladsto classic diner fareOpen daily5:30 a.m.–9 p.m.Hall Committee spent money withoutauthorization as “bogus,” althoughhe acknowledged “there was someconfusion as to the proper channels”for using money in the WilliamsvilleHall Fund. The expenditure in questionwas for paint used in refurbishingthe hall.Hall Committee members expresseddisappointment that the townresponded to the failure of the committeeto obtain a purchase order bysimply refusing to pay the bill for thepaint, without explanation or attemptto resolve the matter.Hall Committee member PhyllisMandell expressed a sense of outragethat a group of volunteers wouldbe summarily stripped of authority,saying, “If I’m going to go and takeout the trash, I have to go and getpermission?”“The antagonism is inexplicable,”she said.There is some difference of opinionabout whether the committeecurrently has any authority at all,or whether it must await a renewedcharge from the Selectboard.At the May 7 Selectboard meeting,which was attended by a number ofcitizens who were present in supportof the hall, most selectmen backpeddledfrom their April 16 vote, accordingto attendees.“I think they were taken abackby the passion in the room,” saidCome see ourbackyard chickens,organic gardenand relax with yourrefreshing ice creamon our benchesunder theapple treesEllen Darrow, one of the citizens atthe meeting. No vote to rescind thatvote was taken, however, and Katzstood firm.Selectman Christopher Williamsrefused to speak to The Commonsabout this meeting; selectmen JeffGouger, Todd Lawley and DennisWiswall could not be reached in timeto include their comments.“It seems like the committee isback in operation,” Levine said. “Wejust need to have better communicationwith the Selectboard.” He saidthe committee plans a fundraisingevent during the Rock River StudioTour, July 18-19, with refreshmentsduring the day and a Saturday nightbarbecue.Kinoy said the committee hasn’tbeen dissolved, but has been relievedof its responsibilities, pending furtherdiscussion. Katz’s position is that theSelectboard holds all authority overTOP of the HILL GRILL“GENUINE PIT B-B-Q”Hickory smoked pork, beef brisket& ribs, grilled chicken, burgers,cajun & vegetarian entrees,homemade sides & more• Trophy WinnerVermontB-B-QChampionship• YANKEE MAGAZINE’S“Editor’s Pick”• FODOR’S GUIDE“Highest rating”• Voted “Best B-B-Q”BrattleboroDAVID SHAW/THE COMMONSTheWilliamsvilleHall, oncedormant, hasbeen restored,but the townand thecommittee thathas overseenits use havebeen at oddspublicly sincethis pastspring.the hall at present, although he saidthe committee should not see this asa “no confidence vote.”The selectmen have expressedthe sense that the Hall Committeehas acted without sufficient consultationwith them, while Hall Committeemembers say the selectmen, particularlyKatz, have used a variety ofmeans to make it difficult for them tocontinue their work to improve andpromote the use of Williamsville Hall.“If you don’t support what we’retrying to do, fine, but don’t do everythingin your power to obstruct us,”committee member Jon Julian said.“The politics are very complex, andthere is a lot of psychology involved,”Darrow said.A public meeting between theSelectboard and the Hall Committeeis scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on July 1,at Williamsville Hall, to discuss winterclosure and the role of the committee.Putney Road, Brattleboro, VTOverlooking the West River258-9178 April through October

10 NEWS The Commons • July 2009 The Commons • July 2009 11Don’t need no cure for the summertime brewsWilliamsvilleHefeweizens arewheat beers bottled withyeast (hefe is Germanfor yeast), which clouds things upin the glass, but makes for a delightfullyrefreshing warm weatherbeverage.Why, I pondered, did no onethink to produce a Heiferweizenbeer for Brattleboro’s grand (andbecoming ever-grander) Strolling ofthe Heifers weekend? This punderfulidea is there for the taking nextspring — a case or two of the endproduct will suffice for my creativeinput.(I mentioned this to my daughterand she asked if such a beer wouldbe made with genuine Vermontcowpies. This simply gave rise toanother great brewing idea — achocolate stout with Tom and Sally’schocolate cowpies. Throw in someMocha Joe’s coffee, and we have aVermont Meadow Muffin MochaStout! No stealing this one — thiscould be big.)Long after the parade hooplahad died down on StrollingSaturday, we held the last beertasting of the season at WindhamWines (we’ll rev up again towardfall). In the Strolling spirit of supportinglocal farmers and food products— not to mention an eye ongreen practices — we held an all-Vermont tasting, something becomingever easier to do.In April the Brewers Associationtrade organization released thepleasing news that Vermont topsthe U.S. state rankings in breweriesper capita, based on our 19 breweriesand 2008 census populationestimates of 621,270. That meansthere’s at least one brewery for every32,698 of us. Fair enough. I’mwilling to share.In addition, the news pointedout that each of the Vermont producersis a “craft brewery,” meaningthey’re not simply turning outNOW OPEN at theBRATTLEBORO FOOD CO-OPDonnette Hill, Branch ManagerRiver Valley’s BrattleboroFood Co-op OfficeTo join River Valley, you must live or work inWindham, Windsor, Sullivan or Cheshire counties.www.rivercu.comDo your banking at a not-for-profit financialCo-operative when you shop at the FoodCo-op. River Valley’s newest branch is openWednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 amuntil 5 pm for your convenience. BranchManager Donnette Hill is a knowledgeable,seasoned, River Valley veteran; ready to helpyou with membership, a transaction, lending,or financial products. Stop in and say hello toDonnette at the Brattleboro Food Co-op office.Be sure to ask Donnette about River Valley lendingoptions for green heating and power alternatives,as well as construction loans for green projects.The Future of Banking...Now. ®TOMBEDELLBedell onBeerwatery megasuds, but shooting alittle higher on the beer evolutionarychart.Craft brewing began in Vermontin 1988, the first taker after legislationallowing on-premise brewingand consumption (that is to say, abrewpub), being the Vermont Puband Brewery in Burlington, stillthere, still brewing away.Twenty-one years later thingsare still in a fine ferment, and theBrattleboro beer scene continuesto blossom. What with the recentopening of The Tap Room at theFlat Street Brew Pub, and a newCo-op beer about to debut (brewedby Ray McNeill), it’s clearly time toupdate the July ’07 column when Istrolled around town sampling theR i v e r V a l l e y C r e d i t U n i o n254-4800 • Member N.C.U.A. • Equal Housing LenderBrattleboro • Putney • Townshend • Brattleboro Food Co-op • Bellows Falls • Springfieldbeer offerings — Pub Crawl II comingsoon.Summer seasonal beerstend to be lighter than dark winterheavy hitters. Think wheatbeers, hefeweizens, fruit beers,blond ales, witbiers, helles beers,Kolsches or pilsners, the end goalbeing refreshment, which may accountfor one beer I heard aboutfrom the 21st Amendment Breweryin San Francisco, a Hell or HighWatermelon Wheat.At the tasting we sampled eightVermont beers, some from theWindham Wine Gallery taps, butall available in bottles. Some areyear-round offerings, but some arestrictly seasonal, so don’t dawdle iflooking to add some novelty to thesummer cookout beer offerings.1. Wolaver’s: Ben Gleason’sWhite Ale. Wolaver’s is the organicbranch of the Otter CreekBrewing Co. Most craft brewerieshave long been green in their practices,at least to the extent of recyclingspent brewing grains to localfarmers for use as cattle fodder.Wolaver’s is now going further withan in-house treatment system for itswastewater, the largest single byproductin brewing.Part of the seasonal FarmerSeries, this particular white alewas straightforwardly named: BenGleason has been growing organicwheat for 28 eight years at his farmin Bridport, just ten miles from theMiddlebury brewery.White ales are derived fromImagine change......make it happen!Vermont Academy’s Wind Turbine– on-line August 2008...made possible by an independentsenior project to improveour environment,Wind rough the Trees,winner of the 2007 Ben & Jerry’s“Lick Global Warming” contestVermont Academy10 Long WalkSaxtons River, Vermont 05154admissions@vermontacademy.org802-869-6229www.vermontacademy.orgBelgian witbiers, characterizedby additions of spices, usually corianderand orange peel, producinga tartly refreshing drink. TheWolaver’s fit the bill, though itseemed more tame than tart, comingin at 5 percent alcohol by volume(ABV).2. Harpoon: UFO. Slightlycheating, since Harpoon is as mucha Boston brewer as a Vermontone, but ever since taking over theWindsor brewing facilities of thelate, lamented Catamount BrewingCo., Harpoon can rightfully claimdual citizenship.The UFO is an AmericanHefeweizen (4.8 percent ABV),meaning it has more of a citrus nosethan the clove character one wouldfind in a Munich version. Again, thisseemed a fairly mild interpretationto me, but suitable to the purpose.A wit style of UFO was introducedin June.3. Long Trail: Double Bag(double Alt). Long Trail, inBridgewater, celebrated its 20thbirthday in May, not long after finishingin good company in 34thplace in the rankings of the top 50brewing companies in the U.S. (by2008 sales volume).The Double Bag, which certainlyhas a heifer-related label (a cartoonof two bovines viewed from the rear,displaying, well, their bags), is arichly malty, alt-style beer commonto Düsseldorf, sturdy at 7.2 percentABV, but still refreshing. It was a favoriteof many of the tasters.4. Magic Hat: Wacko. Thiswas the least favorite of most of thetasters, though not without somefans. I found it a bland and bewilderingeffort, though it’s certainly aneye-opener. That’s because the useof beet sugar and beet juice haveproduced a rosé-colored beer, butwith no apparent effect on what littleflavor there is.Magic Hat in Burlington —Vermont’s largest brewer, ranked18th nationally — has never beenhemmed in by stylistic boundaries.There’s something to be said forthat, but this 4.5-percent ABV offeringis just a little too wacko.5. Rock Art: TomahawkusESB2. The Rock Art Breweryopened in Johnson in 1997 andmoved to Morrisville in 2002, whereowner/brewer Matthew Nadeaucreates a wide variety of styles. TheTomahawkus is the first in what hecalls his Extreme Beer series, and itis a big one, an Extra Special Bittersquared, or maybe cubed, really astrong ale style at 8 percent ABV.But the beer is less about alcoholicwarmth than hop aggressiveness,using loads of the pineyTomahawk hop, and one either likesit or not. All the hopheads in attendanceliked it.6. Long Trail: Double IPA.And there was nothing for hopheadsnot to like in another LongTrail offering, this one from the occasionalBrewmaster’s Series, anunfiltered “Imperial” India Pale Ale(except maybe the Imperial designation,an ersatz way of saying,“Take a style and more or less doubleeverything about it, from ingredientsto ABV”).But this wildly fruity, spicy, yetfirmly malty beer is quite an accomplishment.It was my favorite of thetasting, and I’ve been buying it regularlysince. It will probably vanishsometime this month.7. McNeill’s: PullmanPorter. Once upon a time RayMcNeill took over Dewey’s AleHouse on South Main Street, beganan internship at Catamount in1991, and the rest is brewing history.McNeill’s Brewery is now aninstitution on Elliot Street, and thenew McNeill’s brewing facilities onPutney Road have passed throughthe crucible of initial installationwoes.The current Pullman Porter (5.5percent ABV) is Ray at the top of hisgame: a rich dark ale that is still notout of place, slightly chilled, at thesummer table.8. Harpoon: Quad. Sincethe Otter Creek Helles Alt hadn’tarrived for the tasting, we turnedagain to Harpoon. (I’ve since hadthe Helles Alt, however, and itbears, so to speak, comparison tothe Double Bag.)The Quad is an entry in theHarpoon Leviathan series, meaninga whale of a beer, coming in at11.75 ABV, fermented with a blendof two Trappist ale yeasts. The impressionis more of toffee sweetnessthan lid-lifting warmth, almosta bit cloying for me. But some laying-downtime should mellow it outnicely — maybe until next summer,when mellow will again be the seasonalmood.nTom Bedell never has trouble findinga beer for all seasons. Contact himat tom@3guysgolf.com.WeddingsBarbecuesFamily GatheringsRESERVE YOUR TENTTent sizes 10’x10’ to 40’x100’We set up dance floors,portable stages, tables,chairs, lighting, portabletoilets and sinks.Contact John Evans atGreen MountainTent RentalsTownshend ParkTownshend, VT802-365-7839800-691-8368gmtents@svcable.netwww.greenmtntents.comVoicesV I E W P O I N T S , E S S A Y S , A N D P E R S O N A L P E R S P E C T I V E SB Y , F O R , A N D A B O U T T H E C I T I Z E N S O F W I N D H A M C O U N T YThe proximity of crimeA writer’s imagination bridges two very different worldsBrattleboroMy mother was visitingthe night themurder happened onElliot Street in our little town ofBrattleboro, Vermont. It happeneda block away from where she wassleeping with her eyeshades onand her travel alarm clock next toher. There were evidence tents setup the next morning. “Just like in aRobert Parker novel,” my mothersaid when I walked her to her car.Beneath one tent was a wallet anda baseball cap. “What happened?”I asked a girl in cowboy boots aftermy mother had left. “A guy got murdered,”the girl said. “Stabbed.” Inthe bank a man drew a line acrosshis throat. “Right in front of thebuilding I own,” the man said.Later, my husband, a junkie forviolent crime news and Cops, sankinto his favorite gold chair and toldme the murderer was 41. It happenedat 3 in the morning.“You know the old saying,” myhusband said. “Nothing good happensafter midnight.” Though itwasn’t so long ago we’d had plentyof good times after midnight onElliot.“He was looking to score somecoke,” my husband said. “And somekid took his money. The guy tryingto score the coke got mad, sothe kid called his older brother.The older brother came out withhis dog, and the guy trying to scorethe coke stabbed him. Twice. Killedhim. The kid was 26.”In the past few years, Elliot Streethas become a hangout spot forboys in non-sportsman-like sneakers,denim crotches to their knees,baseball caps, cigarettes, and veryloud mouths. The girls they hangwith are the kind of girls I secretlyenvied in high school with bloodredmouths, their own cigarettes,tattoos, dyed hair, very tight jeans,and big boobs they aren’t afraid toshow off.Grownups hang out there, too,and they look like older versions ofthe kids. They stand around the drycleaner and the stoop of the old restaurantand the door of the Indianrestaurant. They just about own thestreet, they kiss and yell to one anotherand generally loaf around asthough they don’t need jobs or havehomes or anywhere to be. The artistsand businesspeople passing byon their way to the parking garageSuzanneKingsbury is a novelist,editor, and teacherof writing in Brattleboro,where she is one of theprincipal organizers ofThe Brattleboro LiteraryFestival.pretend they don’t see them.The day after the murder thesepeople who own Elliot Street putflowers on the sidewalk with candlesand beers and held vigil on theclosed-restaurant stoop with a bigcardboard sign that said, Violenceis not the answer.I saw one of the girls crying. Butthen a few days later a homelessguy drank the beers, and the peoplefrom the stoop beat him up so badthe cops had to be called. I guesssometimes violence is the answer— it all depends on the situation.I am supposed to be botheredby all this. My husband saysthe Elliot Street people are scaringfolks, and no one wants to walkdown that street anymore. The murdersort of proves him right, and Ireally try to screw up my scare-meter,but I don’t have a good one.I was always the kid on the trainto New York who looked the crazyguy right in the eye because Iwanted to see what was behind theone-way conversation he was havingwith himself. I wanted straightaway,when I was old enough toknow about the map of the world, togo somewhere far off where peopledidn’t look like me and there wereshootings in the streets.I wished for more movies andbooks about homeless kids inTimes Square. I watched TheWarriors about a million times andThe Outsiders two million times,and I sought out the boys in myhigh school whose parents weredivorced and who congregated inan old barn listening to Pink Floyd,dropping acid and growing theirhair. They didn’t have to be home ata particular hour, and if they ownedcars, they were old and made noiseslike guns going off.These boys were scarce. I grewup in a town where if you weren’t awasp with a yacht club membership,you either needed some kindof passport or the backing of a reallynice church group to get in. Havinga black friend was retro and daring.Sometimes we go back to thattown to visit my mother, and I feelcomfortable and safe. You can walkalong the ocean and see herons onthe velvety marshes. The housesare restored and renovated, withmanicured hedges and very greenlawns. I feel the muse there, butwhen I sit down to write, it is alwaysabout the one Italian girl in my sister’sgrade or the Puerto Ricanswho moved in during the ’70s andlived by the tracks.My husband and I lie awake talkingabout moving there someday,and I forget the immense restlessnessthat rises up in me when Iam too safe. I forget that all my lifeI have tried not to be safe, flyingoff to the civil war in Sri Lanka, toSouth Africa just after apartheid,to Zimbabwe during the reign ofMugabe, throwing everything awayto jump in my car and move to theupper Mississippi Hill Countrywhere I could be the only white girlin the juke joint and drink moonshinefrom a headless doll.When we drive back intoVermont after visiting my mother,I quit feeling so anesthetized, andI return to my own skin. As soonas we pull into the Price Chopperto get something to eat, I can smellneed, I can feel the stakes arehigher here, and I am happy to behome.You probably think Vermontis very safe, white, crime-less, andAndy Griffith–like. If you’ve neverbeen here and have only read aboutBrattleboro’s impetus to impeachBush, the three colleges, the prepschools, the family farms, and thepainting studios in the old cottonmill, you might believe Brattleborowas a kind of artist enclave withtransplants from New York City whoshop at the co-op and order hempclothes online. And it is.But if you have an eye for felonyand transgression, like me, youwould also know which housesare subsidized by the WindhamHousing Trust, that squatters haverights to the decrepit factory onArch, that the homeless drink bythe railroad tracks with one-eyedcats, that kids up from Springfieldsell drugs in the bar bathrooms onSaturday night, that there’s a heroinproblem on Flat Street, and that theyellers on Elliot — although sincethe murder, the police are crackingdown — have tattoos on their necksand carry knives. It makes me feelmore alive. I like the proximity ofcrime.All this probably makes me soundE S S A Yrisky, daring, but the really riskypeople, the people in my imaginationlike the boy on the stoop whosebrother was killed, know that I am afake, a fraud. He knows I don’t anymorewant to change places withhim than I want to feel what it is liketo be starving in Africa with aids.The truth is, I come from a littlebit of money, have never been a victimof a crime, am over-educated,and don’t know what it is like to livehand to mouth, so I can walk downthe street with my mother and becurious about what happened thenight before, the lone baseball cap,the blood on the street. I can sit onmy husband’s lap that night andpeer over his shoulder at the picturein the newspaper of the guy inleg shackles who stabbed a 26-yearold, the guy who’s a year older thanI am.That guy had nowhere acceptableto put his rage, so forever his lifehas changed. “He might not evenremember what he did,” my husbandsaid.And because I can’t know whatit is like to be that man, I have thestrange urge to reach out and touchhim, just to know if his skin, beingthat he is human, feels the sameas mine.n

12 VOICES The Commons • July 2009 The Commons • July 2009 VOICES 13Myths and realities of autism and Asperger’sBrattleboroLast spring, my familyand I moved from our22-acre farm in westernMassachusetts to the center ofBrattleboro. It was the beginning ofa new life together.Six months later, at the age of 50,I was diagnosed with Asperger’sSyndrome, a high-functioning formof autism. Far from being a momentof heartbreak, my diagnosis was acause for celebration. For the firsttime, my life made sense.I had always felt very differentfrom other people. I had alwayshad a sense of apartness, of otherness,for which I could find noexplanation.The subject of autism had alwaysfascinated me, but the idea that Imight be autistic seemed absurd.I’d gone to college, made friends,and worked full-time. I was marriedand raising a family. How could Ibe autistic? After all, autistic peoplewere locked into their own, strangeworlds, unable to communicate orfunction in society.Or so I thought.I’ve come a long way since then.In the process of understanding myselfas an autistic woman, I’ve hadto discard all of the myths I’ve everheard on the subject. These mythsinclude the following.Myth #1: All autistic people arenonverbal and low functioning.Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg publishesthe blog “AspergerJourneys: Reports fromLife” on the Spectrum atwww.aspergerjourneys.com.Autism is a spectrum condition.In the U.S., one person in every 150is autistic, and more than half ofall autistic people have Asperger’sSyndrome. In addition, many peopleon the spectrum find themselvesbetween the high-functioning andlow-functioning extremes. In fact,some who begin at the more severelyaffected end of the spectrumcan become higher functioning asthey grow and learn.Myth #2: Autism is a mentalillness.Autism is not a psychological disorder.It is a neurological conditionin which the brain and nervous systemare highly sensitive to sensorystimuli.When the average person takesin sensory information from the environment,he or she intuitively filtersit, prioritizes it, and responds ina purposeful way. For autistic people,sensory processing works verydifferently. The information comesin full force, without a great deal offiltering.For example, I have almost noability to filter auditory information.Every patient is exceptional.That’s why we have to be.You deserve expert health care from skilled, compassionatecaregivers. You deserve advanced medical technology for faster,more accurate results. It’s all right here for you, close to home,at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.• The new Richards Building, our 34,000 square footfacility for outpatient care• Oncology Department (for patients with cancer)• Surgery:- Minimally invasive surgery- Orthopedic surgery for sports injuriesand joint replacement- ENT, Eye, General Surgery, GYN, Urology• Advanced radiology including CT and MRI• Digital mammography• Comprehensive Breast Care Program• Family-oriented Birthing Center• Cardiac diagnostic testing and rehabilitation• Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICES: 802-257-8222Anywhere I go, I hear a cacophonyof sounds and voices, all at thesame high volume. It is difficultfor me to have a conversation witha lot of sound in the background,because for me, there is very littlebackground. Any loud, crowded,unstructured situation causes menearly immediate sensory overload.I also experience the visual worldvery intensely. I am constantly scanningmy environment, looking atnumerous details, and attemptingto order them into some sort ofpattern. Because the visual worldconstantly changes, my orderingprocess never stops. It’s only recentlythat I’ve realized that mostpeople do not experience the visualworld with the same intensity thatI do.Myth #3: Autistic people lackempathy.Far from lacking empathy, autisticpeople often have an excess ofempathy. However, because of oursensory sensitivities, we may not alwaysbe able to show it.As a child, I was very sensitiveand vicariously experienced the sufferingof others. For example, inHebrew school, we watched Nazifootage of what had happened inthe concentration camps duringthe Holocaust. I saw films in whichpeople were lined up at the edge ofa ditch and shot. The empathy I felt17 Belmont Avenue, Brattleboro, VT 05301 • 802-257-0341 • www.bmhvt.orgfor the people was immediate. I feltmyself experiencing what they wereexperiencing, as though it were happeningto me at that very moment.For many years since then, I’vebeen aware that when I walk into aroom full of people, I enter into theemotional experience of everyonepresent. It’s as though all the emotionscome right through me. It allcomes in much faster than I canprocess it, but I feel its impact. I becomevery disoriented, so much sothat I have difficulty feeling or thinkingat all.My husband can usually tellwhen I’m having this experience.He’ll say, “You’re gone, aren’t you?”to which I can only nod an emphatic“Yes.”Myth #4: Autistic people areantisocial.Autistic people often have difficultiesin communication because weare unable to intuitively read nonverbalcues, such as facial expressionsand body language.I’ve recently learned that nonverbalcues make up about 90 percentof any conversation. Until my diagnosis,I had no idea that nonverballanguage even existed. Whenconversing, I just hear the words.That’s all. And because I just hearthe words, I have to spend moretime listening, translating, thinking,and responding than a neuro-typicalperson.My response times are thereforedelayed. People sometimes interpretmy delayed response as a lackof interest. Under most circumstances,they are mistaken.I don’t think it’s possible for me tofully express what a longing I haveto spend time with other people.However, a 10-minute conversationwith one person can feel like a lotof work. A conversation with morethan one person is nearly impossible.And when you add my sensoryand emotional sensitivities to themix, you get a person who requiresa great deal of solitude.Myth #5: Autistic people don’tmake eye contact because theydon’t care about what people haveto say.I find eye contact very difficult,but it has nothing to do withwhether I’m interested in whatsomeone is telling me. In fact, if I’minterested, I usually have to lookaway from the person in order tothink clearly.Over the years, in an attempt tomask my difficulties, I have developeda number of cloaking devices,including the ability to make andmaintain eye contact. However, theskill does not come naturally.Except for my husband and mydaughter, I shy away from eye contactwith most people, rather in thesame way that I shy away from lookingdirectly into the sun. When Ilook into a person’s eyes, I havesuch a profound experience of theperson that it’s overwhelming.Myth #6: Autistic people can’thave families of their own.Many autistic people are marriedand raising children. Both my husbandand my daughter are neurotypical,and I adore them.Myth #7: Autistic people are puzzleswith pieces missing.V I E W P O I N TThe use of the “missing puzzlepieces” metaphor to describe autismis a source of great pain for me.Before my diagnosis, I used tofeel that I had pieces missing. OnceI discovered that I had Asperger’sSyndrome, all of the pieces of mylife started coming together to forma coherent, recognizable picture.For the first time in my life, I feltwhole.Myth #8: Autistic people have lowintelligence.Autistic people have differentlevels of intelligence, just as neurotypicalpeople do. The test used formeasuring intelligence makes a profounddifference in the outcome ofthe assessment.In a 2007 study, autistic childrenand neuro-typical childrentook two IQ tests: the wisc test(which relies on verbal questionsand responses) and the Raven’sProgressive Matrices test (whichmeasures the ability to do highlevelabstraction and complexreasoning).Not a single autistic child scoredin the high-intelligence range of thewisc; in fact, one-third scored inthe low-intelligence range. However,one-third of the autistic childrenscored in the high-intelligencerange on the Raven’s. Autistic andneuro-typical adults were tested aswell, with the same results.Myth #9: Autistic people do notenjoy life.For some autistic people, thisstatement is true, just as it’s true forany other group of people. However,many of us find great joy in ourloved ones, and we can focus likea laser beam on our special interestsfor hours on end. My family,my friends, my art, my music, mywriting, and my community workare constant sources of joy andsatisfaction.Myth #10: Autism is a disease inneed of a cure.This statement is the focus of passionatedebate.Like many others, I do not considerautism a disease. As researchersat the Swiss Brain-Mind Institutewrote in a 2007 article, “The autisticperson is an individual with remarkableand far above averagecapabilities due to greatly enhancedperception, attention, and memory.In fact, it is this hyper-functionalitywhich could render the individualdebilitated.”At present, there is no cure forautism. I understand why some peopleon the spectrum might want acure. Being autistic, even at a highfunctioninglevel, is very difficult.For people on the severe end of thespectrum, the condition can be trulydisabling.Personally, I do not want to becured. Autism makes me who I am,and it has given me many gifts. Iam sensitive, empathetic, and artistic.I see great beauty in the world,and I feel its injustices very deeply.I am very direct in my speech, andfor that reason, people intuitivelytrust me.I would not want to be different. Iam proud of who I am. It has takenme 50 years to discover the truthabout my life. In the time remainingto me, I plan to mine that truth forall its worth.nThe laws of unintended consequencesInterstate 91 and the farming culture that, for better or worse, changed foreverWilliamsvilleAbout ten years ago,we took the kids toWashington, D.C., andstayed with friends in Maryland.Every morning, we drove to theMetro and commuted into town.The mile trip from the house to theparking garage was an eye-openerfor us hicks: three lanes of trafficin each direction, stop lights at theend of each block, and lots and lotsof cars.It was a great relief the followingweek when I drove up to Johnson,Vt., for a writers’ retreat. There Iwas: Monday morning, headingnorth onInterstate91, and notanother carin sight. Itwasn’t untilWhiteRiverJunction,as I wascurvingonto I-89,Interstate91 at 50An occasionalseries of storiesthat spotlight theways the highwayhas changed lifeand landscapethat a familiar red car overtook me.It was State Senator Peter Shumlin,heading to Montpelier.This story proves that old adageabout small-town life: you notonly know who’s in which car, butyou also know where they’re going.Before the Interstate, Vermont wasmade up of just such small towns.Since the highway’s been built, thewhole state’s become a small town.Columnist’s note: Obviously,Father’s Day was last month.However, I wrote this column on theFriday before Father’s Day. Pleaseuse your imagination and go backin time to Sunday, June 21. If youdidn’t follow the instructions belowwhile you honored the patriarch ofyour family, remember: it is nevertoo late.PutneyThe third Sunday thisJune is the most importantday of the year formany of us. It is a day when theunsung, unappreciated and disrespectedare finally able to bask inthe sunshine.I speak, of course, of fathers, forat last it is Fathers’ Day. I hope wewill not use this day as merely anexcuse for thoughtless frivolity andcapering about. Take a moment,you people with fathers out there,and reflect upon the reason for thisday.Think, if you will, about the manyduties asked of our patriarchalunits over the years. Ladies, whenyou are awakened by sounds in thebackyard, who circles the housein his underwear, nine-iron at theready? Who constantly monitorsthe TV for any news of natural disastersthat might pose a threat tothe family? What good are thoseConelrad alerts if no one is watchingTV? You don’t think we actuallyenjoy those football games, do you?At the beach, Dad is ever-vigilantin eyeballing the curvaceous babes,thereby gleaning valuable informationabout health and fitness, whichhe charitably passes on to his wife.DEBORAHLEELUSKINThe first nine miles of Interstate91 in Vermont (seven fromMassachusetts to Brattleboro, andtwo from the Canadian bordersouth to Derby line) opened in 1958.Vermont’s 322 miles of Interstateweren’t finished until 1978, butenough was complete in 1965 tobring my family north for the summer.By 1969, the highway took usall the way to Waterbury, just 10miles from the skiing in Stowe.But it wasn’t until the mid-nineties,after I’d lived here for over adecade, that I realized how muchthe Interstates must have changedVermont. Curiosity got the bestof me, and I started doing someresearch.I interviewed Florence Howe andCliff Allard, whose family farms lostland to the highway where it parallelsOld Ferry Road. Cliff drove medown Putney Road, describing whatit was like when he was a kid. Theplace was all farms 50 years ago, notthe asphalt strip it is now.I hunted down people whoworked on the drill crews, talkedto people who remember whenRoute 5 was the main thoroughfare,JIMAUSTINAnd speaking of wives, aren’t youpleased when Dad goes the extramile on your birthday and splurgeson a filmy chemise with matchingdental-floss thong from Frederick’sof Hollywood?What, then, can you do to makethis a very special Fathers’ Day forthe big guy in your life?How about this: Slip outof bed at 4 a.m. and begin a specialFathers’ Day breakfast. MayI suggest eggs Benedict with severalbacon slices and some freshlysqueezed orange juice? Homemadebran muffins slathered in butterand a teacup full of strawberrypreserves?And coffee, of course — CostaRican beans ground immediatelybefore brewing. Remember to takethe grinder outside so Father’ssleep remains undisturbed.At 10 a.m., the father is awakenedby soft Eastern sitar music. Thewife shimmers into the bedroomdressed in the aforementioned outfitand proceeds to perform thedance of the seven veils. If the fatherwishes to choreograph thedance and even participate, the wifeshould immediately acquiesce.Next, the shower should belistened to people’s stories aboutthe highway’s construction, readold newspapers explaining the engineeringbehind the exits.I went to the Agency ofTransportation in Montpelier andstudied the blueprints for the roadand learned that it took 40 acres tobuild a mile, and a million dollars.Of that, the federal government paid90 percent, but the state owned both24-foot-wide lanes and the 50-footmedian in between.The engineers tried to thinkof everything, right down to thelandscaping of the median, whereshrubs were strategically placed toshutter the lights of oncoming traffic.In Vermont, in particular, attentionwas paid to the “vistas,” asthey were called. Vermont’s twoInterstates are just a fraction of a40,000-mile network of limited-accesshighways in the United States— the largest roadway system inthe world.I tried to imagine whatVermont was like before the highwayarrived and how the highwaychanged the state.Coincident with the highwaycame huge changes in agriculturalpractices. Holstein herds of 40 and50 head replaced the 12-cow Jerseyherd, and bulk-tank collection replacedmilk cans hauled to the plantfor processing. All aspects of farmingbecame more mechanized andnow relied on chemical fertilizersIn the name of the fatheradjusted to the proper temperature,and both wife and kids should applaudas Dad belts out a few showertunes. Upon emerging from theshower, Dad should be wrappedin a toasty towel that has just beenremoved from the clothes dryer.Breakfast may now be served.Now to the fruits of the saintedpatriarch’s loins: Children should berehearsed in a joyous song or poemof praise for the father.Before dinner, a scotch and soda,margarita, or other libation shall beprepared and served with an expensivestogie dipped in Napoleonbrandy (a Hoyo De MonterreyExcalibur Maduro is a good choice).The children may then be usheredin to the honored one’s presence,where they may presenttheir cards of appreciation made inschool that week. Any excess glueshould be carefully removed fromthese cards so as not to sully the fatherlydigits.The offspring will then delivertheir song or poem in unison, e.g.:Fabulous Father, you are thebest,While we are simply miserablepests,Dad’s the apple of our eyeballs.Mom, make dad a few morehighballs.(Pronouns may be adjusted fornumber of whelps.)I hope these tips will helpyou appreciate the value of thatlawn-mowing, garbage-hauling,sports-coaching, worm-impaling,burglar-repelling dad in your life.May he never three-putt. nand hybrid seeds.Even the language changed.The reports put out by the agriculturalExtension at UVM no longerreferred to those who farmed as“farmers” but as “operators.” Farmsbecame “operations”: barns andmilk plants unto themselves.Lest I sound nostalgic for timesgone by, let me set the recordstraight: the coming of the highwaywas neither all good nor allbad. But the law of unintended consequenceshad its effect. The roadcame, farming changed, we all gotin our cars and started to driveplaces.Nobody expected we’d poisonthe air with cars — or ever run outof cheap gas. Or that the farmerswho modernized would dependon trucking in midwestern grainto feed their cows, or that peoplewould drive past their local storesto shop 20 miles away at the supermarket,or, more recently, drive outof-stateto warehouse-like big-boxstores.The politicians behind the buildingof the Interstate did anticipatethe boom to Vermont’s ski industry,but not necessarily at the costof family farms. The roads wereexpected to increase tourism; theirony is that Vermont has become adestination resort — a theme parkCentered Healing Therapeutic MassageTerye Wohnus, NCMT802-251-0015Far-infrared sauna session available with or without massageDiscounts to Brattleboro Food Co-op membersREGISTER NOW FOR SUMMER CLASSESCCVGift certificateswhose identity is built on the veryagrarian background the road sodramatically altered.Perhaps most unanticipated of all,however, is the change in Vermont’soutlook on the world. Before theInterstate, Vermont was a rockribbedRepublican enclave; now, it’sthe most liberal state in the nation.I researched the building ofthe interstate for a novel. It’s a sadstory, and it has not yet been published.I’m not sure it ever will be.But it was a satisfying act of imaginationto recreate Vermont teeteringbetween its old isolationism andits new connection to a wider world.For better or for worse, theInterstate is here, and it’s a beautifulroad through a beautiful landscape.I’m grateful for the ease withwhich it allows me to get around.But I can’t help thinking about howthe road steamrolled our sense ofthe local.Unquestionably, the Interstatesplayed a key role in the homogenizationof American culture and thedilution of the local, diminishing oursense of community and belonging.The questions for us now, as ourInterstate turns 50, is: Can we reclaimour sense of community? Andhow can we be a mobile society, andsimultaneously a settled one? nWe’re Your College...• Financial aid available• A schedule that fits your life• Online classes from homeBRATTLEBORO • 254-6370 • WWW.CCV.EDUBMH2681_genServAd_every_5.92x7.875.indd 16/24/09 11:05:59 AM

14 VOICES The Commons • July 2009 The Commons • July 2009 VOICES 15Ihave been a Twelve Tribesmember for 25 years. I am a wifeand mother, employing many giftsand skills and learning others, as Icontinue in this life.I noticed that the Voices section ofThe Commons was created as a forumfor biased expressions of opinionrather than news. While it maybe interesting to the readers, as if wecould keep these issues in the realmof a slightly distant debate (just thebeginning of a “salvo” was editorJeff Potter’s term), the essay ClaraRose Thornton wrote was highlypersonal. So I decided to write a personalresponse to Ms. Thornton’sopinion about her experience at theBasin Farm.First of all, we insist that the editorremove the references to a Website that is not our Web site at all. Weof the Twelve Tribes did not publishthe material from that teachingWeb site,” whether quoted in Ms.Thornton’s article or the referenceput in an adjacent box by the editorof The Commons. Our Web site iswww.twelvetribes.com, which containsour published writings aboutmany topics.Before publishing in a newspaper,the editor is responsible to make surethat all sources are verifiable and reputable.A keystone in Ms. Thornton’sarticle is a reference to a Web site thatDrawing Workshop IThursdays a.m. and p.m.Starts September 10More than Meets the EyeA weekend retreatJuly 31-August 2October 16–18Focusing for CouplesBy appointment withHawes and CoreaPrivate RetreatsBy appointment withCorea and Haweshas no author and no contact information,and that has a deliberatelyconcealed identity in its domain record.We insist that this reference beremoved.Now, on the article: If peopleare going to hate us for thinkingfreely, or for the possibilities of whatwe might be thinking, then theyshould realize that they will becomeobsessed with paranoia over whateveryone is thinking, or else theywill need “thought police.”But we will not give it up, nor willwe hate others for thinking freely. Andwe will use our freedom of speech. Wealso fully support the rights of conscienceand speech for others, evenwhen they seem against us.We do not agree that what was saidto Ms. Thornton represents our collectiveheart toward her and her racialbackground, or that of any person.Ms. Thorton was received as ourguest, by our invitation. She actuallycalled one of our other communities,saying she was in a desperate situationin Canada and needed help, andwas referred to the Basin Farm. Whenshe needed help, our people did nothesitate to help her.We welcomed her into our home,where we raise our children, withoutbringing any hard questions or backgroundchecks. This is actually ourA Special Place toGrowCreateHealHere, in the woodsby the brook,we transformobstacles intostepping stonesGeryunant(making whole by the brook)Where the arts and Focusing come together...www.geryunant.com(Detailed EventDescription)habit, with hikers or travelers, or otherswho come to us for help or witha need. We believe in love and hospitality.Does love count for anything?We see that among good neighborsand in good societies, peopleare to be judged by and appreciatedfor their lives and deeds, by their activecare for creation and for otherhuman beings.Here are some comments we havein response to Clara Rose Thornton’sarticle about her time with us in ourhome.• We pay our taxes and earn ourown living.• We extend hospitality, housing,and meals to our guests.• We do not discriminate, in offeringthis hospitality, on the basisof race, belief, gender, or otherwise.• We require that people who staywith us participate in our daily activitiesand abide by our standards of conduct.We do not run a shelter.• Ms. Thornton agreed to keepcertain standards of conduct in ourhome. She was free to leave whenevershe wished.• Ms. Thornton’s perception of ourpeople’s intentions is biased, accusatory,and untrue. Someone picked herup from the bus, carried her loads,and offered her clothing — theseare often considered “good deeds.”They were done with absolutely noBefore Words Come:A Writing WorkshopTuesdays a.m. and p.m.Starts September 8Right Body: Weight LossSupport GroupMondays, 1:30 p.m.Starts September 7Thursdays a.m. and p.m.Starts September 10Sabuhalla BodyworkBy appointment with CoreaAfrican Chi DancingTBAHoliday Open HouseDecember 5, 1:30-4:30 p.m.Questions?Questions?802-254-6881 802-257-3099helenrhawes@gmail.comgenovefa@sover.net... And the universe whispers, “Welcome home. I am here for you.”L E T T E R S F R O M R E A D E R SA Twelve Tribes wife and mother respondsA different take on a writer’s short stay with the religious communityulterior motive.• We understand that Ms.Thorntonmay be disgruntled about aspects ofher experience, but we object to suchone-sided libel. It goes far beyond “awell-written essay.”• We have African Americans (andmembers of many cultures) in ourcommunities who are respected leaders,prophets, and teachers.• We eagerly desire for moreAfrican-Americans, as well asEuropean-Americans, moreover allnations and cultures, to know ourlife and our message of hope for adying world.Ms. Thornton’s article is an essayfull of factual errors and interestinginsinuations. I will begin withher closing comments, and a littlestory from my own experience.“Freedom of religion is a right inthis world. But I have a hard timeaccepting the freedom to poisonhelpless minds. I have a hard timeaccepting the freedom to hurt, torestrict and to bastardize and annihilateself-worth.“And now, on this, the 25th anniversaryof a shameful incidentthat brought this group of peopleto the cultural consciousness, I’mnot sure what definitive statementto give to assess their current state.I do not know what should be done.I simply do not know.”Actually, freedom of religion hasonly been supported as an inalienablehuman right in more recenttimes, and not without struggle andbloodshed (of the ones with “wrongdoctrine”). The issue is not simplyfreedom of ceremony or freedom ofdoctrine, but the crucial matter is freedomof conscience. Some people havedeeply held convictions of consciencethat are non-religious.You could say that this inalienableright of conscience is definitive of humanity,yet it is completely denied insome places. Even in the beginningsof this country, many people were cruellymistreated and even killed — notfor their actions toward others, but fortheir beliefs that differed from the majorityand therefore were consideredoffensive or subversive. Conscience isall-important. Issues of conscience areworth being persecuted and dying for.It is not clear who the minds arethat Ms. Thornton thinks are being“helplessly poisoned.” She is insinuatingsomething. I do know that whoeverchooses to believe what is nottrue will be poisoned.Freedom of speech must not bemisconstrued as freedom to lie — butwe of the Twelve Tribes would rathersuffer because of someone misusingtheir freedom of speech than sufferthe absence of freedom of speech forus and for others.We — being a religious minority— realize from personal experiencethat what is published about you canaffect the opinions of your neighbors,and the resulting alienation and evenhostility does attack your self-worth.It takes character to refuse to be bitteror vindictive, and to keep on lovingpeople.It is very interesting that Ms.Thornton invokes the spirit of the1984 raid on our people’s homes, anevent that was provoked by peoplelying about us and writing articlesmuch like her own. “Cult experts,”who were making money at theirwork, figured out how to use the mediaand how to incite the state to action.It promised to be good for theirbusiness.Real people live in our houses, atour communities. Years ago, while Iwas working in the kitchen with someof my friends and many of our children,a wild-eyed man stomped intoour house and stood breathing heavily,filling up the kitchen door with hisbulk. It was frightening, especially tothe children.One of us gave a kind greeting andoffered him tea. His response was tospew out some things about our peopleand our life, and then snarl, “I’mgonna expose you all, because youare using people!” (This, to a group ofhappy mothers and children.)We responded calmly, and the situationwas defused. But after he left,my 5-year-old looked up at me in greatfear and asked, “Imma, does expose…does that mean the same as dispose?”We had been dealing with vegetableparings in the sink disposer, and thetwo words sounded so much alike tohim. It took a little while to dispel thatvivid impression from his mind.Now at age 15, he has read Ms.Thornton’s article. He took note ofMs. Thornton’s closing remarks, andhe asked, “Why does she say that shedoesn’t know what should be doneabout us? It is not up to her that somethingshould ‘be done’ about us.”And my 20-year-old daughter respondedalso, “Who asked her to1751 River Road, Dummerston, VT 05301-9665 (802) 257-5580give a statement about what shouldbe done? She wants us to be dealtwith somehow…. But it’s not for herto say how we should be dealt with.And why did she say she had to slipout of the house, as if we were holdingher hostage? She was free to goanytime.”Maybe they sense a point thatlies behind Ms. Thornton’s words,whether she realizes that point or not.But she should realize it. In sayingthese things about the Twelve Tribes,she is talking about three generations,and children who have grown up in aculture different from her own familybackground and from popular culture.Let me repeat: We did not publishthe words that Ms. Thornton sayshurt her so deeply. If she is afraid ofthe effect that words could have, whatthey could incite others to do, thenshe should not have published thosewords, herself. And maybe she shouldhave followed the golden rule and notpublished inflammatory words aboutour families. [A clarification aboutthe origin of the quotations appearson page 17.]Ms. Thornton derides some of ourcustoms that offend her, calling us anotorious cult. Well, who else in ourtowns will her criticisms arouse suspicionabout? Even worse, does shewant to generate fear, and force conformityso that people actually suppressand deny their own religiousbeliefs or culture to avoid persecution?I thought she would have been a supporterof multiculturalism.If she feels threatened, fearing thatthe present government cannot maintainprotection and rights for her people,then I assure her that the historyof persecution for our particular beliefsand way of life is appalling to theextreme. We are not into publishingthat which would promote violencetoward anyone.Following are some of themost obvious things she wrote thatare simply untrue. There are more,but so many that we will leave allowancefor errors in perspective.“Basin Farm, in fact, wasnot a member of [WorldwideOpportunities on Organic Farms];I’d been lied to.”She was not lied to. My friend whospoke to her was simply uninformedabout wwoof, whatever the officialprocess may be. He was offeringhospitality from a good heart, as weoften do. You see, we don’t live in compounds,and we like to make friendswith different kinds of people.“It was disconcerting how everyonelooked exactly the same. All ofthe males, young and old, had a fullbeard and a ponytail of the exactsame length, chopped to mid-nape.The women all had very long ponytailsand wore either baggy dresses,a baggy skirt with a tunic and vest,or bulky pantaloons that gatheredat the ankles.”These statements are full of prejudice,meant to give a very negativeimpression. Maybe a “cultural critic,”as Ms. Thornton calls herself, is simplyone who criticizes other cultures.Some other cultures tend to dressvery similarly among themselves.Some other religions have very particularways of eating. Does she reallywant to generate more suspicion andalienation among neighbors?“There is an office with a computer,although only two mendeemed in charge of administrativeand business activities…wereallowed to use it, lest the Internetunleash its evil.”This is simply untrue, whether amisunderstanding or a deliberate misrepresentation.But Ms. Thornton wasin our home. We are not an institution— it is our home that we opened toher in hospitality. Ms. Thornton impliesthat two men are oppressingthe other people at the Basin Farm.But the people there are members ofan extended family, who have agreedabout what they are doing in their ownhome. We establish whatever groundrules we wish to establish. Whoeverdoes not want to follow those rulescan go elsewhere. It’s a free country.“There is no private space. Nolibrary (the women and childrenare not allowed to read anythingfrom the outside world). No playroom for toddlers. No recreationalareas for activity outside of sunupto-sundownwork.”My 15-year-old son (in the middleof reading her article) says, “Why isshe lying?”He was born at the Basin Farm, andthe whole place was his front yard,with a huge lawn for Frisbee and volleyballgames, farm animals in theback yard, and a great swimming holein the side yard. Farms are incredibleplaces to learn, where work and playare a continuum. The work/play dichotomy,with one seeming moredesirable than the other, tends to promotemoney-consciousness ratherthan people-consciousness.We are not going to have playrooms where toddlers spend hourssampling artificial activities and manipulatingcolored plastic. This is onereason we love our life together.If Ms. Thornton had pursuedfriendships at the Basin Farm, shemight have noticed little children caringfor goats with their older sister,taking a swim with a group of families,practicing dances, making sourdoughbread with a friend…the list goeson. Go to the Common Loaf Bakeryin Brattleboro and see the photos ofthe Basin Farm that have been in thewindow for several months.“It became clear that the communityhad no previous exposureto women working in the fields oranywhere outside of the kitchen.”I think Ms. Thornton knows thisis not true, because she spent timein our café in Rutland, talking to ouryoung women who grew up in theTwelve Tribes.For anyone truly interested inwhat our women have to say abouttheir chosen life, please personallyvisit one of our communities or cafésand talk with our women, or see ourWeb site at www.twelvetribes.com —type “women” in the Search. At theCommon Loaf in Brattleboro, you cantalk with Nifla’ah, who manages thebakery with her husband.A question with a much shorter answerwould be, “What do your womennot do?”If Ms.Thornton was dismayedabout someone offering to carryher buckets of vegetables, she couldhave politely said, “No, thank you.”My 9-year-old daughter happenedto read that portion of the article,and she asked with concern, “If shewas working out in the field carryingsomething too heavy, and someoneelse offered to carry it for her, evenif they offered it in a kind of funnyway, why would that woman twist itall around as if the person was beingcritical of her?”My daughter also was disturbedat how her people were portrayed —friends who love her, friends who havetaught her, danced with her, workedon the farm with her, told stories toher, played outside, and gone swimmingwith her. She asked, “Why didthe woman say we just stared at her,and our faces were vacant?” Goodquestion. I think my daughter getsan A+ for reading comprehension.“Members of the Twelve Tribeshave an intricate network of beliefshanded down exclusively fromtheir leader, a man named ElbertNo benefit worth the cost of VYOver the past couple of monthsthere has been much writtenin the local media about the VermontYankee power plant and its corporateowner, Entergy. Almost all ofthis news has been bad: new leaksin the old condenser that Entergyrefuses to replace; inoperable emergencyphones during evacuationdrills; woeful underfunding of thedecommissioning fund; proposedincreases in the fence-line perimeterfor measuring radiation (i.e.,if you can’t meet the health standards,change the rules); denial ofradio equipment for bus drivers touse during evacuations; and the continuedglossing over of real costs,reliability, health, and safety issuesby the nrc, fema, the governor,and other entities that are meantto put the interests of Vermont citizensfirst.And recently, we see yet another“gusher” in a different area of piping!These issues are not new, butthey do represent the latest roundof continuing problems at VY. Thecomplete list of VY problems sinceEntergy became owner is stunninglylong.I am sure I am not alone in wonderingwhat it will take to convincethe legislature that this plant shouldnot continue to operate past 2012.Eugene Spriggs, who purports tobe the second coming of the biblicalprophet Elijah.”This strange comment is not simplya mistaken impression. It is a lie thatMs. Thornton boldly states as fact.We have heard a lot of outrageousthings about ourselves in 35 years,but we have not heard this one before.It is sad that in her time with us, Ms.Thornton learned practically nothingabout our culture.For those who are sincerely interested,I will add that many, many ofour people have written documentsthat are used as teachings. One ofthe foundations of our culture is beingable to hear God speak throughany of us, even the children.“Yoneq [the founder of the TwelveTribes] is a textbook definition ofa cult leader who lives in luxuryon his several private propertieswhile his minions slave away in thecramped communities without pay,offering all of their worldly assets tothe Tribes upon joining.”None of our leaders have privateresidences where they live in luxury.We don’t do that. Mark Twain said,“A lie gets halfway around the worldHolistic Care for Whole People“Walking through your doors brings peace, hope andwarm feelings to me.”Our Bodies Are Ecosystems not Chemistry Sets.4923 US Route 5 • Westminster, VT802–722–4023www.sojourns.orgThe public knows now that there isplenty of electric power to more thanreplace what VY sells to Vermont.We know also that Vermont’s contractwith VY for “cheap” powerhas all but lost its value due topublic conservation and a surplusof cheap electricity on the NewEngland power grid. And, no matterwhat, Vermont will have nuclearwaste stored on the banks of theConnecticut River, but why add 20more years worth of this cancercausingpoison? Does Vermont reallywant another brownfield?Should the legislature vote to allowcontinued operation past 2012,the citizens of Vermont would bestuck with all the negatives of abefore the truth puts its boots on.”This particular lie is a weary worldtravelermany times over. It has fueledpersecution toward our families on atleast three continents.Our farm is ours, locally, and ourhomes are ours, wherever we live. Soare our businesses. Actually, so areour leaders. Our Messiah said, “Thegreatest among you shall be the servantof all. Whoever wants to be thegreatest shall be the least.” He reallyknew how to deal with the fallen humandesire for recognition and power.We do work hard, for the benefit ofthe people we actually live with. Wemanage our own income, locally. It isnot utopia, but it is the most wonderfullife on the face of the earth. Shouldn’teternal life start now, if there is such athing? Our life of loving and caring foreach other, and opening our homes towhomever we wish, is fully worthy ofbeing the beginnings of eternal life.My friends and I are doing whatwe want to do. Sometimes peoplehave lived with us who are not reallyauthentic, and they get frustratedand bitter over the demands of lovingothers. Isn’t it clear yet that selfishnessis the root of every kind ofSusan S, Walople, NHInsurance accepted for all billable servicesSaturday appointments & g ift certificates availableworn-out plant and no positives.What a colossal step backward thatwould be: for the taxpayers, for theeconomy, for the environment, forthe health and safety of this generationand all those to come.When the legislation to buildVY was originally considered inthe late 1960s, it passed by a singlevote. When the issue of continuationcomes up next year, I wish everylegislator the courage to standtall for Vermont and to vote in thetrue interest of the public. No financialinfluence or deal that Entergymay offer will be worth keepingVY running.Peter CooperBrattleborohatred and evil?“We drove down a lonesomecountry road on the outskirts oftown. A turn down another evenmore-remoteroad marked the descentto a sprawling farm.”Our people have lived on the BasinFarm for more than 20 years andparticipated in many local events.The farm is very well known, sittingjust under the local clinic, right atthe junction of the two main roadsthrough town.My mother-in-law rememberscoming down as a little girl with herolder sisters to get milk from thedairy farmer there. It is highly visible,almost like a fishbowl, with thehouses of many neighbors perchedaround the rim.We often work for our neighbors,and local people frequent our farm.Several neighbors could watch usall day long by sitting on their backporches. For two decades, local peoplehave been welcomed to take walksthrough our property and swim inthe river.Even Ms. Thornton is still welcome.Sharon BrosseauWestminsterPrimary CareHolistic MedicineNaturopathyAcupunctureBiological MedicineChiropracticCranioSacral TherapyNutritional CounselingMassagePhysical TherapyOccupational TherapyImmune SupportApothecary

20 THE ARTS The Commons • July 2009 The Commons • July 2009 21Summer music and theater roundupThe mission of Vermont Independent Media is to promote local, independent journalism in Windham Countyand to create a forum for community participation through publication of The Commons; and to promote civic engagementby building media skills among Windham County residents through the Media Mentoring Project.46 Canal Street, Bellows Falls;bocellisonthecanal.com, 802-460-1190July 2: Antje Duvekot and ChrisO’Brien. Folk singer-songwriters,7:30 p.m. July 11: Mo AmbesaCaribbean. Reggae, hip-hop and jazzstylings, 7:30 p.m. July 17: BellowsFalls Gallery Walk featuring localperformers, 6 p.m. July 25: PlanetZydeco. Lil’ Orphans presents traditionaland original Cajun music featuringNew Orleans R&B, blues, zydeco,jazz, and pan-African and Caribbeaninfluences, 7: 30 p.m. Aug. 21:Bellows Falls Gallery Walk featuringlocal performers, 6 p.m. Sep. 5:Alastair Moock. Folk singer/songwriter,7:30 p.m. Sep. 18: BellowsFalls Gallery Walk featuring localperformers, 6 p.m.MAXWELL, LAWYERA General Practice of LawJames Maxwell, Esq.jim@maxwelllawyer.com139 Main Street, Brattleboro 05301“Call me if you need me.”257-1299INTEGRATEDSOL ARSOLAR THERMAL n SOLAR pHOTOvOLTAic n biOMASSMicRO-HydRO n SMALL wind n GEO-THERMAL802 . 257. 7493 Brattleboro, VermontThe Old Tavern, 92 Main Street,Grafton; graftonmusicfestival.com,800-843-1801, 802-843-2231July 3-5: Three days of musicfeaturing the Vermont SymphonyOrchestra (at Grafton Ponds), LoveBomb and Moonlight, with fireworkson July 4.Labor Day Weekend Festival;The Organ Barn, Packer CornersRd., Guilford; www.fomag.org,802-254-3600Sep. 5-6: Two days of music featuringa Concert in the Barn by guestorganist Justin Hartz performingHandel and a Concert on the Lawnby the Festival Orchestra performingMendelssohn, Haydn and others.www.isasolar.com Energy solutions since 1975Shop with a Good Conscienc eAt Save the Corporationsfrom Themselves,you’ll nd Quality,Environmentally-FriendlyClothing for Men,Women & Infantsfeaturing Hempand Organic Cotton,Fair-trade Crafts& Housewares, Books,Magazines & more!SAVE THE CORPORATIONSFROM THEMSELVES169 Main Street, Brattleboro, Vermont(802) 254-4847 • www.savethecorporations.comOpen Mon. – Sat. 10 – 6, Sundays 11 – 5The Vermont Symphony Orchestra, which performs in Grafton.Persons Concert Hall, 2472 SouthRd., Marlboro; marlboromusic.org,802-254-2394July 18-Aug. 16: Five weekendsof renowned chamber music concertsrecently called “the classicalworld’s most coveted retreat” by TheNew Yorker.100 Flat Street, Brattleboro; neyt.org, 802-246-NEYT (6398)July 3: The Best of Mary Poppins,a reinterpretation of the classic.Directed by Laura Lawson Tucker andDarlene Jenson, 10:30 a.m. July 3-5:Sweeny Todd the Barber, the storyof the demon barber of Fleet Street.Directed by Sean Fitzharris-Onyonand Kario Pereira-Bailey, 3 p.m. daily.July 3-5: The Servant of Two Masters,CarloGoldoni’s Commedia dell’arteclassic. Directed by Nick Bombicinoand Harry Poster, 7:30 p.m. daily.July 10-12: Shakespeare’s As YouLike It. Directed by Stephen Stearns,7:30 p.m., 3 p.m. matinee. July 18-19: Circus Bratts, the perennialproduction of Circus Kids Create.Directed by Kevin O’Keefe, 6 p.m.,2 p.m. matinee. July 23-26: RedNoses, a dark comedy. Directed byJess Callahan, 7:30 p.m., 3 p.m. matinee.July 31-Aug. 2: Jack and theDevil’s Three Golden Hairs, a musicalmelodrama. Directed by StephenStearns, 7:30 p.m., 3 p.m. matinee.July 31-Aug. 2: Enter PharaohNussbaum, a “whodunit” mystery.Directed by Sean Fitzharris-Onyonand Kario Pereira-Bailey, 7:30 p.m.,Professional VideoProduction• Superior Shooting & Editing• DVD Production & Authoring• Web & CD-Rom Video• DVD Duplication & Replication• Format Transfer Services(802) 254-2800Twisted ThreadsA gently used clothing storeCorina Price & Teri Gero ~ OwnersInfants thru Adults & MaternityInfant Friendly FacilitiesWe purchase quality clothingMon, Tues, Thurs 10-5 • Fri 10-6 • Sat 9-5802-275-51801052 Western Ave, Brattleboro, VT 053013 p.m. matinee. Aug. 6-9: Grease.Directed by Rebecca Waxman, 7:30p.m., 3 p.m. matinee.63 Main Street, Putney; www.yellowbarn.org,800-639-3819July 10–Aug. 8: Three dozen publicchamber music concerts and masterclasses featuring world-renownedfaculty, and young musicians performingBeethoven, Raskatov, Korngold,Schubert, Fauré, Mozart, Saariahoand others.72 Cotton Mill Hill, Studio 222,Brattleboro, 802-254-9088; www. vtjazz.org.Visit Web site for summer programdetails. August concerts to beannounced.Add beauty to your home and lifenDo-it-yourself kits availablenFree design consultationnElegant and affordablejustporches.comtomgoldschmid@gmail.com802 579 2207BOOkMArk ThE NEWcommonsnews.orgAn independent local nonprofitYour Web source for The Commons, with news and updates in———between issues.Visit us and help us work harder to give you more Barbara and better S. Evans, news Alan and O. Dann,M e d i a M e n t o r i n g W o r k s h o p Sviews.Other People’s Words:Board of DirectorsF r E E ——— W O r k S h O P SThe art and craft of using quotesDiana Bingham,CLArA rOSE Jack ThOrNTONDavidson,accurately and effectivelyPat DeAngelo,The Inkblot Stephen Fay, ComplexNorman Runnion,Kathryn Casa, Advisorswith Commons Poetry Editor Workshop: Jeff Potter Words as a Living ——— ForceThree Tuesdays Betsy • May Arney, 5/12/19 VIM Coordinator • 6 p.m.Monday, July 6 • 7PMBob Tucker, Bookkeeperrockingham Free Public ——— Library65 Westminster Grants, Street, local advertisers, Bellows and your tax-exemptBrooks Memorial LibraryFallscontributions supportThe innovative, three-part InkBlot Complex Poetry Workshop aims to lift VIM’s poetry Windham County from programs the page —224 Main St., Brattleboroand reveal how it is a living force in daily life. Originally taught at the University The Commons and of the Media Illinois Mentoring at ChicagoTo to register, great acclaim, contact its Betsy interactive Arney at nature (802) and 246-6397. inclusion of multiple artforms leaves dry, academicProject.notions of poetry behind. The InkBlot Complex Poetry Workshop is taught by internationally publishedarts journalist, cultural critic and poet Clara rose Thornton.For more information, or to register for Media Mentoring Programs,contact Betsy Arney, (802) 246-6397 or betsy@commonsnews.orgF r E E W O r k S h O PAmy’s Bakery Arts Café.....................................19 Geryunant.............................................................14Beadnik’s................................................................21 Granger Real Estate..............................................3hENrY ZACChINIBook Cellar...........................................................19 Green Mountain Tent Rentals..........................10Brattleboro Books................................................7 Green Getting Valley School............................................22it DoneBrattleboro FoodWithoutCo-op...................................24LosingHarlowYourFarm..........................................................9MarblesBrattleboro Memorial Hospital.......................12 Hot Yoga...................................................................5Brattleboro Savings and Loan............................5 Monday, Integrated Solar...................................................20June 1 at 7 p.m.Brown Computer..................................................4 Janet Langdon.......................................................22Brooks Memorial Library, Main Street, BrattleboroBrown & Roberts Hardware..............................8 JB Auto...................................................................14Cabinetree Henry ............................................................13Zacchini, author of the recently Just Porches...........................................................20published non-fi ctionCentered work, Healing................................................13Myth, Immorality and American Ko Festival Imperialism of Performance...............................17and a memberof Royal VIM’s Diner.............................................7Media Mentoring Project, Mad Science..........................................................20will be discussing perse-ChelseaCommunity vering through College of Vermont.....................13writing projects, how Maxwell, to do Lawyer...................................................20your own researchDottie’s.....................................................................9and self-publishing your work. Join New us for England this Senior writing Insurance pep-talk Group..........18Eesha with Williams........................................................6an author who fi nished his book Peekabootique.....................................................19while raising a family andEveryone’searningBooks..................................................9a living. This author made itPutneythroughFood Co-op............................................21the self-publishinggauntlet relatively unscathed and you can too!Ewald Tile...............................................................19 ReNew Salvage......................................................6Front Porch Café...................................................9501(c)3 organization.Barry Aleshnick,Curtiss Reed Jr., Dan DeWalt,Peter Seares,Bob RottenbergRiverbend Farm Supplies...................................21• River Amy’s Valley Bakery Credit Arts Union..................................10Café . . . . . . . . . . .5• Save Beadnik’s the Corporations.......................................20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3• Silver Brattleboro Forest..........................................................14Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8• Brattleboro Food Co-op . . . . . . . . . .20Sojourns Community Health Clinic...............15• Brattleboro Savings & Loan . . . . . . . .3• Stephanie Brown Keep, & Roberts MSW..........................................7Hardware . . . . . .14• Swirl........................................................................19Cabinetree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5• Top Carrie of the Gelfan Hill Grill...............................................7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16• Turn Centered It Up!.............................................................21Healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9• Twisted Chelsea Threads...................................................20Royal Diner . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9• Community College of Vermont . .10Union Institute and University...........................2• Compass School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16•Verde.......................................................................21Contemporary Music . . . . . . . . . . . . .6• Vermont Dottie’s Academy...............................................10Discount Foods . . . . . . . . . . .7• Vermont Everyone’s Jazz Center............................................4Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13• Village Ewald Square Tile and Booksellers................................21Tileworks . . . . . . . . . .15• Wells Fair Builders........................................................5Winds Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15• Front Porch Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15THE COmmOnS June issued E A d L I n E for news and advertising: Wednesday, May 20.Send news to editor@commonsnews.orgSend advertising to ads@commonsnews.orgp u B L I S H E d Friday, June 5The Commons is a project ofThat doesn’t meanAn independent local nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.———Barbara S. 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24 The Commons • July 2009 The Commons • July 2009 NEWS 25The Brattleboro Food Co-op’sOFTHELilac Ridge Farm West Brattleboro, VT“Brattleboro is the best town to farm in, it’s a special place to be”, so says Stu Thurber. Stu’sFather bought Lilac Ridge Farm in 1937; he started with six cows and grew enough food tofeed the family. Over the years the farm has become a thriving dairy that passed to Stu andhis wife Beverly, and now their son and daughter-in-law Ross Thurber and Amanda Ellis-Thurber run Lilac Ridge Farm. Amanda and Ross have expanded the operation to includeorganic fruits, vegetables and cut flowers. The location of Lilac Ridge helps to prove Stu’spoint, there are not many places in this country where you can turn off of a major trafficartery and in five minutes find yourself at a small, family run, organic, dairy and producefarm, nestled in a residential neighborhood. Brattleboro is one of them, and Lilac Ridge isthat farm.The good folks at Lilac Ridge work six hundred acres and have 50 cows. Ten of thoseacres are reserved for organic fruits and vegetables, and flowers. The milk from Lilac Ridge’scows goes to Organic Valley, a national organic dairy co-op, and to Stonyfield Farm Yogurt.The produce is sold to local restaurants including Amy’s Bakery and Fireworks Restaurant.Lilac Ridge is part of the Vermont Fresh Network an association of Vermont Farmers andChefs dedicated to increasing the amount of seasonal, local produce served in Vermont’sMeet the folks from Lilac Ridge Farm atthe Co-op Wednesday, July 8, 3–7 pmRoss, Amanda, Beverly and Stu of Lilac Ridge Farm, West Brattleboro, VTrestaurants. For the rest of us the Thurbers sell to the Co-op, have a stand on the farm and canbe found at the Brattleboro Area Farmers’ Markets.With all the things the Thurbers, and Ellis-Thurbers are involved in, it is no wonderthat Lilac Ridge is being featured in Robert Kenner’s new movie Food Inc. about themechanization of our current national food system. Amanda and Ross will be featuredalongside the likes of Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan of Fast Food Nation and TheOmnivore’s Dilemma fame. Not bad for farmers whose first commercial sale of produce wassurplus they had grown for their own wedding.Hopefully, Food Inc. will be coming to a theater near you. If not, rest assured LilacRidge Farm will continue to bring you organic milk and fresh organic produce from a farm,right around the corner.July 2009Lilac Ridge Farm, Brattleboro, VermontYoga with DanteFree to Co-op ShareholdersEvery Wednesday 5:30–7pm.Prakriti Yoga Studio, 139 Main St., #701YogaEvery Wednesday, 12-1pm, $3Prakriti Yoga Studio, 139 Main St., #701Co-op Closed July 4thThe Co-op will be closed in observence ofIndependence Day, Saturday, July 4.Meet & GreetLilac Ridge FarmWednesday July 8, 3-7pmCome and meet the folksfrom Lilac Ridge Farmin West Brattleboro.The crew at Lilac Ridge FarmCommunity Burger BanquetSaturday, July 11, 11-2pmJoin us for a picnic on the Whetstone Pathway.All proceeds to benefit the Brattleboro Drop–InCenter. Great food and live music. TAINO withSana & Papo Nickel and Dan Dewalt will be playingLatin music from 11-2pm.Herbs and Supplementsfor Lyme DiseaseTuesday, July 14, 6:00 to 8:00 pmCo-op Community RoomNo ChargeA debilitating condition that can affect thebody and mind in a variety of complex ways,many people diagnosed with Lyme diseasereport continuing health problems even afterconventional treatment. We will cover theresearch and methodology in using herbs, foodsand nutritional supplements found helpful afterco-opcalendarsymptoms have taken hold and our health hasbegun to deteriorate. And of course, we willdiscuss several ways in which we can prevent theticks that carry diseases from biting us.Kids Can Cook!Fridays this summer at the Co-op, we are makinglunch. Join us in the Community Room from11-12:30 for a cooking lesson and meal. Thisprogram is open to children going into Grades 2through 7 and is free. Pre-registration is required,sign up at the customer service counter. Classsize is limited so sign up soon! Due to spacelimitations please sign up for only one cookingclass per month.July 17—Giant Puff PancakeJuly 24—Cheesy FeetJuly 31—Tacos and Fresh SalsaMonday–Saturday 8-9 • Sunday 9-9 • 2 Main St., Brattleboro, Vermont • 802 257-0236 • www.brattleborofoodcoop.com