Dear Editor, I’m the president and CEO of the Lake Champlain Chamber. It was founded 115 years ago and, to the best of my knowledge, has always been headquartered in Burlington. I have worked downtown for almost 30 years.  The Chamber’s office lease expired last fall, and with it, I had to make a decision. Should we stay downtown? As the person responsible for my staff’s work well-being, I take their safety seriously. This spring, I signed a new five-year lease in downtown Burlington. The Chamber, our staff and I are committed to Burlington. We believe in this place, and we work hard for it.  At the same time, I want to share a handful of examples of what we deal with working downtown. One member of my staff was chased to their car by two unclothed men. Another had to ask two individuals to stop having sex outside our office window. A medically vulnerable employee had to walk through a group of men shooting up in order to get to their car. These and many more incidents all occurred in broad daylight. This very morning, the walkway to our office was covered in human waste.  I also want to share a personal story. A couple of years ago, I was walking past City Hall Park with my youngest child, who was about 11 years old at the time. Depending on what’s going on, I used to choose the north or south side of the street and put my body between concerning individuals and my kids. We were nearing Church Street when my son asked me, “Do people come to Burlington to do drugs?” Here I thought I was shielding him, crossing the street, putting myself between him and the chaos, and here he was seeing it all.  When I grieve the loss of our beautiful gem of a city, I also grieve for what we are doing to our children. What will it mean for them when they see drug use treated so casually or when they see suffering ignored? I think what is happening is actually a lack of compassion both for the person lying on the park bench and for all of us who are losing our humanity by feeling helpless. What does it mean for our future when people repeatedly tell me stories of stepping over the unconscious bodies of other humans in parking garage stairwells? Because those unconscious bodies are also someone’s child.  READ MORE The words “accountability” and “compassion” have been used a lot lately, and I want to say what I think those words mean. I think increased, diligent enforcement is needed against illegal drug and alcohol use, drug dealing, prostitution and loitering. We also need additional resources for those who are suffering, but if we break down our systems, our system breaks down. I think upholding our laws is compassionate. It helps us distinguish between those who need help and those who are preying on them. It protects our children, our organizations and our staff. Cathy DavisJericho, Vt. Read the story on VTDigger here: Turning a blind eye to lawbreaking hurts the people we’re trying to help. ...read more read less