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The Burlington City Council voted almost unanimously Monday night to approve a buyout of a city police officer whose firing has been a central demand of racial justice protesters for the past month.

Sgt. Jason Bellavance will leave the department on Oct. 5, approved by the council. The deal includes three years pay, which is about $300,000, three years of credit towards retirement and health insurance for 18 months.

City Councilor Zorya Hightower said while the resolution doesn’t meet all the demands of protesters, she hoped it would mark a turning point for the city.

“I hope that this confirms our resolve not to make those same mistakes again, to act boldly when we should have, to make sure that we are listening to the community,� Hightower said.

The council approved the deal, 11 to 1, with only Councilor Ali Dieng voting against it. Dieng said he believed there’s more the city could be doing to address protesters� demands, and he thought the resolution “put taxpayers in jeopardy.�

for the past month and holding daily marches, calling for the firing of Bellavance and two other officers: Joseph Corrow and Cory Campbell.

In September 2018, Bellavance, while responding to a call about a fight downtown, shoved Jeremie Meli, who’s Black, into a wall and knocked him unconscious, according to body camera footage. Corrow was involved in a similar situation the night before. Both incidents are the subject of .

Campbell, in March 2019, was in an altercation with 54-year-old Douglas Kilburn in front of the University of Vermont Medical Center. Campbell punched Kilburn in the face and Kilburn died a few days later. The medical examiner

The , in part because their actions were already investigated; both Corrow and, though Campbell was for using foul language. Bellavance was suspended for several days after his use-of-force was found to be unnecessary.

That infraction of department policy, plus Bellavance’s leadership position in the department, were factors in why the city’s decided to pursue a separation agreement according to Mayor Miro Weinberger.

Bellavance has been at the Burlington Police Department for nine and half years and spent nearly three years a patrol sergeant, according to his LinkedIn profile. In that role, he "supervised and lead teams of 5 to 25 patrol officers."

“We must apply a higher standard to our leaders,� Weinberger said. “Finally in my discussions with Burlingtonians over these past years, I’ve listened carefully and heard clearly from many who’ve expressed of the three incidents that led to this moment of community anger and discord, they find the incident regarding Sgt. Bellavance the most troubling.�

Weinberger said he will not support buyouts of the other two officers.

“Their uses of force were found to be consistent with the policy and training that were in place at the time,� Weinberger said. “To pursue separation agreements under these circumstances would set an unmanageable precedent that would challenge the department for years to come.�

The protesters at Battery Park, in a , celebrated the deal and said it was “the direct result of the power of the people.� The organizers also called on the Weinberger and the city council to go further:

The city will also be tackling broader policing reforms. the council passed a resolution that directed the charter change committee to examine changing who makes police disciplinary decisions. The council also asked the city’s police commission to study ways to institute stronger discipline for officers who use excessive force.

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