Out in the Mountains

Two early morning fires at Pearls in
Burlington have led Vermont state police to
suspect arson as the cause. Pearls is
Burlington’s one and only gay bar.

The first fire was started on the mom-
ing of September 7 and, though it was
relatively small in size, caused approxi-
mately $2,000 worth of damage to the es-
tablishment. Minimal damage resulted
front thetwosmallflressetattheentrances
to the bar on the morning of September 20.
Rainy weather conditions helped to prevent
those fires from becoming a major threat.

A witness to the first attempt reported
seeing a a gray—haired white male starting a
fireat5 a.m. outsideofthebanshereported
the incident to the police, who neglected to
take her name and only recently re-estab-
lished contact with her in their investiga-
tion of the crime.

Following the second attempt, police
have been treating the incidents as possible
hate crimes. As Chittenden County State's
Attorney William Sorriell told the Burling-
ton Free Press, “Given the reputation
Pearls has, it would seem (the arson at-
tempts) would be possibly generated by a
discriminatory bias against gays, but it has
to be proved first.”

In the wake of these and other recent
attacks against gays in the Burlington area,
Pearls owner Nancy Barnett called on the

rson Suspected in Pearls Fires

 

   

gay community to exhibit strength. In a
recent Free Press article, she labelled the
events “upsetting, irritating, and... fright-
ening,” and added, “I think the whole city is
going through a cyclical, violent thing, and
we're swept up in it. We get pinpointed
because we're controversial.”

At press time, the police were in search
ofthemain suspectinthecaseandre-
mained hopeful that the matter would soon
be resolved.

Vermont C.A.R.E.S.
Sponsors Octoberfest

On Saturday, October 20, the 1990
Octoberfest begins in Alburg, Vermont.
All proceeds will go to Vermont
C.A.R.E.S., an AIDS support group in
Vermont.

The weekend will start off with an
outdoor volleyball game by the Lake. This
will take place at the Alburg Country Club;
there will be several courts available for
play. Teams will be formed as people ar-
rived, and refreshments will be served. The
games start at 1:00 p.m. and will continue
until 5:00. Players are reminded to dress
warmly.

(continued on next page)

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