For three years, residents who live near Slate Ridge, a gunfighting training facility operating in West Pawlet, have asked for help from town, state and federal officials.
They’ve expressed concerns about the facility’s zoning and permitting violations, along with a pattern of dangerous behavior exhibited by the center’s owner, Daniel Banyai, and his followers, many of whom belong to militia and anti-government groups.
Meanwhile, state officials say they’ve been working behind the scenes, collecting evidence residents have given to police and passing it on to the appropriate agencies, like the state’s attorney’s office, state police and the Department of Public Safety.
But residents say they’ve heard almost nothing from the agencies they’ve contacted, and they continue to live in fear.
In late October, at a regular press briefing held by Gov. Phil Scott, state officials said they’ve listened to residents who live near Slate Ridge.
“We’ve been addressing their concerns,” Scott said, responding to questions about Slate Ridge following a VTDigger report about the facility. “We’ve been reacting when they’ve been calling.”
The governor’s comments surprised a small group of the residents who asked current and former legislators to help them schedule meetings with the governor’s office in February.
Emails obtained by VTDigger show that Rep. Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, who represents the Rutland-Bennington district in the Vermont House, and former Rep. Kiah Morris, who served in Bennington’s 2-2 district until 2018, tried to schedule meetings through Jason Gibbs, the governor’s chief of staff. But Gibbs declined the requests, citing an ongoing investigation.
Residents had hoped to present firsthand accounts of their experiences and evidence they had collected over a period of years, including binders full of court records, a timeline of efforts to bring Slate Ridge into compliance with town bylaws, communications with Banyai and catalogs of threatening social media posts.
“It’s not appropriate for the governor to seek to intervene or influence an ongoing investigation. Period. Full stop,” Gibbs told VTDigger. “And what reason would neighbors have to meet with the governor other than to ask him to intervene in an investigation in a way that might advance their interest?”
Chesnut-Tangerman said Gibbs also declined his request for a meeting with the governor in February.
Following VTDigger’s report, Chesnut-Tangerman was able to schedule a meeting on Nov. 4 with constituents and representatives from the governor’s office about Slate Ridge, but Chesnut-Tangerman later postponed the meeting indefinitely.
“I wanted time to reassess the situation here on the ground to ensure that we are as productive as possible moving forward,” he said.
Gibbs points to this postponed meeting as an example of the governor’s office extending aid. From his perspective, he said, the claim that the governor’s office hasn’t listened to concerned residents is “a wholly inaccurate characterization of our response to every inquiry we have received.”
“In every instance,” Gibbs said, “when someone has come forward, whether it’s a constituent or a legislator, they have been referred and their concerns were addressed by, in this case, the Department of Public Safety, the Commissioner of Public Safety, and the Vermont State Police.”
According to Gibbs, information the office has received has been investigated and filed with the appropriate agencies.
“If anyone, for any reason, believes they, or someone they know, are at risk — or if they believe they have evidence of criminal activity (including harassment or intimidation of any type) — they should call the Vermont State Police,” Gibbs wrote in response to Morris’ request for a sit-down.
Neighbors say they’ve reached out to Vermont State Police at least a dozen times, collectively. Some have met with police to explain the danger they feel, but say no substantial action or protective measures were taken.
One family called after hearing rapid gunfire late at night, and hoped police would arrive to assess the situation. In the darkness, the family worried stray bullets could cross their property line. Police told the caller that the activity was legal and didn’t come, according to the neighbor.
Many of the neighbors own firearms themselves, and now rely on each other, instead of police, to respond when they believe a situation will turn dangerous. In a phone interview, neighbors described creating these plans with each other.
“I told them,” one said, “if there’s an emergency, don’t call the state police, call me first, and then call 911. The state police won’t come.”
The person asked not to be identified out of fear of possible reprisal.
They cite several confrontational exchanges with Banyai, whom the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) believes unlawfully possesses “a large cache of firearms and ammunition,” according to a bulletin obtained by VTDigger.
Banyai and groups of armed men have followed and surrounded neighbors. Recently, Slate Ridge posted a video from a vehicle assault class during which participants shot through a car. Bullet holes pierced the door where someone had written the name of a neighbor’s company, Hulett Trucking.
In two instances, Banyai has allegedly made death threats; once to an administrator at Pace University, and again to hunters, including two minors, who were searching for a deer they’d shot near his property. In 2018, Banyai was charged in New York State with two felony counts, which are still pending — one for criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and one for criminal possession of a loaded firearm with intent to use unlawfully.
When Banyai disagrees with locals, he often posts their names and home addresses on his Facebook page, which has more than 3,000 followers.
Banyai has declined VTDigger’s request for an interview, and close followers of Slate Ridge have discouraged others who train at the facility from commenting.
Locals say they’ve reached out to a number of government agencies, but haven’t received the consideration or protection they would have expected considering the danger the situation seems to pose.
Chesnut-Tangerman said he has contacted the Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Vermont State Police and ATF about his concern for the safety of residents in West Pawlet.
“Constituents rightly feel ignored, and like no one is taking them seriously,” he said, adding that he knows officials on the state and federal level are monitoring the situation.
On March 5, Morris sent a final communication to Gibbs.
“While I understand the need to maintain some levels of discretion around the investigations, these folks are still living in the midst of this incredibly dangerous situation with no security support or safety plans in place,” the former House member wrote. “They should not have to reach out to public safety to demand that support. It should be given at this point. There should be no wrong door for something of this nature.”
Later in the email, Morris wrote, “No Vermonter should have to endure this. We are failing them. They have lost faith in the state through this ordeal. I ask you to reconsider their request and appreciate your thoughtfulness on this matter.”
Gibbs did not reply.
Instead of condemning Banyai’s threats to neighbors, Scott pressed reporters at the Oct. 30 press conference to show evidence that Banyai and those who train at Slate Ridge have engaged in criminal behavior. “If you have some sort of detail of a plan in place to do harm to others, you should present it,” Scott said. “We have not seen that, that I know of, at this point in time.”
This message fell flat on the ears of those who attempted to meet with Scott.
“The governor’s audacity to say, ‘if you have information that has a big magnitude, then the onus is on you to present it,’” one resident said. “Well, you know what? We tried that.”
The resident also asked not to be named for fear of reprisal.
Action Taken
Michael Schirling, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said Vermont State Police have sat down for extended periods of time with neighbors, and that two legislative briefings have been held to keep lawmakers informed about threats across the country, and locally.
Schirling acknowledged that Banyai and Slate Ridge are “on the radar for a reason.” He said officials at the state level are watching closely. Neighbors shouldn’t expect to know about the monitoring efforts, he said, but he understands why they feel frustrated.
“That is an unfortunate, normal feeling when you’re reporting things to law enforcement,” he said. “It’s something we have worked hard to try to fix over the years, but we haven’t found the right balance yet.”
He said it’s still important to report to law enforcement, because the information is collected and kept on file in all cases, and can be useful pieces for ongoing investigations.
Evan Meenan, associate general counsel for the Vermont Natural Resources Board, said he’s been aware of Slate Ridge since the summer of 2018. The board has “strong suspicions that Mr. Banyai needs an Act 250 permit,” Meenan said, and has referred the investigation to the state attorney general and the Vermont State Police.
“Technically, every Act 250 violation does have potential criminal penalties associated with it,” Meenan said. “So law enforcement would be allowed to investigate those violations. I will say, however, that it is not very frequent at all that Act 250 violations are prosecuted criminally, but it is a possibility.”
Vermont State Police have offered to accompany Act 250 personnel on a site visit, but Meenan said a visit isn’t necessary — other types of investigatory work are needed to bring enforcement action.
“The board would like law enforcement to take over the remaining portions of the investigation,” he said.
A politician’s role
Those who are fearful of activities taking place at Slate Ridge hold a range of political ideologies. Though all hope for more protection and enforcement of town bylaws, some close to the situation say there’s one thing they don’t want: more restrictions on gun ownership.
Many residents who live close to Slate Ridge own collections of guns, and say they enjoy hunting in their free time. They speak passionately about maintaining access to their right to bear arms as it relates to both recreation and self-defense. Some frequent gun ranges.
“I moved to Vermont to be able to express my freedom of rights, and my Second Amendment rights, and to be able to hunt and enjoy the outdoors,” one neighbor said.
Instead of asking the state for stricter gun regulation, neighbors feel that, between Banyai’s violations of town bylaws, alleged unlawful stockpile of weapons and ammunition, lack of Act 250 permits, and the numerous examples of harassment, something could spur action from authorities.
Mark Potok, a former senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center and now a senior fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, said politicians may not be able to respond to actions of groups like Slate Ridge with legal action.
“I think the proper role of political leaders in a situation like this is to call out the individuals and groups involved for their beliefs, even if they are completely legal,” he said.
Potok, who was particularly troubled by Slate Ridge’s Facebook posts that refer to anti-government groups like the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters, said it’s important for government officials to condemn actions and beliefs that undermine civility and threaten violent action.
“I don’t think that the best response is for political leaders to simply go silent because no one’s gone to prison,” Potok said. “You know, these are noxious beliefs. They tear at the very basis of our society and our unity as a society, and they need to be confronted and confronted directly. What leaders say matters.”
[This week’s Deeper Dig podcast: Slate Ridge and the prospect of political violence.]
Others wonder if additional protective laws related to threats and harassment could be necessary.
“The governor is making it sound like there’s nothing to see here,” one resident said. “There’s nothing they’re doing that is criminal. But the flip side of it is, if that’s the case, then we don’t have the laws necessary to protect Vermont citizens.”
Kesha Ram, who formerly worked as an advocate for victims of domestic violence, was elected last week to the Vermont Senate and has been paying close attention to state officials’ response to VTDigger’s report about Slate Ridge.
“I’ve constantly been in court or in the police barracks with survivors of violence who were told, there’s not a lot of clear legal ramifications for harassment, stalking, social media harassment, that kind of behavior,” Ram said.
Ram wonders if legislators should reconsider the way the state protects its residents.
“Essentially, I think we’ve let certain groups get away with pushing up to the fullest extent of their First and Second Amendment rights while other people are losing their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because they’re under constant threat from other people.”
She added that people who haven’t felt protected in certain parts of the state often contact her.
“It feels like there are a lot of people, whether it’s themselves or their kids, they’re moving to Chittenden County for safety right now,” Ram said. “And that’s depressing to me.”
One resident who had collected evidence to show Scott’s office said the group wasn’t looking for state officials to reveal details about an investigation, tell the group what they knew, or take sides.
“We weren’t asking for resources, we weren’t asking for a statement, we weren’t asking for a position, we weren’t asking for money,” they said. “We were asking to show them something that we thought might interest them, and to be heard for one hour. I think all of us would have been very happy if they had just listened, so that we could be assured that they knew the information.”
The resident, who said their life has recently been upturned because of Slate Ridge, wants a return to normalcy.
“For me, it’s threefold,” the resident said. “I want the neighbors to sleep again. I want their property values to be OK. I want them to be able to have their cows and their horses outside, like they have for generations. I want Vermont to have protective laws. And I want the government to be held accountable when they say they’ve done a thing and they haven’t.
“Don’t say you’ve talked to us if you haven’t, period.”
