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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowBroad Ripple bars and restaurants have agreed to close at 1 a.m. daily in the wake of Sunday’s early-morning shooting that killed three people, according to the Broad Ripple Village Association.
Jordan Dillon, executive director of the BRVA, said in a press release that the village’s late-night business owners met Wednesday and “agreed unanimously, that effective immediately, all bars and restaurants will shut their doors at 1 a.m. every day until further notice.”
Bars in Broad Ripple frequently stay open until 3 a.m., when they must close to comply with state law.
Dillon said many owners in the village’s entertainment district also plan to discontinue day parties and events hosted by promoters.
“The intent is to help law enforcement in the area by eliminating any overbearing entertainment atmosphere that often attracts guests to the Village, many with no intention of patronizing the open establishments,” Dillon said. “For many businesses, this is a large financial sacrifice on top of challenges they have faced with the ongoing and extended construction in the area. However, everyone agreed that something had to be done, and there was not time to wait for any other entity to act.”
Dillon said the group of owners, with coordination from the Broad Ripple Village Association, plans to schedule a meeting in the next two weeks with the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Department of Public Works and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office to discuss more steps to “take Broad Ripple Village back and create a safe environment for businesses, residents and village patrons alike.”
Sunday’s shootings took place at about 2:30 a.m. in the 800 block of Broad Ripple Avenue and left a 24-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman dead at the scene. A wounded 22-year man and 21-year-old woman were taken to the hospital, where the man died later Sunday.
IMPD officials said about 400 to 500 people were on the streets of Broad Ripple around the time of the shootings.
Later Sunday, the BRVA sent a letter to the mayor’s office, requesting the city create a gun-free zone that would be in effect every Friday and Saturday night through Aug. 31. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said he intends to take action on the request.
The association previously requested support with crime-fighting efforts from the Hogsett administration in May after several other shooting incidents.
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Wonderful first step towards a final plan
I think a restaurant / bar should have a minimum 60/40 ratio of food to Liquor to maintain a liquor license in BR I quarantee you a few that say they serve food don’t.
You might find many more boarded up restaurants and bars with the 60/40 ratio. Many / most of the restaurant/bars operate with thin margins from the food and are only profitable from the sale of alcohol. I don’t even drink, I’m just pointing this out.
Great place to start!
how about a 1am curfew for anyone under 21
The shooting involved people 21 and over. How would your curfew help?
A good start. I would think that some of the local TV crews would do an in depth report and film the crowds in BR at 2AM. Who are they and what exactly are they doing? Get them on film. And, although technically, loitering isn’t a violation if on public property, there are thousands of other infractions for which you could arrest virtually every person present. Until our leaders decide to take action to do so, we’ll know how utterly unserious they are about solving the problem
This is just the start. Unlimited weapon ownership has it’s price. Expect metal detectors at any public event and earlier closing times.
Rightwingers should be screaming at the top of their lungs about government (or the lack of it) closing any business early.
Dan, The “Government” already mandates a closing time. Always have in Indiana and most other states. They are just modifying the time. (Personally I believe this is just rearranging the Titanic deck chairs but found it funny Dan just wants to blame those right wingers. Who by the way control nothing in Marion County.)
Yes, Marion county has control of Indiana gun laws right? Oh no… that just must be the thinking of a confused rightwinger.
“Unlimited weapon ownership”? Can you help me understand how ownership of weapons is unlimited?
Good start by business owners. BR is a war zone plain and simple. Problem begins with the establishments in BR and to whom they cater and attract. I agree that a greater percentage of dining should be mandated in order to have a license to sell alcohol in BR, south Meridian St, or anywhere for that matter. The city, and our mayor especially, is certainly not without blame either. Our so called mayor does nothing regarding crime in our city with the exception of paying it “lip service” at and around election time. I so long for the restoration of a peaceful Broad Ripple.
I do not think you have ever experienced a war zone….
Well done, JordanD and BRVA and bar owners. Short term pain. Long term success.
Multiple other plans going on in the background. Good momentum. When we get BR Avenue mended, we’ll be well on our way. Stay the course. Really great sense of community around the Village.
How very sad that our businesses have to close their doors and eliminate profitable events because as a city, we cannot get a grip on the criminal behavior that’s been allowed to go unchecked.
Jacqueline E.
Agreed completely. It is sad and pathetic that Broad Ripple Bars are having to
close earlier because of loitering by large groups that don’t even live there.
One of the big appeal factors of BR was that the bars were open late into the
early hours.
Also, this nonsense of having to sell X amo7ntbof food to stay open is rediculious. Let these bars operate as they see fit.
Increase security in the areas where these large groups are loitering.
Jacqueline E.
+1
It is rediculious that these bars are having to close early because these idiots
that come in wanting to start trouble. Part of the charm of BR was the bars
staying open late for the late nighters.
Here’s an idea!! Mayor Hogsett and Prosecutor Ryan Mears, lock up the
criminals!!
We need some hard conversations in this city.
Amen. Same thing happening in downtown Orlando too. This is a nationwide issue sadly.
We’re letting 1% of the population which should be behind bars dictate how the other 99% live. It’s disgusting.
The time of closing is not going to fix the problem. All it will do is hurt the businesses in the village by decreasing the revenue. Attitude of the patrons, policing the streets & alleys, security & lighting, are the major ways to exact immediate change.
The problem begins with the character of a small group of people who are responsible for the ongoing violence that is plaguing our village. The long standing attitude of having to be tougher than the next guy, not walking away when confrontation arises, protecting your rep, and of course the time honored tradition of acting hard to impress the ladies, is part 1 of the problem.
Part 2 is the policing. An earlier article about the night of the shooting said there were two dozen police officers in broad ripple at the time of the shooting. Where were they? Were they all sitting in their cars like they usually do? It’s a known fact that the cops shoot the breeze and hang out in front of a few bars on the strip or they just sit in their cars all night. The 24 cops on the scene for their shift should be doing their jobs by walking the streets and alleys all evening.
Part 3 is cameras and lighting. IMPD controlled security cameras need to be placed in all areas of broad ripple along with lighting. Streets, alleys, parking lots, etc. These cameras need to be visible so the people know they are being recorded for their safety and the safety of others. The street lighting can be designed to enhance the aesthetic of the village while providing added safety for patrons coming and going. It will also make identifying wrongdoers easier.
Improvements on parts 2 and 3 will surely make an immediate impact on the behavior of the problem patrons.
Peter C.
+ 1
Especially your first two paragraphs.
We some hard honest conversations on this small demographic segment
that is causing so many problems in our city.
Regarding the policing – if in fact the officers at that location spend the majority of their time sitting in their cars, they are doing that because their superiors have ordered them to do that, and only that – instead of walking the streets or pulling people over – actual, proactive police work. Why have IMPD leadership instructed their officers to do little? I do not know. And, what role does City leadership and the prosecutor’s office play in the do-nothing approach? Might be good questions for a reporter to ask – and I don’t hear anyone asking them.
The businesses themselves voted to close early so clearly they believe it will benefit their business more than hurt it in the long run. Many more shootings in BR will permanently chase away all the good patrons and attract more of the bad patrons. Ultimately dooming their businesses.
I dont frequent BR late at night but I agree an active police presence, at least in the short term, will make the good patrons feel safer and deter the bad. Ive lived in large cities that effectively use foot patrolling and cops on horse back throughout peak bar hours to deter bad actors. They then sweep the area at closing time to prevent loitering.
Cameras help provide the visibility to identify the criminals after crime happens, police on horseback provide the visibility to see problems while theyre happening and can be very intimidating. More police and more cameras are definitely needed. Police are woefully underpaid to attract the numbers and quality that we need. As with many underfunded public servants and services (teachers, road maintenance, emergency response, etc) this state has a preponderance of people who prefer complaining about these issues than paying for them.
Re: Part 2 & 3 – I was out in the middle of the shootings last Saturday. I was actually taking video of all the improved lighting and police presence to compliment the IMPD on changes when the shots rang out. The lighting in the troubled area is excellent. It was almost blinding along Guilford. And there were cops on foot everywhere. The shootings happened along side the road construction where there is no real opportunity for lighting. That sounds like it is changing this weekend. There are towered police cameras in about 5 positions around Guilford, Carrollton, and Westfield.
Early bar closure is a short term trial for now. The next step is how fast can IMPD clear the streets afterwards. Momentum is good right now. We’ll get it fixed.
I’m sure most of the people in these comments are older and haven’t been to BR at night in many years if ever. As someone who does go to the bars in BR, it is not a “war zone” but it does have the same issues that many other bar areas in places across the county have… a very small group of people that have no respect or regard for laws and other people, aka criminals. Closing earlier, making them sell more food, or limiting guns in the area isn’t the answer, those are just idiotic “solutions” lol, news flash -bad actors don’t follow laws. A bigger more ACTIVE police presence coupled with support from the prosecutors office would be a good place to start.
Joe A.
+1
Well said.
What makes these proponents of the 1:00 a.m. closure that these
large crowds will disperse at closing time???
They’re not going to disperse unless they are made to by the police.
Then the police will be accused of discrimination or over policing.