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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis City-County Councilor Jesse Brown, a socialist who has butted heads with Democratic leaders since his election in 2023, will no longer be permitted in private meetings of the council’s Democratic Caucus.
Brown, a first-term councilor, has publicly criticized members of the Democratic Caucus and shared private caucus information in an emailed newsletter he maintains for his constituents. He wrote in that newsletter Monday evening that his colleagues had voted to expel him from the caucus.
In an email with the subject line “Sad Day for Indianapolis,” Brown said that 13 of 19 members voted to expel him. Indianapolis Democrats have a supermajority in the council with 19 seats. Republicans hold six.
He attributed the decision to his public criticism of three Democratic colleagues—Councilors Maggie Lewis, Carlos Perkins and Leroy Robinson—who in early January signed a bipartisan letter urging Indianapolis Public Schools to share resources with charter schools. Lewis is the majority leader of the Democratic Caucus.
Brown said his call-out is “the straw that finally broke the camel’s back.”
“I will be fighting this decision, as it disenfranchises the voters of District 13, who saw fit to elect me, and I would welcome any and all support in that fight,” Brown wrote in the email.
In a statement distributed to the media by a local public relations firm, the caucus—without naming Brown—wrote, “For a caucus to be successful, it must rely on trust, factual discourse, and a commitment to constructive teamwork.”
“When any member focuses on falsehoods, makes inappropriate accusations, and undermines the collective benefit of our shared work, their approach does not align with the principles of the caucus,” the statement continued, “After careful consideration, we have determined that it is in the best interest of the caucus—and the constituents we serve—for this individual to continue acting as an independent council member rather than part of our caucus.”
Brown, who ran for office as a Democrat but identifies as a Democratic Socialist, ousted then-Council Vice President Zach Adamson in May 2023. He beat Adamson with nearly 56% of the vote.
Brown currently holds a seat on three council committees: Environmental Sustainability, Municipal Corporations, and Parks and Recreation. He told IBJ in a text that it’s unclear what impact his expulsion might have on his committee appointments.
Brown has frequently garnered attention for taking hard stances and calling for more accountability from Mayor Joe Hogsett and his administration.
Early last year, Brown led a push to unseat Republican State Sen. Aaron Freeman over the senator’s attempt to derail IndyGo’s proposed Blue Line. He told his newsletter subscribers at the time that the move got him lectured and nearly expelled from the caucus. Later, Brown called on Mayor Joe Hogsett to resign after multiple media outlets reported sexual harassment allegations against his former chief of staff.
Brown has also been an outspoken advocate for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. At one point, he introduced a proposal that was ultimately jettisoned in favor of a generic special resolution supporting peace.
He’s one of three first-term councilors to choose to focus full time on their council roles. It is considered a part-time position.
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Get it, Jesse. Mix things up at city hall. They need your voice.
Its too bad we go from Councillor Adamson to this. Adamson was such a big asset for Indianapolis and his neighborhoods. Totally disheartening.
He really wasn’t. Not by the time he lost.
Antifa eats its own.
I didn’t see anything or anyone named Antifa mentioned in the article. Who is that, exactly? Maybe I’ll reach out to the Illuminati to find out.
Jesse was right to call out Dem City County Councilors for selling out IPS and public-school students and parents to the highest bidder. From the General Assembly to the halls of the City-County Building, these past few years have been rife with slimy deals and sexual allegations. Jesse is the only one who has been open and transparent about what has been going on.
I support independent leadership. I think he should run for a stronger leadership role in Indy.
The sad day is that we have a Socialist that was elected in this city, and tolerated by his Democrat party colleagues.
Thanks for the non-sequitur.
The guy wears a keffiyeh to council meetings. If he feels compelled to virtue signal, could he at least pick a cause that is not associated with the evil criminals who committed mass murder, rape, torture, and kidnapping on 10.7.23?
So everyone who wears such garb is a terrorist?
Sounds like Jessie would fit in perfectly as an IBJ employee
Robert F, No, not everyone wearing a keffiyeh is a terrorist. But one can plausibly argue that every non Arab/Muslim in America who first began donning this garb immediately following the mass slaughter of Jews by terrorists on 10.7.23 is indeed a terrorist sympathizer.