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State Sen. Mike Young, R-Indianapolis, proposed that the state—through a governor’s appointee, a state-appointed board and the Indiana attorney general—take over law enforcement in the Mile Square in downtown Indianapolis. Is that a good idea? Five leaders weigh in. IBJ sent a request to the Senate Majority Communications Office seeking a column from Young, but the office declined.
I will be the first to tell you that this city deserves safe streets, accountability and strong leadership. I will also be the first to tell you we have the people, we have the programs, and we have the heart in Indy to deliver.
Yet while we have the pieces, we lack the financial resources and systems in place to unify under one vision. That vision must start with the understanding that this is not just about resourcing one square mile. This is about every single neighborhood that makes up our great city.
But in Indiana, our state leaders continue to float a different approach: state takeover of Indianapolis.
We know all too well what their takeover looks like.
Republicans have controlled our state Senate and retained the Governor’s Office for 20 straight years and have had control of the House for 16 of those.
The result of their consistent yet turbulent leadership? Hoosiers experiencing nearly the worst quality of life in the entire country.
Aside from the decades of poor outcomes state leadership would bring to Indianapolis, this approach flies in the face of methods that have actually worked, are actually saving lives and do not exist purely for political posturing.
I love this city. I choose every day to raise my two daughters in this city. I am honored to represent this city in our state Senate and even more proud to call it home. And I believe, with collaboration and coordination, our city’s best days are ahead.
We have seen it done before, but it won’t happen through the erasure of local control.
From 2021 to 2024, the city of Baltimore saw homicides drop more than 40%. This dramatic decrease did not happen by chance. It is the result of community-focused violence intervention with collaboration among state government, city government, community organizations and everyday folks who saw firsthand the multifaceted impacts gun violence has on a community.
The fruits of community-focused interventions can also be seen in St. Louis, which has fewer homicides than it has seen in over a decade. The same is true of Philadelphia, which in 2024 experienced the largest drop in gun violence among major U.S. cities because of taking a holistic approach to long-term violence prevention.
All around the country, major cities in Republican- and Democratic-controlled states are using proven methods to address the crisis of gun violence and are seeing life-saving results.
We, too, can focus on what works: intentionally creating places for our younger people to build community, reducing evictions and increasing housing security, and strengthening our education and workforce pipelines. We are at our best when we center on uplifting one another.
Outsiders can keep their punitive proposals for how to address the challenges in the heart of our city.
My door remains open to anyone who is ready to come with real resources, real solutions and a real belief in the strength and power of our community.•
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Hunley, a Democrat and downtown resident, represents District 46, which includes downtown, in the state Senate. Send comments to [email protected].
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This sounds like a campaign speech. Avoiding any proposed solutions, and saying all is good.