Mask mandate in Marion County takes effect Thursday
Residents who refuse to comply may be subject to a fine up to $1,000, but police won’t be enforcing the mandate. And health officials in charge of enforcement will take an education-first approach.
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City to survey residents about public safety strategies
Mayor Joe Hogsett said the public survey will be the first step in the city’s partnership with the Criminal Justice Lab at New York University School of Law to “re-imagine public safety in Indianapolis.”
IBJ Podcast: Indy Black Chamber of Commerce wants city support
Host Mason King talks with the Black Chamber’s Larry Williams about why he thinks the city should be working more with his organization—and providing it funding. And King also talks with Angela Smith Jones, the deputy mayor of economic development, about the reasons the city is working with Indy Chamber.
Black chamber leader calls for more city support
During the coronavirus pandemic—which research shows has disproportionately affected black-owned businesses—the 250-member organization has received no city funding to give loans or grants to its members who were struggling.
City partnership aims to reimagine public safety in Indianapolis with community’s help
The goal of the partnership with the Criminal Justice Lab at the New York University School of Law is to create a new community-driven and community-monitored vision of criminal justice in Indianapolis.
City extends Dine Out Indy program to bars
The program was established last month to help restaurants and other businesses expand or add outdoor seating options as the city reopened following COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
IndyGo running out of office space, but board members don’t agree on fix
IndyGo is investigating whether to purchase the former Harrison College site for millions of dollars to use as additional space—but some board members are not convinced doing so is a good idea.
Q&A: Terry Gallagher, Marion County mosquito control supervisor
For more than three decades, Gallagher, 61, has supervised mosquito control programs for Marion County, overseeing a small army of technicians who spray ditches and collect mosquitoes from traps around the county to track the variety and size of the mosquito population.
ACLU calls on Hogsett to reduce funding for police in Indianapolis
Taking a cue from the “Defund the Police” movement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana is calling on Mayor Joe Hogsett to “reimagine” the role of police in Indianapolis and shift funding away from law enforcement into community-based initiatives.
Hogsett plans to spend $76M to help residents, businesses, government agencies affected by virus
The Indianapolis City-County Council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Monday night to consider the proposal.
IBJ Podcast: Should the city help pay for damage done to businesses downtown?
Host Mason King talks with Stadium Village Business Association President Erica Wells and Mayor Joe Hogsett’s chief of staff, Thomas Cook, about how the city can help downtown and downtown businesses rebuild after the one-two punch of coronavirus and riots.
Mayor Hogsett has no plans to extend curfew after weekend without violence, vandalism
The curfews were a reaction to violence, looting and vandalism that occurred downtown the previous weekend, following peaceful protests about racial inequality and police actions against African Americans.
Marshawn Wolley: Black community needs partners in its quest for change
It is too hard being black in this city, and black people are tired.
Vop Osili: Riots must shake us out of the status quo
We can and will address the concerns of citizens and business owners grappling with the damage to public and private spaces caused by last weekend’s violence. But we cannot do so without simultaneously wrestling, and besting, the historically tolerated race disparities that lie at the heart of that violence.
Perspectives: How we got here—and what comes next
It’s hard to find words for the horror that is the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, just as it is hard to comprehend how the anger over that death—and too many others—led to so much destruction in downtown Indianapolis. But IBJ asked several community leaders to give it a shot. Here’s what they wrote.
Pandemic, violence put Indy downtown at crossroads
The one-two punch of the pandemic and protest-related violence raises questions about whether downtown can recover. Experts and community leaders say yes—but only with concerted effort and strong leadership.
City to remove Confederate memorial in Garfield Park
The decision comes nearly three years after city officials began debating the appropriateness of its placement.
Businesses on south side of downtown ask city for financial help in rebuilding
The Stadium Village Business Association, which represents more than 200 businesses south of downtown, decried the property damage caused by weekend riots and a “lack of leadership” from city officials.
Hogsett extends Marion County curfew for another night
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett implemented a curfew after a weekend of violent protests, riots and vandalism that led to two deaths, dozens of arrests and damage to at least 30 downtown businesses.
Sheltering at home has produced loads more residential trash
Refuse-collection companies are seeing longer days for drivers, lengthy lines at the dumping site, and increased repairs for hard-running trucks.