Editorial: Broad Ripple business leaders show what true cooperation looks like

An early-morning shooting on June 25 in Broad Ripple that left three people dead and another person wounded has sparked enough frustration and outrage that Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration is taking significant steps to try to quell violence in the entertainment district.

The city is considering whether it can designate the Broad Ripple strip a gun-free zone on the weekends under a recently passed city ordinance that will test the limits of state law. And it is closing the area’s largest parking lot, installing lights and cameras, and further restricting parking in the area on weekend nights and early mornings.

We applaud these moves. But the real credit for these efforts goes to the merchants and leaders that are part of the Broad Ripple Village Association, which has been sounding the alarm for some time.

In May, after a weekend in which three separate shootings occurred, the group publicly called on the city to bolster crime-fighting efforts in the business district. In an open letter, the group requested a dedicated, city-sponsored resource to monitor and report on crime occurrences and trends; parking lot security and small-business resources; a promotional campaign of public safety measures; and funding for additional proactive measures from IMPD.

A city spokesman said then that the city had been having regular conversations with the association, Broad Ripple stakeholders and councilors about public safety over the past several years. And at that point, the city increased its police presence in the neighborhood and began working with private parking lot owners and what officials have called “troubled” establishments.

But none of it was enough to prevent a gathering estimated at some 400 to 500 people in and around the Broad Ripple Station parking lot in the early hours of June 25. Police say a prevalence of guns in the group mixed with alcohol and personal grievances led to the shooting.

Days later, Broad Ripple leaders then made a remarkable announcement that all the neighborhood’s establishments—including late-night bars and restaurants—would begin closing at 1 a.m. on the weekends. Typically, many have stayed open until 3 a.m., when state law requires bars to close.

Jordan Dillon, executive director of the Broad Ripple Village Association, said late-night business owners had agreed unanimously to the earlier closing time.

“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,” Dillon said, referring to street and utility work that restricted traffic on Broad Ripple Avenue. “However, everyone agreed that something had to be done, and there was not time to wait for any other entity to act.”

There’s no doubt this was a tough decision for many of the businesses involved, but it appears to have been a necessary one to preserve Broad Ripple as a place for night life that is fun but safe. It also shows that Broad Ripple’s businesses are doing their part to help police control crowds by giving people fewer reasons to be in the area in the early-morning hours.

We hope these measures are enough to stem the violence that has become too common in one of Indy’s favorite neighborhoods.•

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