Protesters march through downtown—remaining peaceful—until rain disperses crowd
The protesters carried signs and chanted as they marched along Meridian, Pennsylvania and Michigan streets, calling for justice for 21-year-old Dreasjon Reed.
Downtown Indy
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No signs of unrest downtown as Election Day comes and goes
No instances of widespread vandalism or property damage in the city’s core had been reported as of midnight and most streets near Monument Circle were generally quiet.
More downtown business owners prepare for possible election violence
Nearly one dozen downtown Indianapolis buildings and businesses have boarded up their windows and glass doors for Election Day, even though local law enforcement leaders and downtown officials aren’t expecting demonstrations that could spark vandalism or looting.
IBJ Podcast: Our CEO, Nate Feltman, talks about the need for a new vision for Indianapolis
Plus, Feltman provides an update on how IBJ is doing during the pandemic and what he sees as the news organization’s future.
Spot Freight spins off new software company, adds 40 workers
The spinoff company, Red Technologies, is built around proprietary software that Spot launched in 2015 to help connect shippers, trucking companies and drivers for the purpose of freight brokering.
Downtown Indy CEO leading fight for downtown’s recovery
Sherry Seiwert spoke with IBJ recently about what her organization is doing to help the city bounce back.
Memory Bank: Selling fruit at the corner of Washington and Meridian streets in 1893
The corner of Washington and Meridian streets has, of course, changed substantially over the years. But even in this photo, believed to have been taken in 1893, the intersection was a vibrant commercial corridor.
Downtown Indy launches marketing campaign to encourage people back to the Mile Square
In addition, on Friday and again on Sept. 11, dozens of community leaders will spend the day cleaning and sprucing up the area.
City to spend $750,000 to increase safety measures downtown
The announcement comes after months of complaints from residents, workers and business owners that downtown has become unsafe following pandemic-related shutdowns and protests that turned violent earlier this summer.
Five things to know about the planned redevelopment of Pan Am Plaza
The project, expected to cost as much as $550 million to construct, has been in the works for years as Kite and the city worked to reach an agreement.
IBJ Podcast: When will office workers return to downtown Indy?
IBJ reporters Samm Quinn and Anthony Schoettle spent a week talking with the leaders of downtown companies and learned that many are delaying plans to bring workers back to the office.
Downtown firms in no rush to get workers back to office
It could be months, or longer, before downtown bustles again with the office workers who help restaurants and other retailers thrive. And the wait might be a death knell for some of those retailers.
New public-private task force to tackle downtown problems
Organizers on Tuesday announced the formal launch of a business and community task force that will try to address issues facing downtown Indianapolis stemming from the pandemic and social unrest.
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.
Deborah Daniels: After a weekend in crisis, city has huge challenges to confront
The most significant theft that has occurred is not that of liquor or merchandise; the looters, by their actions, are stealing the credibility of the good people peacefully protesting a lengthy history of opportunity denied to people of color and those without means.
Erica Wells: We need proactive leadership, rather than reactive decisions
Decisions are impossible to make when leadership fails to listen to the community; fails to communicate a comprehensive plan; and falls into a reactive, not proactive, stance on protecting our community.
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.