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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
WISH usually has one crew on Saturday nights, but on May 30, it had four. WISH went live outside its normal newscasts more than any other station—which is easier for it to do than any other station because it lacks a major network affiliation.
Several business owners in the city’s central business district and others along Massachusetts Avenue have enlisted staff members and local artists to paint murals and messages on the plywood covering the facades of riot-damaged buildings.
St. Louis-based Sugarfire Smoke House has closed its downtown Indianapolis restaurant following ongoing issues with the building’s landlord.
Also this week: InCycle Strength, Rise ‘n Roll Bakery, Dancing Donuts, WB Pizza, The Mug, City Way Animal Clinics, Pet Wellness Clinics.
Trump said he was recommending that governors deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets.”
On what would likely be a day of people returning to work, downtown streets were eerily quiet, aside from a few dozen people milling around, taking pictures of the boarded-up stores.
The owners of Centos Shoes, Red’s Classic Barber Shop and J. Benzal Menswear talked to IBJ about the damage their companies suffered after a violent weekend downtown and how they plan to move forward.
The shop, which opened in 2007, has been closed since March because of the pandemic. It aims to reopen Tuesday.
What we are experiencing in our city, and cities across our country, is the language of pain when people’s spirits are broken and they move beyond hopelessness to outrage.
We all were taught early that two wrongs don’t make a right. What has happened to our city is inexcusable.
Mayor Joe Hogsett said on Sunday he did not think it would be necessary to use the Indiana National Guard to help protect downtown.
When the turmoil finally subsided, three people had been shot, with one dead, first-floor glass had been knocked out of dozens of buildings and angry graffiti messages were sprayed across the Mile Square.
Thousands of protestors coalesced downtown late Saturday afternoon in a continuation of protests of police violence and social inequality that on Friday resulted in widespread vandalism.
Greg Bires, who purchased Windsor Jewelry in 1996 after working there for a dozen years, talks about cleaning up after protests on Friday led to damage across downtown Indianapolis.
