Part one of our three-part series on efforts being made by the City to reduce community violence addressed several things. It most importantly outlined why Rick Snyder, President of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), is no friend of the black community.

Readers also learned that many of the state lawmakers present at his public safety press conference on February 9th were actually not allies of the black community, but rather accomplices to its oppression. So you may not be surprised to hear that when not postering with Snyder at press conferences, several of those same lawmakers are responsible for authoring some of the most dehumanizing legislation targeting black children and adults found in this year’s Indiana General Assembly.

[RELATED STORY: RICK SNYDER AND FOP’S MASTER PLAN TO LOCK UP BLACKS IN INDIANAPOLIS]

– Senator Aaron Freeman co-authored the infamous bill SB 449, which seeks to send kids as young as 12 to adult prisons and courts and which is opposed by several judges, prosecutors, public defenders, experts on mental health, and community activists.

– Senator Jack Sandlin co-authored bill SB 436 that would appoint a special prosecutor to pursue legal charges for petty marijuana offenses that the current Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, has refused to prosecute because it disproportionately targets Black and Brown residents.

A quick search of laws introduced at the State House this session shows a host of bills that address civil rights, wage discrimination, affordable housing, and systemic issues that lead to poverty but have not been supported by any of the state lawmakers present at the press conference.

Community Imposters



Black pastors and other community leaders have empowered the FOP and its crew of lawmakers. They have continuously stood with the FOP as they conspire to make decisions for the Black community. When in reality, they are absolutely the last entity on Earth that should be leading a commission to solve problems that disproportionately affect the Black community.



Should we heap praise upon these unfit leaders for wanting a community-led commission? The idea is absolutely not a bad thing, in theory. So they are right on that one point, but even a broken clock is right twice a day.

So what might an effective community-led commission on improving public safety look like?



A true community-led commission would look a lot different than what was proposed. A community-led commission would have legitimate resident engagement. It would not be controlled by the FOP or any other power players seeking to advance their own agenda. And most importantly, it would focus on systemic issues, such as eliminating poverty and supporting community resilience.

However, we all know that creating a community-led commission with these values is easier said than done. It will have to reach all community members, even those who seem to never engage in any meaningful way. It will also require maneuvering around several pitfalls, the first being systematic poverty, in order to create authentic community engagement.

Creating Real Reform

The first step to creating authentic change around addressing systemic poverty is having difficult bipartisan conversations that lead to action. Both the Democratic and Republican parties need to understand that after 150 years of housing discrimination, voter suppression, wage discrimination, and other systemically racist policy decisions, the violence problem in our city is not going to correct itself overnight. These injustices existed before and after UniGov, what some call Indianapolis’ city-county government, and through both Democratic and Republican-controlled administrations.



Both parties played a hand in creating these conditions. Both parties have allowed these issues to flourish through inaction at times, or through additional miss-steps over time. There are no quick fixes or magical cures. The hard truth is that both parties need to swallow is that our community cannot eliminate violence without actually changing the adverse conditions for people on the ground.



Don’t believe us? Create a heatmap of the homicides that have occurred throughout the city and overlay it with a map depicting poverty and median household income.



The discussion should be focused on real solutions and not get-right-quick-gimmicks. That is going to require difficult bipartisan conversations and action about flawed ideologies and blindspots.

Shifting The Conversation

Our Republican and Democratic representatives alike need to be completely aware of the real effect that allowing residents to remain in poverty, whether due to their ideological differences, inaction, or their incompetence, has on violence in communities. This means, before a community-led commission can truly be effective, systemic issues like racism and poverty must be addressed throughout the highest levels of Indiana State government on down.



It’s simple. Creating a culture amongst lawmakers that supports spending funds to eradicate poverty instead of spending funds to eradicate the impoverished provides benefits for all residents. It can lift the tax base, attract new businesses, and spur economic growth within Central Indiana. So even if lawmakers don’t do what’s right for the sake of Black or Brown people, they surely can make steps in the right direction toward their love of green.



But we can’t get there if we are not talking about how poverty is one of the primary root issues. We have to do whatever it takes to have those difficult conversations.



This is part two of a three-part series analyzing the idea of a “community-led commission”.

In our third and final installment of the series, we’ll explore how having the right stakeholders, asking the right questions, and making the right changes can build a community-led commission capable of addressing our city’s violence issues.

Black Indy Live STAFF Black Indy LIVE has been the #1 Source of Black News in The State of Indiana Since 2017. Our work has been referenced by publications such as: The Atlanta Black Star, Blavity, The New York Post, PopCulture.com, The Inquisitr, Clutch Points, and many others. See author's posts

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