City-County Council President Vop Osili issued a statement June 11 expressing “regret” after his decision to order the removal of Lauren Roberts during a council meeting this week.
In a statement, the Democrat also said he “failed” Roberts, one of three women who have said they experienced harassment or abuse at the hands of Thomas Cook, former top aide to Mayor Joe Hogsett. Roberts worked as a subordinate to Cook during Hogsett’s first mayoral campaign.
“As it is my responsibility to ensure the council conducts its business with decorum and civility, I should have called a recess, created space for calm, and shown a sensitivity in that emotionally charged moment,” Osili’s statement read, in part. “In that, I failed Ms. Roberts, my fellow councilors, and those who attended the meeting that evening.”
He added that “as an elected official, we must own our mistakes, take responsibility for our actions, and do better going forward. That is why I am issuing this statement today.”
During the meeting, Roberts was talking about her experience working for Cook when Osili ordered sheriff’s deputies to remove her from the City-County Building after she went over the 2-minute time limit for public comment.
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Roberts, who now lives in Denver, said she had crowdfunded the money necessary to afford a flight to Indianapolis to share her comments. She has repeatedly criticized the mayor for his handling of the allegations against Cook, and she’s raised concerns about the ensuing investigation spearheaded by the City-County Council.
Roberts declined to comment on Osili’s statement. Asked by Mirror Indy if Osili contacted her before issuing a public statement, she said he did not.
Osili’s statement also referenced regretting “the trauma to Ms. Roberts and her supporters.” Some of them were removed from the meeting, too, including local Democratic strategist Elise Shrock.
She said in a Facebook post that a deputy “grabbed” her breasts and “dragged” her out of the assembly room, telling her to “act like a lady.” She shared a video showing the encounter.
In a statement to Mirror Indy, Shrock appeared to characterize Osili’s letter as a public relations tactic. She noted that she had texted Osili after being removed from the meeting but never heard back.
“Again, rather than intentional repair, I’m hearing this from the media. And two days after the fallout. I’ve sat through enough pre-session caucuses to know when a strategy has been set and executed,” Shrock’s statement read, in part.
Osili’s June 11 statement is a departure from comments he made to reporters following the council meeting. The councilor defended his decision that night by saying that everyone must abide by the council’s rules.
“It is never a pleasure to escort someone from our room, but we have a sense of order here, and we have rules that we have followed,” Osili said after the meeting. “When someone indicates or says that they will talk for as long as they like, it’s not something that this council can stand with. That is the reason for asking people to leave the room.”
The next day, Hogsett told Mirror Indy that Roberts “should have been permitted to speak for more than, certainly, two minutes.”
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Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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