This brief is adapted from notes taken by Documenters Esmé Barniskis and Randy Wyrick, who covered the November Indianapolis City-County Council meeting. 📝 Read more about what happened.
The Nov. 4 Indianapolis City-County Council meeting was short, as councilors were met with chants and repeated removals of War in Gaza protestors. The council ended the meeting in less than an hour.
What did the protesters want?
Before approving the agenda, Councilor Michael-Paul Hart moved to remove Proposal 358 from the agenda citing it as a “poor use of public funds.”
The proposal, sponsored by Councilor Jesse Brown, is a special resolution that supports the immediate implementation of a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan.
Brown said the proposal was created in July and had been pushed back for months. “It seems unfair to push this from the agenda when it has been waiting for so long.”
Through this, protestors were chanting, “This is our meeting, not yours,” “We are your constituents, we’ve been here for five months and you don’t care what we think,” and “You people are all cowards.”
The council moved to remove proposal 358 from the agenda with opposition from Councilors Ali Brown and Jesse Brown.
While proposals were introduced, protestors chanted, “We want 358.” This sparked many removals from the room including a wheelchair-user protestor. He said, “You don’t get to touch the chair,” as officers began to wheel him out without consent. They stopped and allowed him to wheel himself out.
The council approved a special resolution saying residents should, “commit themselves to peaceful coexistence in the face of local, national and international conflict.” Councilor Brown requested to be removed as a co-sponsor “in light of everything that has happened tonight.” The proposal passed.
What else happened?
The council approved other proposals while protestors were escorted out by a Marion County Sheriff. The proposals included appropriations like:
- $758,434 to the Marion County Election Board budget for funding increases and poll worker salaries
- $29.5 million, a transfer of $30,000, and an additional $480,000 to build a low-barrier homeless shelter
- $8.2 million for inmate and staff medical care to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office
Protestors yelled, “You’re on the wrong side of history.”
The council approved special orders including establishing the Norwood Housing Tax Increment Financing Allocation Area.
No public comment was allowed during the meeting. Councilor Brian Mowery adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m.
What’s next?
The next City-County Council meeting is 7 p.m. December 2 at 200 East Washington St.
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