Why 9 people joined Indy Documenters

Join Indy Documenters

Indy Documenters trains and pays neighbors to attend local, public government meetings and take notes or live tweet. We're creating a new public record in Indianapolis, and we want you to be a part of it. Questions? Email documenters@mirrorindy.org.

Sherrita Niles has always been that person. The one who gets all the newsletters and shows up at community meetings, just to hear what’s going on.

“I always seem to get knowledge about certain things,” said Niles, who lives in Willard Park. “I like making sure it gets to the right people who can use it or benefit.”

So when Niles heard about Indy Documenters, she jumped to sign up. Documenters trains and pays locals to attend government meetings and report what’s going on. Their notes are published live here, and are sometimes turned into articles and news briefs published on this website as well.

Anyone can join, and 70 Indy residents have already completed the hour-long training.

The goal is simple: cover the decisions officials are making about how to spend your tax dollars and serve your needs. Give your neighbors the information and tools they need to fight for the change.

From left: Sherrita Niles, Devyn Naylor, Renee Akins, Denisha Cole

That’s what drew Devyn Naylor, who lives in Haughville, to the program. “If you’re not given the full facts when you go to vote, then … you’re only half-participating,” Naylor said. “The first step in anything getting better is accountability.”

Documenters come from all over the city and cover meetings in every township, listening as officials debate new public transit routes, additional taxes for downtown residents, and whether to limit public comment. They often share a curiosity, and a passion for this city.

“I want to be aware of what’s going on around me,” said Denisha Cole, a Documenter who lives in the Indianapolis suburbs. “How communities are changing, gentrification, resources for underprivileged communities, crime — [Documenters] will help get some of the things I’ve questioned on my own answered.”

“As I have matured and seen the changing landscape, I want to be involved in what’s happening,” said Renee Akins, an Eagle Creek resident who’s lived in Indianapolis for about 30 years. Documenters is a way to “collectively bring about change by getting out to vote and sharing positive messages.”

I ‘have to find out what’s happening’

Jenny Owens-Cripe knows the importance of public meetings firsthand.

She moved to Crooked Creek in 1997 for the neighborhood’s diversity and good schools. As a parent, she always intended to attend the school board meetings, but life got in the way. “I’d want to go, but I’d prioritize something else,” she said.

Then teachers started leaving, and top officials were accused of stealing money. Owens-Cripe became a regular at the meetings. She used the information she learned from the meetings to advocate for improvements.

“If a bunch of people show up, change happens,” she said. “That’s what got me involved.”

Documenters “compensates individuals, and provides a real opportunity for people who want to be engaged but can’t,” said Kayla Bledsoe, a Documenter who lives in Butler-Tarkington. “It’s an opportunity to learn more about what’s going on.”

From left: Nikia Garland, Jennifer Owens-Cripe, Danielle Drake and Cassandra Pulido

Seeing a new side of Indianapolis — and city government

Some Documenters say that attending a meeting has helped them better understand the personal impacts of a particular policy.

“It’s interesting to immerse myself in a whole other world,” said Cassandra Pulido, who lives in Northwest Indy. Though she doesn’t have children, Pulido recently attended a school board meeting. “It was very important to be in the room with decision makers and the families, getting to hear from each of them.” Their passion will stick with her, she said.

For others, even familiar meetings look different when you’re trying to clearly record what’s happening.

Danielle Drake, of the Far Eastside, works in public affairs and has attended city-county council meetings in the course of her policy work. So she knew what to expect when she signed up to document one. Even so, she enjoyed the challenge of trying to explain and decode presentations for someone who might be reading her notes later without any context.

“I try to measure and communicate the feelings in the room,” she said. “Even the little nuances.”

What it’s like to document a meeting: ‘Take good notes!’

Nikia Garland is Indy through-and-through. She was born and raised here; now she teaches high school English and enjoys ballet and art museums on the side. “I believe it is important to provide citizens with reliable and accurate information regarding the civics in our city,” Garland, who lives in Rosswood Commons, wrote in an email.

She covered an Indianapolis Public Library board meeting. Her best advice for Documenters-to-be: “Pay close attention to what is being said and to take good notes!”

Want to be an Indy Documenter? Here’s how to sign up.