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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Summer Celebration Task Force to maintain crowd control

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This summer, the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration Task Force’s goal will be to add another level of security to Expo events.

Summer Celebration Task Force (SCTF) was formed three days after shootings took place in Indianapolis during last year’s Indiana Black Expo.

The primary objective of SCTF is to develop an action plan to help the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department address safety issues for patrons during Summer Celebration and Circle City Classic, another Indiana Black Expo event held in October.

“These are individuals who will simply provide additional eyes and ears for officers,” said Vernon Williams, media coordinator for IBE.

Last year during Summer Celebration, a dispute erupted between two rival groups of youth. The conflict resulted in three separate shootings in which 10 teenagers were injured.

In the aftermath of the incident, the task force came up with ideas to prevent any future incidents taking place in Indianapolis during Summer Celebration, including making events more youth-oriented and affordable and moving the Celebrity Basketball Game from Conseco Fieldhouse back to the Indiana Convention Center.

“By not having any youth activities in Conseco, a huge problem has been eliminated with that transition alone,” Williams said. By having all of the activities in one location, it will be easier for volunteers to keep an eye on what happens in the streets outside of Expo events.

In the 40 years that Summer Celebration has taken place, there have been no incidents that have happened within a Summer Celebration event. Since last year’s incident took place in the streets of Indianapolis, it is a goal of IBE to increase patrols outside of Expo events.

Helen Haynes, the director of Chapter Development and Community Relations, has worked with the leaders of 30 committees to recruit about 1,200 volunteers. The volunteers will have many duties, from assisting IBE patrons with questions, to registering vendors and even serving as exhibit hall security.

“This year we are partnering with the Ten Point Coalition, which is a city group that will try to help man the streets for crowd control,” Haynes said. “It’s a group of churches that come together and help.”

In the streets, the volunteers will be watching, listening and talking to children if there is any shouting or conflict, which is part of the faith-based patrolling.

Haynes said she is still hoping to recruit about 60 more volunteers to act as perimeter security for the concert at the American Legion Mall.

Williams said he is sure the celebration will take place without any hitches.

“I feel very good,” he said. “If you take away one misdeed and look at the whole Summer Celebration with the task force and the city of Indianapolis, there is every reason to believe that it will be a great event for families.”

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