Crime is up this year as neighborhoods everywhere complain. Through Oct. 6, violent crime in Indianapolis is up 8.7 percent from the same period last year. Property crime is up 2.3 percent. Overall crime up 2.3 percent.
The biggest jump is a 19.9 percent rise in aggravated assaults. The third straight year this category of violent crime has increased.
The rising perception and reality of increasing crime is the major reason the Democratic majority on the City-County Council turned to the Capital Improvement Board (CIB) piggy bank.
The council is attempting to tap up to $15 million from CIB coffers as payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) to not only cover the city’s deficit, but to find funds to train new police officers and firefighters.
Like spoiled brats, Indy’s downtown movers and shakers attacked the council majority’s actions. The Indy Chamber called the council’s action “irresponsible,” “a fiscal cliff,” a “detriment to long term stability, economic attractiveness and job growth.” Mayor Greg Ballard accused Democrats of ruining downtown’s economy.
In the word of Vice President Joe Biden – malarkey!
The chamber’s crybaby attitude, along with some of Indy’s civic, tourism and arts organizations, including sadly Black Expo, is extraordinarily shortsighted and selfish and reinforces my column of two weeks ago when I said our city’s leaders are showing no leadership.
Neither the chamber, Expo or other movers and shakers have offered any concrete suggestions for dealing with our city’s budget crisis and the woeful number of police on our streets. Instead they echo Mayor Ballard’s whining about the Democratic council being obstructionists.
What malarkey when it’s our mayor who’s been AWOL from his job as a visible, engaged leader; partly contributing to Indy’s leadership malaise.
At least council Democrats are putting forth some ideas on solving our city’s problems. That’s more than our invisible mayor, “real mayor” Ryan Vaughn (Ballard’s chief of staff), the chamber and Indy’s movers and shakers are doing.
Instead of partisan sniping, it’s time for Indy’s leaders to engage, reach across the political and civic divide and develop collective solutions to Indianapolis’ growing woes.
What I’m hearing
in the streets
It was the surprise of the first governor candidates debate. After Libertarian Rupert Boneham brought up the subject of providing meaningful employment for Indiana’s ex-offenders, Republican Mike Pence chimed in supporting the issue. Pence then surprised many stating he’d worked with Congresswoman Julia Carson in helping pass the Federal Second Chance Act in 2007.
Democrats at the debate were skeptical of Pence’s claims; believing he’d stretched the truth.
He didn’t. Carson and Pence became co-sponsors of the legislation, authored by Rep. Danny Davis of Chicago, on the same day in April, 2007. Folks who worked for Julia back then told me after the debate that Carson did reach across the aisle to garner Pence’s support. Telling me that despite their philosophical and partisan differences, Carson and Pence at times worked together.
Pence confirmed those collaborations when I interviewed him on our radio program last Friday. He stressed the importance of providing a “second chance” to former felons who want to turn their lives around.
During our interview, Pence tried to address fears about him among African-Americans.
“I’m a conservative,” Pence told our community, “But I’m not in a bad mood about it. I’ve always believed that, and its part of my own Christian faith, to do unto others as you have them do unto you. I always believe in treating others as you want to be treated.”
The proof won’t just be Pence’s words, but his deeds. And that’s what frightens many African-American Hoosiers.
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Indiana’s Department of Education was supposed to release those controversial “A-F” letter grades for Indiana’s K-12 schools Oct. 10. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett confirmed as much in a live interview Sept. 28.
But public release of the “A-F” grades has been delayed until Oct. 30, even though schools, districts, even parents and students know, in many cases, their school’s letter grades.
The reason for the delay is allegedly to allow more time for schools and districts to appeal their grades.
But school board members and candidates interviewed last week on our “Afternoons with Amos” program, expressed skepticism about the delay. With some openly saying the delay is politically motivated so as not to hurt Bennett’s reelection.
Some incumbent township school board members I interviewed said that there will be significant numbers of Marion County schools that will have D and F grades. This could provoke a firestorm of concern and angst in the city/county’s 11 school districts and some charter schools.
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She left us all too soon.
Sandra Leek, the longest serving executive director of Indiana’s Civil Rights Commission, died last Friday. She was 58.
A Gary native, Leek took her IU Law education and became a tireless fighter for the rights of all Hoosiers.
Her career began in the late 1970s when she became a managing attorney at Indiana Legal Services, working with those who couldn’t afford legal representation. Her work brought her to the attention of Gov. Evan Bayh, who named Leek to the Indiana Unemployment Review Board.
Then in November 1992, Bayh named Leek to succeed another Gary native, Karen Freeman-Wilson as head of the Civil Rights Commission.
Leek served for 12 years and three months, for three governors, the longest continuous tenure in the commission’s 61-year history.
Leek brought a youthful enthusiasm when she began at age 38. Leek led the agency to take an activist role in fighting all forms of discrimination against Hoosiers. She also worked to grow the state’s annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday each January.
After leaving government, Leek tried corporate law, but she was most comfortable not as a corporate lawyer, but one defending just folks.
She took very ill early this year, but when I saw her in March she’d recovered and looked great. But last month her illness returned, took a turn for the worst and God called her home.
Our African-American community will miss this lioness of our community, especially her advocacy, drive and desire to protect our human rights. My deepest sympathies to Sandra Leek’s family and many, many friends. I know she’s at peace with her God and we here will miss Sandra very much.
See ‘ya next week.
You can email comments to Amos Brown at acbrown@aol.com.
