The Dirty Dozen Hunting and Fishing Club, the city’s only Black-led conservation group, is grappling with damage to its company bus after it was riddled with bullets and vandalized April 13.
The incident reignited concerns about youth engagement and resource disparities in Indianapolis neighborhoods.
The club’s bus, parked near its longtime headquarters on East 39th Street, sustained multiple bullet holes in its front windshield, a shattered passenger-side mirror and rear windshield and busted driver-side back windows. Temporary repairs — including trash bags duct-taped over broken glass — underscore the severity of the damage. No injuries were reported.
President Joe King, who founded the Eastside organization 32 years ago, called the act “disheartening” but said he believes it reflects a broader issue.
“When you don’t give young people constructive ways to spend their time, they find destructive ones,” King told the Indianapolis Recorder. “I think they (vandals) did not have anything positive to do.”
King emphasized the vandalism likely wasn’t targeted or connected to a similar incident weeks earlier at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church on the city’s west side, where windows were smashed.
Both properties, however, sit in areas that community advocates say lack accessible youth programming.
The Dirty Dozen, located at 2415 East 29th Street, is known for mentoring teens in outdoor skills and environmental stewardship.
The organization has long used its bus to transport members to fishing trips, hunting safety courses and conservation projects across Indiana.
King said the vehicle’s absence will disrupt programming unless repairs, estimated to cost more than $1,000, are expedited.
“This bus isn’t just metal and tires,” he said. “It’s how we connect kids to nature, to responsibility. Taking that away hurts everyone.”
The club partners with local schools and nonprofits and has served over 1,500 youth since 1992. Its focus on bridging racial gaps in outdoor recreation has earned state recognition, but King said funding remains a hurdle.
Dirty Dozen responds to vandalism
“We’re scraping by while kids are out here scraping up trouble,” he added.
Indianapolis police are investigating the shooting but have not identified suspects. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday.
Some residents argue that vandalism highlights systemic neglect.
“These kids aren’t born destructive,” Eastside community leader Marcia Owens
said. “But when libraries close early, parks are unsafe and clubs like the Dirty Dozens are underfunded, what do we expect?”
King hopes the incident sparks dialogue about investing in youth.
“I’m glad no one got hurt,” King said. “Instead of blaming them, let’s give them a reason to care.”
Those looking to help the Dirty Dozen Hunting and Fishing Club can contact them at 317-541-0271.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more news from the Indianapolis Recorder, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
