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IU approves policy that will shutter pro-Palestinian camp at Indy campus

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IU approves policy that will shutter pro-Palestinian camp at Indy campus


by Claire Rafford

The Indiana University board of trustees approved a new policy Monday that will effectively shut down a three-month pro-Palestinian encampment at IU Indianapolis.

In a news release, board of trustees Chair W. Quinn Buckner said arrests and chaos at an IU Bloomington pro-Palestinian protest in April led the board to update and standardize policies across all campuses.

“We can’t let one person or group’s expression infringe on the rights of others, disrupt learning experiences for our students or interrupt regular university business,” Buckner said in the release.

Members of the Indianapolis encampment say the policy is targeted at the pro-Palestinian student movement and will limit their freedom of speech.

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Layth Abdulbari, a leader in the encampment and student at IUPUI, said though he is sad that the policy passed, he and the other members of the camp are looking into other ways to protest and build community. They are eventually planning to take legal action against the university.

“We’re really going to respond with action,” the 21-year-old said. “That’s going to be our primary response.”

Students have been camping out under the Kelley School of Business on IU Indianapolis’ campus since April 26 to protest Israel’s invasion of Gaza following the Hamas missile strike on Oct. 7. The students also are demanding that IU divest from Israel and the Crane naval base.

Abdulbari said that though the students plan to pack up the encampment in the next few days, they feel their presence did make a difference.

“The policy being made is an example and a testament to us being heard, because they refuse to listen, but they hear us,” he said. “There’s something to say about that.”

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Organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Committee at IUPUI, the encampment is one of the few remaining in the country after pro-Palestinian protests swept college campuses across the country this spring.

What’s in the new policy?


The new policy will ban all camping, no matter the time of day, unless it is part of a university-approved event. It also prohibits protest activity from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. A draft of the policy released in June only banned overnight camping.

The policy also bars demonstrations within 25 feet of building entrances, requires that temporary structures such as tents be approved 10 days in advance, mandates pre-approval for hanging signs and symbols on university-owned property, including lampposts, and prohibits amplified noise that “materially and substantially” disrupts university life.

The newly-approved protocol also includes limits on where and how students can write messages. Students can still draw with washable chalk on sidewalks, but cannot display messages on other university buildings, lampposts or walls; or write with permanent or semipermanent substances on any university property.

The new policy will take effect Aug. 1.

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Indianapolis, IN

High-speed chase on snow-covered U.S. 31 ends with arrest of Indianapolis woman

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High-speed chase on snow-covered U.S. 31 ends with arrest of Indianapolis woman


PLYMOUTH, Ind. (WISH) — A 35-year-old Indianapolis woman was hospitalized and later jailed after state troopers on Wednesday afternoon pursued her in a high-speed chase on a snow-covered U.S. 31.

Online court records on Thursday night did not yet show a court case for Amber McDowell, but a news release issued Thursday night from state police said she’s facing primary charges including low-level felony counts of OWI and resisting law enforcement with a vehicle as a result of the chase.

Online court records on Thursday night showed an active arrest warrant for McDowell in Hendricks Circuit Court in Danville on multiple criminal charges, including misdemeanor counts of OWI, driving while suspended, having a false certificate for motor vehicle registration, driving with an open alcoholic beverage container, and speeding. She had failed to appear for two court dates in 2021 following her initial hearing in December 2020.

The release also said McDowell was wanted on an arrest warrant from Kentucky, though no details were provided.

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Wednesday’s chase began about 1:15 p.m. when troopers saw a red 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier car speeding northbound on a rural stretch of U.S. 31 near 14th Road in southern Marshall County. It’s about an 8-minute drive south of the Marshall County city of Plymouth. The northern Indiana county of 46,400 residents sits south of St. Joseph County, where South Bend is located.

The release said a trooper activated emergency lights, and McDowell accelerated and drove erratically, passing other vehicles on U.S. 31. McDowell lost control of her car about 14 miles into the chase, near the Marshall County town of La Paz. The car entered the center median of the divided highway, but she managed to regain control and flee about 8 miles farther north until she crashed into a concrete ditch on the U.S. 31 interchange for State Road 4 and the southern St. Joseph County town of Lakeville.

The chase reached speeds of nearly 100 mph, state police said.

Following the crash, McDowell fled from the car on foot before troopers fired a taser and then took her into custody. Upon her arrest, troopers said, McDowell displayed signs of intoxication.

News 8 on Thursday night reached out to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office for a jail booking photo of McDowell but did not receive an immediate response.

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Indianapolis, IN

City-County Councilor Vop Osili announces 2027 Indianapolis mayoral bid

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City-County Councilor Vop Osili announces 2027 Indianapolis mayoral bid


INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis City-County Councilor Vop Osili announced his candidacy for mayor Thursday, becoming the first person to officially enter the 2027 race.

Osili, a Democrat who served as council president for eight years, surprised some observers in December when he announced he would not seek re-election in the position.

The fifth-generation Indianapolis resident is positioning his campaign around neighborhood-focused governance and his track record of bipartisan problem-solving during his 14-year tenure on the council.

“This campaign isn’t about ideology or political labels,” Osili said in his announcement. “It’s about whether city government is delivering the basics people rely on every day.”

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Osili and Mayor Joe Hogsett have worked closely together during Hogsett’s tenure, with Osili often serving as a key ally on council initiatives.

During his time as council president, Osili championed affordable housing expansion, helped launch the city’s first microloan program for small businesses, and led efforts to remove criminal history questions from initial city job applications.

No other candidates have formally announced their intentions to run for mayor.

Osili plans to hold neighborhood town halls across Indianapolis in the coming weeks to gather input from residents about campaign priorities.





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Indianapolis Woman Charged with Threatening to Kill U.S. Representative

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Indianapolis Woman Charged with Threatening to Kill U.S. Representative


WISH-TV

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis woman has been charged in federal court with making threats against a member of U.S. Congress.

Shayla Addison, 28, has been charged with two counts of influencing a federal official by threat. She faces up to a decade in prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted.

U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI said Addison’s social media posts, phone calls, text messages, and emails to the Congress member included threatening statements such as  “Come outside b****, we’ll kill you,” “we will kill you b****,” and “tread lightly.”

After emailing the Congress member, Addison did not stop. She continued to post threats on her Instagram account stating “Shut up hoe I’ll kill you” and “I hope you got mace… cause you gone need it hoe.”

On Tuesday, a guilty plea was filed in federal court on behalf of Addison. If the plea is accepted, the court will set a sentencing date.

This isn’t the first time Addison has made threats towards others. In 2019, she repeatedly called a Firehouse Subs in Brownsburg and threatened to shoot up or blow up the store. Her second incident was in 2023, when she threatened to pour gasoline on the front porch of a home in Marion County.



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