Indianapolis, IN
‘The laws are the laws:’ Indy Pride organizers balance event safety, community concerns
SCOTUS takes up case on LGBTQ+, inclusive books in schools
Demonstrators on both sides protested as the Supreme Court heard a school district’s case on parents’ rights and LGBTQ+ books.
Five years after Indy Pride stopped hiring police for event security, organizers say they’re still keeping law enforcement at arm’s length while staying compliant with city code.
The plans to retain status quo were announced during a public discussion between the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Indy Pride on April 23. A chair reserved for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department sat empty.
Indy Pride, the organization that hosts events, including the annual June parade, announced a plan to replace police with private security firms in June 2020. Leadership cited solidarity with protests against police brutality.
Per city code, only law enforcement can manage road closures and direct traffic away from outdoor festivities. Uniformed officers remain just outside the celebrations, causing some attendees to wonder whether Indy Pride’s stance on police at Pride has changed.
“We will continue to stand with Black Lives Matter,” Jose Castillo Jimenez, Indy Pride board president, said April 23. The security personnel that now monitor events are not police officers, according to Castillo Jimenez.
Representatives for Indy Pride explained that they’d be unable to get permits for their largest events, which can attract as many as 60,000 visitors, without some degree of cooperation with police.
The discussion in Indianapolis came amid an ongoing national conversation about the role of law enforcement at LGBTQ+ celebrations.
Pride month is celebrated in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a days-long series of protests against police raids at a New York City gay bar.
Nearly all of the attendees who spoke at the April 23 meeting said that the presence of law enforcement turns what should feel like a safe space into a hostile environment.
“Whenever I see police officers, I get nervous,” said Riley Seungyoon Park, an Indianapolis writer. “I get extremely nervous, because I know what they do to our community members.”
A feeling of distrust has only increased amid a recent swath of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Indiana and throughout the country.
“We don’t have to imagine a reality in which trans people develop a profound anxiety simply existing in public life out of fear for their safety, because we’re already there,” said Elliot Froese, a graduate student.
While it’s possible that volunteers could one day replace some police who surround the event’s perimeters, Indy Pride currently lacks the necessary manpower and insurance to make that possible, board members said. Police would still be needed for road closures under city rules.
“The laws are the laws, and we have to follow them at the end of the day, so we can give you what you want — so you can have joy,” said Aundrea Lacy, an Indy Pride board member.
Derek Ford, one of the town hall’s organizers, said IMPD earlier said they’d send a representative but then reversed course shortly before the event.
“The absence is very present,” Ford said.
An IMPD spokesperson said Indy Pride had contacted one of the department’s LGBTQ+ liaisons to see if anyone was available, but all were busy.
IMPD and Indy Pride
In 2021, Indy Pride landed at the center of a social media controversy after posting a photo of friends posing in an Indy 500 car, holding pride flags. The post was swiftly deleted after commenters decried the IMPD logo on one person’s t-shirt.
“This photo hurt members of our community that are actively fighting against police brutality,” Indy Pride said in a statement after the deletion.
IMPD faced online backlash of its own after wrapping a patrol car with a rainbow flag decal in June 2023. In response, a department spokesperson told IndyStar that IMPD “celebrates Pride Month and the contributions of our LGBTQ+ colleagues within our department, community and our city.”
2025 Indy Pride events
- May 3: Drippin’ in Pearls Pageant, Mr & Mx categories, 5 – 11 p.m., Krannert Room in Butler University’s Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave.
- May 4: Drippin’ in Pearls Pageant, Ms. Category, 5 – 11 p.m., Krannert Room in Butler University’s Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave.
- May 10: Rainbow 5k run/walk, 7 a.m., Fowling Warehouse, 1125 E. Brookside Ave., Ste. D9
- May 11: 250 Tricycle race, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sun King Brewery, 135 N. College Ave.
- May 16: Asian and Pacific Islander Pride dance party, 7 – 10 p.m., 10 East Arts Hub, 3137 E. 10th St.
- May 31: Pride Pet Parade, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Riverside Park, 2420 E. Riverside Drive.
- June 1: Interfaith celebration, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Riverside Park, 2420 E. Riverside Drive
- June 1: Cookout and Bat N Rouge, 1 – 5 p.m., Riverside Park, 2420 E. Riverside Drive
- June 6: Queeraoke Night, 6 – 10 p.m., 10 East Arts Hub, 3137 E. 10th St.
- June 9: Deaf Pride, 7 – 10 p.m., Greg’s Our Place, 231 E. 16th St.
- June 12: Girl Pride, 7 – 11 p.m., The Vogue Theatre, 6259 N. College Ave.
- June 14: Pride Parade, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., begins at 748 Massachusetts Ave.
- June 14 – 15: Celebration on the Circle Pride Festival, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Monument Circle
- June 14 – 15: Word of Mouth music series, 2 – 10 p.m., American Legion Mall, 700 N. Pennsylvania St.
- June 21: Betty Who Out of the Darkness Tour, 6 p.m., Hi-Fi Annex, 1065 St. Patrick St.
- June 26: Bi and Beyond: A Pride Celebration, 7 – 10 p.m., 10 East Arts Hub, 3137 E. 10th St.
- June 27: Community Music Night, 6-9 p.m., Shelton Auditorium, 1000 W. 42nd St.
- June 27: LatinX Pride, 7 p.m. – 2 a.m., The Vogue Theatre, 6259 N. College Ave.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Democrat Andrea Hunley to seek bid for mayor’s job in 2027
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State Sen. Andrea Hunley, a Democrat representing Indianapolis, has announced her candidacy for a bid to run for mayor of Indianapolis in 2027.
Hunley, who had previously teased a mayoral run, has scheduled a launch event for May 8 as her official kickoff her campaign to lead the city, said her campaign website. The Assistant Minority Leader in the Senate announced in January that she would not seek another term in the Indiana Senate, to which she was elected in 2022.
Hunley’s website says, “Indianapolis is my city. Our city. As someone who knows this city, someone who has served this community as a public school teacher leading our children and supporting families, I am committed to the future of the people of Indianapolis.
“Indianapolis is the economic driver and a key cultural hub for our state. Our city boasts creative entrepreneurs and long-standing local businesses, vibrant neighborhoods and corporate headquarters, community-centered nonprofits and public schools. I aim to champion a better quality of life by listening to and working alongside the people, businesses and neighborhoods that make up our great city.”
Mayor Joe Hogsett has not disclosed if he’s seeking a fourth four-year term.
City-County Council Member Vop Osili in January announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination.
In the same month, Pike Township Trustee Annette Johnson announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination to run for mayor. She’s running this year to continue in the trustee’s job, which she has held since 2019.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, who had been mentioned as a possible Democratic candidate for mayor, announced in January he would seek another four-year term this year for his current job. However, he did not rule out running for the Democratic bid for mayor in 2027.
Indianapolis, IN
Louisville native set to make debut in Indianapolis 500
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – While Louisville is famous for one race in May, a Derby City native is set to make his first appearance in a different iconic May race.
Jacob Abel will be making his first appearance in the Indianapolis 500 on May 24, racing for Abel Motorsports, founded by his father, Bill Abel.
“I am excited and grateful to be able to return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to have a shot at the Indianapolis 500. It’s been a lifelong dream to compete in that race and to have the opportunity to do it with Abel Motorsports and Chevrolet makes it even more special,” Jacob said.
Both Abels, the driver and the team, had breakout years in 2024 with three pole positions and three wins in the INDY NXT drivers’ championship, propelling the 25-year-old driver to the NTT INDYCAR Series the following year.
Practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 begins on Tuesday, May 12 with qualifying being held on May 16 and May 17. The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway goes green on May 24, coverage begins at 10 a.m.
Copyright 2026 WAVE. All rights reserved.
Indianapolis, IN
IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS — A person was stabbed in downtown Indianapolis Sunday evening.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets around 8:28 p.m. to investigate a stabbing. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult male victim with apparent stab wounds.
IMPD has confirmed that the victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.
Investigators believe the stabbing “stemmed from a disturbance between multiple individuals and the victim.”
IMPD has reported that it has not identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest at this point in its investigation of the stabbing. Police have indicated that they are hoping witnesses come forward with information that can help them identify or locate the suspects.
“The officers now are doing a complete investigation,” IMPD Lieutenant Frank Wooten said during a media briefing Sunday night. “They’re going to investigate this to the best of their ability. We’re going to try to locate our suspect, arrest the suspect, prosecute the suspect and hold that suspect accountable for this heinous crime in Indianapolis. This is not an indication of what our city is about. This is not an indication of what we do downtown, and we hold this to be very serious. So, we will hold whoever did this responsible for their actions tonight.”
Sunday night’s stabbing represented a continuation of a violent weekend in downtown Indianapolis.
Early Sunday morning, two men were critically injured in a shooting near a White Castle on South Street. Before that shooting occurred, police arrested two juveniles on gun charges at Monument Circle.
Police also conducted a shooting investigation near the Hilton hotel located at 120 W. Market St. around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in that shooting.
Elsewhere in the city, a person was injured in a shooting in a CVS parking lot on Kentucky Avenue Saturday evening. Another individual was killed in a shooting outside a residence in the 2300 block of South Pennsylvania Street Saturday night.
Public police reporting systems indicate IMPD has investigated nine shootings that caused injuries since midnight Saturday. During that same timeframe, IMPD has investigated six shootings that did not result in any injuries and five stabbings.
Numbers available on shootings and stabbings in IMPD’s public reporting system may not be complete, as some reports on weekend shootings and stabbings may not have been entered yet.
“This is not what we want Indianapolis to be,” Wooten said. “This is not what we expect out of the citizens of Indianapolis. We expect them to be safe, come downtown and have a good time, and be able to go home the same way they came down here. So, we will hold these suspects, once located, accountable for this crime.”
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