INDIANAPOLIS — As the City of Indianapolis continues to invest in pedestrian safety, cameras could soon come to IndyGo buses and nearby intersections.

The goal? IndyGo says is to study the “close calls” between bus riders, drivers and those who walk and bike.

“The project is important for IndyGo because it will help us understand our riders’ feelings of safety around certain intersections and bus stops,” Christian Cambron, project manager of capital projects at IndyGo told WRTV.

IndyGo says the project is called “near-miss analysis” and that cameras will be placed at IndyGo bus stops and nearby intersections, some that have quite a few crashes.

“It will help us respond to those feelings in time with infrastructure improvements and operational improvements,” Cambron added.

WRTV spoke to riders about how they feel about the expected cameras.

“If you have been around Indianapolis, there are some places where this is not very good lighting, so the only way you can see things are from inside, or the interior of the bus,” Indianapolis resident Maurice Bell said.

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IndyGo said more than 30 cameras are expected to be installed later this summer.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indy Juneteenth says its 2025 celebration will look a little different this year after failing to secure a location for its parade.

The group’s leader says other celebrations will be continuing, and that he looks forward to commemorating the end of slavery in a new way this year.

James Webb, co-founder and executive director of Indy Juneteenth, said, “We finally were kind of able to get a hold of a route, and it was just an unrealistic route. And it was just we would be rushing things last-minute. So, we decided to focus on all of the other amazing things we have going on, all of the six events we have going on, and we’re excited about our relationship with the Indiana State Fairgrounds. We’re going to have one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in the country.”

Those other celebrations include a Miss Juneteenth pageant in the Mass Ave Cultural District, a college and career conference at the central library, and a boxer showcase at the Speedway Event Center.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV.

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.”

More: Friends, family, supporters gather for LGBTQ+ Statehouse Day

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.