Indianapolis, IN
Indiana police team up for human trafficking awareness
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana groups are touting efforts to put a stop to human trafficking during Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
Organizations and state troopers were pushing to spread awareness. Indiana State Police says, through Friday, troopers will spread awareness about human trafficking through the help of truckers.
Jessica Evans, founder and executive director of Allies Inc., said, “It’s everyone’s responsibility to raise awareness because it only does harm to survivors when we don’t have an accurate picture of what trafficking actually looks like.”
According to the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program, at least 61 people in Marion County, were recovered in 2023. The majority were young women who were forced or tricked into doing sex work or forced labor.
“There’s mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and so it really impacts their entire being and so recovery moving forward can be extremely complex,” Evans said.
Allies Inc. and other organizations are combatting trafficking and helping survivors get a second chance at life through mentorship. Evans said, “Think about when you’re a teenage girl regardless of what’s happened to you it’s great to have people who are investing in you and see you for who you are.”
Police say truckers play a vital role in preventing human trafficking.
Indiana State Police says it’s working closely with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and Truckers Against Trafficking to hand out information this week to truckers. Kimberly Hill, a motor carrier inspector at Indiana State Police, said that the information “tells them when to call 911, when to call the human trafficking hotline if they’re able to interact with the individual, questions to ask, along with some red flags to look for like a van or an RV,”
State police say truckers are in a unique position to fight human trafficking, and they should follow several signs. “They are the eyes and ears of America. They’re in places that the rest of us are not. They’re spending the night at truck stops or rest areas. which is very often where human trafficking occurs in those locations,” Hill said.
Darlene Bradley-White, a retired U.S. Department of Homeland Security special agent, said, “A lot of people feel like that’s the movie ‘Taken.’ Trafficking happens right in our schools, it happens in our neighborhoods, it happens in our malls. It happens on social media. so that’s something important that we need to look at wholeheartedly all around as a community,”
Forty-one names comprised the 11th layer of Springer’s “The Forgiving Sea VI,” an interactive painting that invites people to wr
Elizabeth Gabriel, Mirror Indy
(MIRROR INDY) — The Garfield Park Conservatory will host multiple family-friendly events throughout June. The events include plant shows, kid’s story time and Dollar Menu Night, which allows residents to harvest and eat veggies from a community garden.
Events at the Garfield Park Conservatory, 2505 Conservatory Drive, range in price and some require advance registration.
The Indianapolis Bonsai Club will have displays and answer questions about a variety of bonsai. Vendors will have items for purchase.
🗓️ 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 6, 1-5 p.m. June 7
🎟️ $7 per person, $15 per family (maximum of two adults per family)
Preschoolers ages 2-5 can participate in nature-themed storytime and crafts.
🗓️ 10-11 a.m. June 9
🎟️ $6 per child
Residents of all ages can harvest and eat veggies from Blakes’ Garden. Advance registration is preferred.
🗓️ 6-7 p.m. June 10
🎟️ $1 per person
Focused on ages 2-8, participants will listen to a nature-themed story and explore Blakes’ Garden. Attendees will relocate to a classroom if there’s inclement weather.
🗓️ 10 a.m. June 12
🎟️ Free
Up to 15 neighbors ages 10 and up will learn to ferment kimchi. Registration is required.
🗓️ 1-2 p.m. June 13
🎟️ $15 per person
Kids ages 2-5 can plant and harvest crops in the Children’s Garden. Registration is required.
🗓️ 11 a.m. to noon June 24
🎟️ $6 per child
The Indiana Insectivores will display tropical and native Indiana predator plants. Plants will also be available for purchase. Those who attend the plant show will also have free entry to the Predatory Plants Presentation 1-2 p.m. June 27.
🗓️ 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 27, 1-5 p.m. June 28
🎟️ $7 per person, $15 per family (maximum of two adults per family)
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Mirror Indy reporter Elizabeth Gabriel covers the south side of Marion County. Contact her at elizabeth.gabriel@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X at @_elizabethgabs.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Community Love Fest 2026, an initiative happening over four days, will start on Wednesday at an Indianapolis church.
The STR8UP Mentoring Foundation, touted as an Indianapolis-based nonprofit to help at-risk urban youths, aims for the event to be a safe and productive start to summer for Indianapolis youth and families.
The kickoff rally will start at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church, 4958 Ribble Road. That’s off East 30th Street west of its intersections with Massachusetts Avenue and Emerson Avenue.
A community cleanup day will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at 3036 N. Sherman Drive, just north of East 30th Street.
A basketball tournament and a health and resource fair will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at Washington Park, 3130 E. 30th St.
STR8UP programs include educational partnerships that support students from kindergarten through young adulthood, and intramural sports to encourage teamwork and healthy competition.
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