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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

Authorities brace for retaliation in wake of after-prom party shooting in Indianapolis

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Authorities brace for retaliation in wake of after-prom party shooting in Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — The victim of Sunday morning’s shootout on the north side of Indianapolis has been identified as 38-year-old Brittany Marie Members.

Two other people were wounded at a short-term rental property at 40th Street and Park Avenue when an SUV full of gunmen opened fire on the house where Members’ daughter was hosting an after-prom party.

Approximately 100 shell casings from multiple guns were discovered at the scene as the result of three volleys of gunfire — two from the assailants and one from the people at the house.

A photograph from earlier in the evening showed three partygoers displaying four guns — two of them large semi-automatic rifles with banana clips — standing in front of party decorations.

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Area residents told FOX59/CBS4 that party planners returned to the home Sunday night and removed the decorations nearly 24 hours after the early morning shooting.

“It was pure pandemonium, it was scary, it was terrifying, and I would have likened it to some type of war movie,” said Brandi Mitchell, a neighbor who awoke to a bullet hole in the front window of her home at 1 a.m. Sunday. “We heard a lot of yelling, a lot of screaming, so we just knew at that point it was gunfire, and I just immediately took cover.”

Neighborhood security video obtained by FOX59/CBS4 recorded the sounds of gunfire, people fleeing the scene on foot and a white SUV that rolled backward up Park Avenue after the first round of shots, headed back toward the house for a second volley and appeared to drive in reverse again after the partygoers fired back.

Mitchell said neighbors have recognized that the large yellow house across the street has been utilized as a short-term rental since early 2025, and while there was no previous trouble, she became uneasy as Saturday night rolled on and more young people arrived at the address.

“But as the night progressed, there were more and more people showing up, and we were getting a little agitated because it’s a lot of people,” Mitchell said. “And when there’s a lot of people, and didn’t look like a lot of supervision after those hours, it could get a little scary.”

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The City’s Office of Public Health and Safety will deploy violence interrupters to reach out to victims and the community in an attempt to quell any potential retaliation.

“We don’t want that one shooting to become four, and we don’t want that one homicide to become four,” said Deputy Public Safety Director Tony Lopez.

In the coming days, Lopez’s staff will be “engaging with the family, engaging with others, trying to figure out if retaliation is possible, where’s the retaliation coming from.”

Lopez said warmer weather and springtime or end-of-school celebrations bring more parties to short-term rental properties around Indianapolis, making it challenging to monitor and follow up on violence that occasionally occurs.

City officials have indicated it is likely the owner of the Park Avenue property may face a fine for failing to register his short-term rental location with the Bureau of Neighborhood Services.

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Indianapolis, IN

Retail news: Snack store, med spas and more open

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Retail news: Snack store, med spas and more open


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It’s May, which means it’s destined to be a busy month at the racetrack. But if you’re looking for other ways to spend your time, look no further than some of the newest shops in the Circle City.

A specialty snack shop opened last month in Carmel, and a new Fountain Square spot is selling vintage and alternative clothes.

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Here are four new places to go around the metro area.

What’s opened recently around Indianapolis

Retrograde

1114 Prospect St., retrogradeindy.com, opened April 4

Retrograde, a retail and consignment shop, opened last month on Fountain Square’s main commercial strip. According to the store’s website, Retrograde features punk, rock, emo, alternative and vintage styles with an emphasis on sustainable clothing.

Open Thursday noon to 8 p.m.; Friday noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday noon to 8 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

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Flavor Bridge

846 S Rangeline Rd, Carmel, opened mid-April

Flavor Bridge, a specialty, build-your-own-bag snack shop, opened in Carmel last month at the City Center. Customers can fill a bag up and pay based on weight or can choose from a gift box with a flat rate. The store will also host monthly events, special holiday themes and limited-edition snack drops.

Open Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.

Nutopia

9538 126th St, Fishers, 317-288-4468, opened mid-March

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A nut store recently opened in Fishers on 126th Street. Despite its name, Nutopia offers more than a wide selection of salty snacks. The cafe also serves coffee, matcha drinks and sweets, along with imported treats from the Middle East.

Open Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Avelure Med Spa

8487 Union Chapel Rd Suite 620, aveluremedspa.com, opened earlier this year

Avelure, a medical spa, opened at Keystone at the Crossing. It’s the second Avelure location in the Indianapolis area, joining a store in Greenwood. The spa offers Botox treatments, laser hair removal, facials and other services.

Appointments available. Open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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See a store opening or closing in your neighborhood? Contact IndyStar reporter Alysa Guffey at alysa.guffey@indystar.com.



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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD: Person shot in vicinity of East Washington Street gas station

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IMPD: Person shot in vicinity of East Washington Street gas station


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A person was shot Sunday afternoon at a gas station along East Washington Street in Indianapolis, police said.

Medics and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were called about 5:10 p.m. Sunday to a report of a person shot and an unsafe gunshot scene at 4415 E. Washington St. That’s the address of a Citgo gas station located a few blocks west of Emerson Avenue.

The person shot was stable, awake and breathing, IMPD said in a media notification. IMPD did not plan to provide any more information from the crime scene on Sunday.

No additional information was immediately available, including whether the area was safe or if a suspect was in custody or being sought.

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