Indianapolis, IN

Sunglasses to survival: Indy woman wants to help you stop hiding abuse

Published

8 months ago

December 13, 2023

Sunglasses to survival: Indy woman wants to help you stop hiding abuse

This story contains mention of domestic violence. Abuse can be reported by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).

A dozen or so pairs of sunglasses hang from a rack on Danyette Smith’s bedroom wall.

When the 40-year-old chooses a pair to wear each day, it’s not to block sunlight. Nor are they a fashion statement. Often, she doesn’t even wear them over her eyes.

Smith perches a pair on top of her head every morning as a poignant reminder of how far she’s come.

Her oldest pair came after the first black eye. They hid the blooming bluish-purple blots from her then-partner’s punches. She had just landed what was then her highest-paying job, a gig that paid $12/hour in Carmel, and didn’t want to jeopardize her opportunity. The attempt didn’t work – her boss told her to take some time off to heal after seeing her injuries. Smith found herself stuck again at home with her abuser, not knowing how to escape and land on her feet with two daughters younger than 10.

So when the next black eye came, she just bought another pair of sunglasses.

The cycle continued and the collection grew. Pair after pair of sunglasses racked up until her selection resembled closer to what it looks like today − a mix of styles including magenta shades, a blue pair, aviators and dark oversized frames.

Smith escaped her violent relationship nearly 10 years ago, though her sunglasses remain. Now they mean something entirely different.

Her glasses are a cue to her clients, many of them Indianapolis women who are in the throes of the same abuse she suffered. The shades signal she knows what they’re going through.

“They’re hiding behind their sunglasses. Mine are on my head,” she explained. “I want them to know when I hear their story, I understand.”

The small gesture is symbolic of how Smith has approached her career helping Indianapolis families since leaving her abuser, according to her allies. Her experience compelled her to launch a successful nonprofit, Silent No More, to provide services for people going through abuse. It’s also what prompts her to drop everything if a domestic violence death occurs in the city, making time to visit the family and talk to local media about available resources.

Smith puts it this way: She wants to be the person she needed back then. She didn’t know she was experiencing domestic abuse until she read her old college essays defining intimate partner violence one day and slowly realized the definitions matched her home life. She didn’t realize preventing someone from getting a job is a form of abuse. And when the relationship became so bad she finally went to the courthouse to get a protection order, she couldn’t muster enough strength to complete the process the first time.

All the while, the abuse became more and more violent − culminating in a gun pointed at her head. The trigger wasn’t pulled, but the punches didn’t stop. Two metal plates hold her eye socket together to this day.

Preventing the same from happening to other women motivates her every morning to continue the grueling work.

That drive is one of the main reasons top city government leaders asked her to take on a never-before-seen position for Indianapolis — a person solely dedicated to preventing domestic violence. The position required someone tough but sensitive to survivors, and passionate above all.

“I think a lot of people can be really good at jobs and people can learn how to work in certain areas, but not everybody has that passion and spark,” said Lauren Rodriguez, deputy mayor of Public Health and Safety, who was one of many people involved in Smith’s hiring.

Since starting the job early last year, Smith has essentially become the city’s one-stop shop for anyone going through domestic violence. She oversees three employees who function like social workers for their clients. The job encompasses a little of everything, like consulting survivors through a protection order, educating neighborhoods identified as high-risk, or serving as the connective tissue between fellow aid agencies.

It’s a gargantuan task for Smith’s small team, which she named the Indy Champions. Particularly at a time when people killed from domestic violence in Indiana during the span of a year recently jumped as high as 180%. Smith is acutely aware of the domestic homicide rate and how the overwhelming majority are conducted with firearms.

Her supporters have no doubt she’s up for the task ahead. She’s made a name for herself from her nonprofit work alone, they say. Her approachable nature and intimate knowledge only carried by someone who’s gone through abuse, they say, will help her reach the most vulnerable.

The city’s go-to helper for domestic violence

Indianapolis had just recorded its bloodiest year in history when Smith launched Indy Champions.

Nearly 250 homicides were on the books. Many stemmed from domestic or intimate partner violence. The Covid-19 pandemic affected those numbers, but when lockdown orders lifted across the country, Indiana didn’t see the same corresponding drop in killings by a family member or partner as other states.

Deeply worried about the numbers, city government leaders and advocates brainstormed ways to save lives. The city had an unprecedented opportunity with millions of federal dollars they could steer toward combatting rising crime. When it came to domestic violence, the city already offered prosecutors, social workers and victim-witness assistance programs. They wanted to know what more needed to be done.

Smith was the first person who came to mind as a resource, Rodriguez said. She and others reached out asking for a meeting over boba tea, a request both Smith and Rodriguez laugh about now as out-of-the-blue and mysterious in hindsight.

They, along with Deputy Mayor Judith Thomas and Deputy Director Carlette Duffy, sat down and asked about survivors’ needs and, eventually, asked if she could take the job.

Smith hesitated. At that point, Silent No More had gone from a start-up to a thriving nonprofit. Taking the city’s job meant she’d have to step down as executive director. Entering a quasi-government position meant a public spotlight and handling taxpayer money.

Smith said she asked multiple questions and ended the meeting telling them she’d mull it over. She went home, prayed and found her answer.

“It was like God saying, ‘This isn’t about you. This is about the city, and the impact you will be able to make will be so much greater than where you are today,’” she said. “And that’s when I was like, OK. I accept.”

For the next year, Smith built her team of Indy Champions, all of whom are also domestic violence survivors. Perhaps the most crucial part of Smith’s job is serving as a liaison between the abused and the agencies. Smith learned from her own experience how hard it is to escape while keeping yourself, and your kids, safe.

In those moments, which experts consider the most dangerous time for a survivor, people fleeing don’t have time to call “20, 10, or even five” places, Smith said.

Indianapolis needed someone to streamline the process so survivors had one number to call for every resource they can think of versus several.

The city has several agencies willing to help, as explained by Rachel Scott, president and CEO of Coburn Place, though more assistance is always needed. To her, Smith serves as the crucial mortar ensuring organizations like hers work together, versus in silos. She gave the example of Smith starting monthly meetings with domestic violence prevention leaders to learn what each needs.

Coburn Place soon later asked Smith to join their board after it became clear she liked to roll up her sleeves.

“She’s not passive whatsoever,” Scott said.

Breaking the cycle

Well over a year after that conversation, Smith stood at the front of a classroom-like space on the east side of Indianapolis with 20 or so high school students on summer break.

She handed each of them packets labeled with the topic of the day: dating violence.

The seminar fell in a ZIP code identified by Smith as an area highly impacted by domestic violence. She started these classes to stop the cycle before it started.

Smith clicked through a few PowerPoint slides, then threw out a hypothetical scenario.

“This is for the ladies in the room,” she started. “You get a FaceTime from a friend and she’s got bruises from her boyfriend. But she told you not to tell her mom because she doesn’t approve of her dating right now. What do y’all do?”

A couple of moments of silence ensued. Then, a girl in the back chimed in and said she’d tell her own mother, who could provide guidance.

Smith nodded. She turned to the rest of the class so others could share.

“What would some of you do?” She asked.

“Buy a gun.”

The answer came from another girl in the class.

“Buy a gun?” Smith asked. Her matter-of-fact tone remained unwavering in the face of a grave response.

The teen affirmed her answer.

Smith didn’t jump into a lecture. She told the students at the onset that no answer was the wrong answer. But in this case, she took the opportunity to offer clarity.

“So now you got a gun,” Smith said. “You get locked up and you’re ruining your whole life. And it goes downhill from there because you’re reacting out of anger because they hit your friend.”

Smith told the class she’s heard this answer several times — and even lived through something similar. She told the teens she didn’t tell her brothers about her abuse while she went through it, fearing they might react strongly.

“Don’t buy the gun,” she said, gently smiling. “Go to a trusted adult.”

A few members of the class scribbled in their notebooks.

City Councilor La Keisha Jackson, Smith’s ally who represents the district where the seminar took place, said more teens are witnessing domestic violence and even going through the abuse themselves, making what was revealed in the seminar unsurprising.

What is uncommon, she said, is for people who have seen brushes of abuse to open up about it. Jackson said Smith, as seen in that moment, is approachable enough for people to feel like they can.

“Danyette has that way of opening people up and relating to them,” she said. “Victims of domestic violence have to be able to trust you are a person there to assist them.”

Full circle

Smith pulled into the vast parking lot of the Community Justice Campus in southeast Indianapolis shortly before 9 a.m. on a hot day in July.

Outside the massive building, which houses the county’s courtrooms, she awaited the arrival of a woman seeking a protection order against her now-former partner. Smith would escort her to the courtroom and sit in on the hearing to help interpret the sometimes complicated legal processes. Smith is also there because it can be a matter of life or death.

Some of her clients have been attacked by their abusers while walking to the building. It hasn’t happened since Smith started walking people inside.

When the woman arrived in the Uber, the pair walked through metal detectors. They traversed the winding halls down to the courtroom. Before entering the wide double doors, the woman asked Smith what she was about to experience inside as she stood in front of the judge. She felt like her situation was out of her control.

Smith, sunglasses perched on her head, talked down her fears.

“You’re in control.”

Find help: Here’s where to find housing, advocacy and counseling resources in Central Indiana for abuse

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at 317-503-7514 or sarah.nelson@indystar.com

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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD: No suspect in custody in officer's shooting, but there is no 'ongoing threat'

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2024

Press Room

IMPD: No suspect in custody in officer's shooting, but there is no 'ongoing threat'

This article will update.

A police officer was injured in a shooting on the city’s far east side Friday and police were searching late into the night for whoever pulled the trigger.

Police said the event started unfolding shortly after 8:30 p.m. in the 3600 block of North Wittfield Street, near East 36th Street and North Post Road in the city’s Northeastwood neighborhood. The shooting happened after officers responded to the area on a “shots fired” call.

Shortly after the shooting police said the immediate area was not safe and residents were asked to stay inside their homes and avoid the neighborhood. About 11:15 p.m. police said a sweep of the area — including with K-9s — did not surface a suspect, but they did not believe there was an ongoing threat any longer.

Anyone with information or video footage is asked to call 911.

“There’s a lot that we don’t know about this incident. And we’re hopeful that we will learn more later on,” Capt. Shane Foley said during a media briefing at the scene.

The 8-year veteran officer was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in stable condition.

Shortly before 1 a.m., during a briefing at the hospital, Asst. Chief Michael Wooley said a house also was hit by gunfire but no residents were struck. Wooley said no officers fired their weapons and body cameras were activated throughout the situation.

The injured officer suffered gunshot wounds to his abdomen and right arm and was stable after undergoing surgery, Chief Chris Bailey said.

“He is expected to make a full recovery, although (he) is going to be in the hospital for some days,” Bailey added.

Police have not released a description of the suspect in the shooting, who remained at large early Saturday.

“Right now, officers are all over the city, looking for the individual or individuals responsible for what happened,” Bailey said.

Officers will remain in the neighborhood collecting evidence likely past sunrise, he added.

The K9 sweep of the area is complete.
IMPD is not aware of any ongoing threat to the public at this time, however, no suspects are currently in custody.
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Media should stage at 36th/N Post Rd just east, but park on the NW corner. https://t.co/Es3zCovZrU
— IMPD (@IMPDnews) July 27, 2024

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department vehicle lines the roadway after an officer was shot in the 3600 block of Wittfield Street on the city's far east side. The officer was listed in stable condition shortly after the shooting July 26, 2024. — Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department vehicle lines the roadway after an officer was shot in the 3600 block of Wittfield Street on the city’s far east side. The officer was listed in stable condition shortly after the shooting July 26, 2024.

Second Indianapolis police officer shot this year

This is the second time this year an Indianapolis police officer has been shot. In March an off-duty officer working security at an east side bar on East Washington Street was hit in an exchange of gunfire with at least one suspect. A man who was injured in that shooting died at a local hospital.

The bar where that shooting happened, 11:11 Bar & Grille, located at 9439 E. Washington St., was closed by unanimous vote of the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.

11:11 Bar & Grille shooting: State shuts down club where 6 people were shot, including off-duty IMPD officer

Bar shooting: Shooting at east side bar injures multiple people including IMPD officer

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis police officer shot. Suspect at large late Friday

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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD: Area where officer shot ‘not safe’. Residents asked to stay inside

Published

9 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

IMPD: Area where officer shot ‘not safe’. Residents asked to stay inside

This article will update.

A police officer was injured in a shooting on the city’s far east side Friday night.

Police said the immediate area around the shooting is not safe and residents are asked to stay inside their homes and avoid the area. Anyone with information or video footage is asked to call 911.

Few details were immediately available, but police said the event started unfolding about 8:30 p.m. in the 3600 block of North Wittfield Street, near the intersection of East 36th Street and North Post Road in the city’s Northeastwood neighborhood. Online police reports indicate the shooting happened after officers responded to the area on a “shots fired” call.

The officer is listed in stable condition, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said in a post on X, formally Twitter.

People can expect a “large police presence” in the neighborhood for a “significant” amount of time. Police have K-9s in the area searching for potential suspects.

“Officers are actively canvassing and we’re asking people to avoid the area for their own safety,” said Capt. Shane Foley.

Police have not released a description of the suspect in the shooting.

“There’s a lot that we don’t know about this incident. And we’re hopeful that we will learn more later on,” Foley said.

Second Indianapolis police officer shot this year

The bar where that shooting happened, 11:11 Bar & Grille, located at 9439 E. Washington St., was closed by unanimous vote of the Indiana Alcohol & Tobacco Commission.

11:11 Bar & Grille shooting: State shuts down club where 6 people were shot, including off-duty IMPD officer

Bar shooting: Shooting at east side bar injures multiple people including IMPD officer

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Indianapolis, IN

‘A woman of her word’: Sorority president talks getting VP Kamala Harris to Indianapolis

Published

16 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

‘A woman of her word’: Sorority president talks getting VP Kamala Harris to Indianapolis

The energy that Zeta Phi Beta emitted when Vice President Kamala Harris visited the sorority’s national convention was massive, and Stacie NC Grant doesn’t see that waning.

The sorority, one of the country’s oldest historically Black Greek-lettered organizations, has plenty in store for the city of Indianapolis before it closes out its eight-day conference at the Indiana Convention Center.

When the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. president gave her keynote address on Wednesday, the sorority notched its latest first, said Grant, the international president and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.

“This is beyond historic. This moment is incredible for our organization of firsts. We have carved our name in history once again, as the first Black Greek-letter organization to host the first female of color presidential nominee that represents more than one culture and experience in this country.”

(Zeta Phi Beta was first Greek-letter organization to charter a chapter in Africa; it was the first to form adult and youth auxiliary groups; and it’s the first, and only, National Pan-Hellenic Council sorority to be constitutionally bound to a fraternity.)

Grant has been in Indianapolis since Thursday preparing for the July 23-28 meeting, with the address by the sitting vice president being a highlight.

VP Kamala Harris: Her visit to Zeta Phi Beta convention in Indianapolis

How Indianapolis became an early stop in the 2024 Kamala Harris presidential election bid

At the helm of the sorority since 2022, Grant had requested Harris participate in the organization’s 2023 Zeta Day on the Hill, an annual day of workshops, forums and meetings with congressional representatives on issues that affect minority communities across the U.S.

The notice was too short for Harris to make that September event though, so Grant asked if the vice president could attend the sorority’s 2024 convention, slated for the Circle City.

“You know how busy the vice president is, so we didn’t know if it would be possible and it takes a long time for them to navigate her schedule to get back to confirm any appearance,” Grant said.

The Zeta leader said she got word a couple of months ago that Harris was considering the sorority’s biennial convention — called the Grand Boule — as part of her scheduled appearances for July.

Then in early July, Harris’ office released the list of stops that included Zeta.

“I released to our membership that she would be coming, so everybody was like, ‘Oh, my gosh! The vice president is coming!” she said.

Harris appeared at Essence Festival in New Orleans July 6, and then was the keynote speaker on July 10 during the convention of her own Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority in Dallas.

Before the Zeta meeting though, U.S. President Joe Biden faced a deluge of calls from within his party to abandon his reelection bid. He bowed out Sunday and endorsed Harris for the party’s nomination.

Suddenly, the Zetas were preparing to host the likely Democratic nominee for president and the first woman of color in that position. Harris’ mother was born in India and her father had moved to the U.S. from Jamaica.

“Little did we know while I was here planning to kick off the week that the news would hit on Sunday about President Biden choosing to pass the baton. And everything changed — the excitement, the planning, the Secret Service needs, the White House conversations,” Grant said. “It was like ‘Wait, wait, wait, what happened?”

Was there a possibility that Harris would cancel the Indianapolis engagement?

Some questioned whether Harris would change plans and skip Indianapolis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was later scheduled to speak before the U.S. Congress at about the same time as the Zeta Social Justice Town Hall at which Harris had committed to speak.

“I did hear some rumbling of that, but she’s a woman of character and a woman of her word. And I know she was committed to being here,” Grant said. “And I’m so grateful that she kept her promise because that goes a long way with our constituency.”

Divine Nine: Black Greek-letter organization flexes political muscle as VP Kamala Harris runs for president

There are still days to go before the convention ends. During that time, Zeta will elect officers, participate in workshops and attend concerts and celebrate its best performing chapters. It also has had training for local women-owned startups.

This week, the sorority kicks off a nationwide initiative to help end period poverty through a partnership with Project Period, having raised $100,000 for the Indianapolis-based program that provides free menstrual hygiene products in underserved communities.

VP Kamala Harris: ‘There’s so much at stake in this moment.’

Watch VP Kamala Harris speak at Zeta Phi Beta convention in Indianapolis

Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar

Zeta Phi Beta leader on the 2024 presidential election

Founded in 1920 on the campus of Howard University, Zeta Phi Beta is one of the nation’s oldest Black Greek-letter organizations.

IndyStar spoke with the organization’s president and CEO, Stacie NC Grant about the 2024 U.S. presidential race.

The sorority, which has inducted more than 130,000 members, is meeting in Indianapolis and hosted one the first public appearances by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris since she became a candidate for president of the United States.

President Biden leaving the 2024 race

“It stopped my heart a little bit because I’ve had an opportunity to build a little rapport with him, as well. He has been an excellent leader for our country, and I know how much he loves the United States of America; and I know this was not an easy decision. But I could also understand that he might want to just take some time with family, take some time to enjoy the results of the work because he will go down in history as a president that has accomplished so much more than many or most. … I was a little sad, but I was excited to know that he has given America his best and he deserves to be celebrated for that.”

The country’s progress since President Barack Obama left the White House

“We’ve done an interesting navigational turn in some of the ways in which members of this country have not been properly respected. And from Obama to now, we’ve had reversals on what we never thought we would see reversals on, from the Supreme Court down. It’s very challenging to think how that can be forward movement when those original cases stood the test of time for so long and were reversed because of a shift in the changing of the guard.”

Supporting Kamala Harris for president

“As my individual personal self, I am jumping up and down. As the official self as president I am just happy that I can educate and provide opportunities for discourse and dialogue for my members to make their personal choices. … Speaking for my personal self, I was excited to see the work of Biden-Harris and I think it’s just going to be more exciting to see what else comes from this. … I wish I could do cartwheels. Because if I could still do them, I’d be flipping all over this stage right now. But I’m excited to be a part of witnessing this history.”

Choice running mate for Kamala Harris

“Picking a vice presidential running mate is a critical part in the political process of being able to extend across all aisles for what’s best for the country, so it’ll be interesting to see how the decision is made to move forward and to allow the country to have a full opportunity to engage on who they want to see lead this nation. I don’t believe in getting into all of the noise and the rhetoric. It should be on the facts. What can each candidate do to move this country forward? Period.”

Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com:@cherylvjackson.

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