This story has been updated with police estimates of the crowd size.

The roar of cheers and chants could be heard outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse just before NBA final Game 3 between the Pacers and Thunder the evening of June 11, but it wasn’t the sound of Pacers fans.

It was people gathered to protest ICE raids in Indiana — the latest to spring up across the country since such protests began in Los Angeles amid increased ICE activity under President Donald Trump.

The crowd swelled to more than a thousand people before it broke up, organizers said, although Indianapolis police put the count at 500.

Hours before the protest, images and rumors online indicated ICE raids may have been happening in nearby Lawrence, though the Lawrence Police Department said it wasn’t aware of any U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the city. The rumors prompted Latino advocacy groups to share the flier of the planned Gainbridge protest, organized by the Indy Liberation Center.

“No is coming to save us. You have to show up for yourselves,” Carolina Castoreno, cofounder for Alliance for Latino Migrant Advocacy, told the crowd outside Gainbridge.

Downtown Indy resident Jaqueline Montez, 30, said it was important to her to protest now rather than waiting for planned No Kings Day protests here and elsewhere June 14.

“We’re being seen by the rest of the world,” Montez said. “We’re being noticed today.”

The demonstration remained nonviolent, and one speaker reminded demonstrators not to antagonize the police.

Some basketball fans on their way to the game responded to the protesters with chants of “USA.”

Parent Rachel Moore, 46, said she attended the protest after her daughter told her about it. Asked how she made it downtown given traffic, she said, “I know a spot,” and laughed. 

“The most dangerous immigrants arrived in 1492,” said one sign held by a protester. Other signs said “ICE out of Indy now” and “Power to the workers not the billionaires.”

A little over a dozen Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers were monitoring the protest, which was organized by the Indy Liberation Center. The members of IMPD’s emergency response group, specially trained in crowd control, had pepper ball guns.

Protesters began by lining up in front of businesses across Pennsylvania Avenue from Gainbridge. They chanted phrases including, “IMPD, KKK, IOF, it’s all the same!”

About 8 p.m. — a half hour before tipoff — the growing group protesting ICE filled Pennsylvania Avenue, marching north. The crowd size peaked around the time of the of 8:30 p.m. game tipoff and then quickly dissolved.

See the sights and sounds around Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Pacers Game 3

Fans and people protesting ICE raids brought thousands to Downtown Indianapolis on Wednesday night. Here’s what it looked and sounded like.

Did ICE conduct raids in Lawrence?

Earlier June 11, IndyStar reporters spoke with neighbors near 42nd Street and Richelieu Road in Lawrence and confirmed that law enforcement activity had occurred in the area about 7 a.m.

The owner of a self-serve laundry in the area also said they caught a video of law enforcement activity.

Lawrence Police Department said it was not involved in any ICE arrests June 11, and ICE officials hadn’t responded to IndyStar questions about it as of the time of publication.