Our new political cartoonist Shane has given us a great first political cartoon skewering Indianapolis Mayor Ballard's fast-food franchising of the City.
There is going to be a rally at Evan Bayh's office in Indianapolis this Thursday, November 12th. According to the email I received from the Muncie MoveOn Council, the rally will be to "...thank House members for Saturday's vote, and ask Senator Bayh to be a 'health care hero' as the process moves to the Senate."
The rally is being organized by the Indy MoveOn Council in conjuction with the Muncie group and some partner health care reform groups.
There will be some signs to share. If you have your own or a message you want to share, feel free to bring your own sign.
Event details:
Thursday, November 12, NOON
Bayh's office, Downtown Indy, just off the circle
10 West Market Street
The Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 120 (Indianapolis) announced their support of Kennedy's campaign...
Laborers Business Manager David Frye cited Kennedy's experience as a proven job-creator as a key factor behind the union's endorsement.
"As a deputy mayor, Melina was very successful in her fight to bring new jobs to Indianapolis," Frye said. "Melina's experience creating jobs, her passion for the future of working families and her vision to get this city moving forward again is the kind of leadership our city needs."
There was no link in the Bilerico Indiana story and I didn't find a link during a Google search, so I'm assuming this announcement went out via e-mail. The link to the Local 120's website is here.
The second bit of news is about Joe Hogsett. If Indianapolis Times is to be believed, he has decided not to run for Indianapolis Mayor in 2011.
Democrat Joe Hogsett has decided not to run for mayor in 2011, at least not for now. Hogsett made his decision over the weekend for "professional, personal and political" reasons.
Again, no source is provided so I'm not sure how reliable this is.
UPDATE: Abdul has verified that Hogsett sent out an e-mail declining to run.
In recent months, many friends and long-time supporters have encouraged me to run for mayor in 2011. They all expressed concern that Indianapolis is moving in the wrong direction — for our families, for our economy and for our future. It’s a concern I share and it is that concern that led me to consider running. I have spent the summer visiting with rank and file Democrats all over Indianapolis, and while I’m flattered by the encouragement many have offered, I have decided that I will not be a candidate for mayor. I think Democrats will have several well-qualified candidates from which to choose, all of whom will present their own ideas for getting our city moving again. I look forward to doing all I can to support the Democratic nominee for mayor.
Here are a series of videos from the Pro-Health Care Reform rally held on IUPUI's campus in downtown Indianapolis on Monday evening.
We begin with the Obama bus pulling into the rally:
This is a video of the crowd getting fired up as they waited for the rally to begin:
Finally we have a video of U.S. Rep. Andre Carson (IN-7) giving a speech about health care reform. He says that many anti-reform protesters are paid by the insurance companies. Carson also recalls stories he has been told about health care:
From an email sent out by Central Indiana Jobs with Justice:
Management uses private, mandatory meetings to distort the truth about unions. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce will be doing the same thing on Thursday at their workshop against the Employee Free Choice act. Anyone affiliated with a union is prohibited from attending the workshop. So, we will do some busting of our own outside - busting up the lies they're telling.
Join Jobs with Justice and the Indiana AFL-CIO to help spread the word about why workers desperately need the Employee Free Choice Act!
When: Thursday, June 4 from 8:30am - Noon
Where: Under the Arts Garden at the corner of Illinois and Washington streets downtown Indianapolis, IN
Please RSVP for a shift between 8:30 and Noon.
Contact Allison Luthe for info... (317) 450-4019 allison at centralindianajwj dot org
From an e-mail sent out by Central Indiana Jobs with Justice:
Jobs with Justice will be joining faith, labor and community leaders across the state on Thursday, May 28th for a Workers' Rights Prayer Vigil to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
Fort Wayne: Thursday - May 28th @ 5:00 PM
Union Baptist Church, 2200 Smith St.
South Bend: Thursday - May 28th @ 9:00 AM
Robert A. Grant Federal Building, 204 S. Main St.
Indianapolis: Thursday - May 28th @ 1:00 PM
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 414 West Vermont St.
This morning's Indianapolis Star has a story in which Indy Mayor Greg Ballard admits during a brief news conference yesterday to falling for one of the oldest pickpocket scams in the book. The mayor lost his cellphone from his pants pocket while stopping to give aid to a man faking a seizure on a sidewalk as his wife Winnie walked back to his hotel with him after attending a NCAA semifinal game in Detroit.
"I was angry," Ballard said. "It seemed very real to me. I was trying to help, trying to be a good Samaritan. Then after a few seconds, I put my hand in my pocket and said, 'Oh, that's what that was about.' "
Ballard thinks the pickpockets chose him randomly out of the crowd of people on the streets of Detroit. The incident however brings up more questions than answers in my mind. Where was the mayor's security detail? Secondary to that, this man was a Lt. Colonel in the Marines, shouldn't a well traveled military officer know about such scams as this? Shouldn't his own personal sense of security kicked in to warn him?
This incident goes way beyond simple embarassment and raises serious questions about the competence of his leadership. If he can get rolled by pickpockets using one of the oldest tricks in the book, how in the hell can he stand up to professional pickpockets like Jim Irsay and the Simon brothers, Bob Grand and Fred Glass?
Matt Tully wrote this morning on yesterday's meeting between Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and the editorial board for that city's flagship newspaper. By all accounts, Ballard continued to forge an uninspired path in the middle ground that has become his wheelhouse. This particular passage caught my eye, though:
Still, there are signs that Ballard is growing into the job. He clearly understands the key to the city's success is finding a way to reduce crime and fix streets and sidewalks.
"Roads and sidewalks bother me all the time," he said.
Obvious? Yes. But also true.
Critics call Ballard "The Accidental Mayor." But I think he's just an average guy who has the monstrous challenge of leading a large American city in tough times.
Growing into the job? An average guy?
Don't get me wrong -- one of the great redeeming qualities of our democratic system of government is the ability of Joe Everyman to run for office.
But doesn't a great city facing equally great challenges deserve more than the uninspired musings of an "average guy" who seems to be spending as much time struggling with the learning curve of leadership as he does actually, well, leading?
At what point did mediocrity become endearing instead of disappointing?
Josh Gillespie from Hoosier Access is reporting on his Facebook account that Indianapolis City County Councilman Ed Coleman has left the Marion County GOP to become a Libertarian, giving the council its first third party councilman in its history. So says Josh:
According to a source at tonight's City-County Council meeting, Republican Council President Bob Cockrum announced that Ed Coleman has left the GOP, his committee assignments have been stripped and that this is the first time a Third Party has had a seat at the Council.
I can appreciate the boldness of his maneuver, even though it is surely political suicide. He will definitely draw attention to the Marion County Libertarians though, and this will give my former colleagues in that party quite a boost in credibility with this switch. I do believe that this will be the first major city to have a Libertarian Council member at least in the midwest, if not nationwide.
Phil Miller in Greenfield served 2 terms on the Greenfield City Council in the late '90s/early '00s, but other than that Libertarian Party members have usually been relegated to lower offices, commissions and boards.
I don't know if folks around here know of our own rising star in the music business but Anderson native Jon McLaughlin has a music video for his song "For You From Me" that was shot here in Indy last summer. I thought you all should start your first work week of 2009 with this.
My post, "Transgender woman and her boyfriend murdered in Indianapolis," has created quite a bit of conversation - both on the Bilerico Project and in certain circles in Indiana. I've just finished an interview with an Indianapolis Star reporter about my criticism of local media reporting and offensive police statements; it seems the appropriate time to bring everyone up to date and clarify exactly what I'm seeking.
After a double homicide over the holiday weekend, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) held a press conference to release details about the crime. IMPD released two male names and mug shots of the victims, commented on the victims' criminal histories and said the two lived "an alternative lifestyle." One of the victims was transgender; the other was her boyfriend.
To IMPD's credit, it doesn't appear that they identified the gender of either victim. Instead, the spokesperson referred to two "individuals" or "people" or similar gender nonspecific language.
The local media, however, were not as respectful. Every media outlet used the mugshot pictures with her male name printed beneath. While NBC and ABC used gender neutral language, FOX, CBS and the Indianapolis Star identified them as "two men."
Other than the terminology "alternative lifestyle," the rest of the offenses could easily be explained by a simple lack of knowledge. It is possible that the media didn't realize either victim was transgender when they filed their reports. But these circumstances highlight the tendency of law enforcement, the legislature and the media to whitewash LGBT issues in Indiana including overlooking violence against our community.
Normally I dread any sort of national media attention placed on Indianapolis relating to our homicide rate but a new show on the cable channel Investigation Discovery, one of the several channels operated by Discovery Channel, has put our city's homicide detectives in the spotlight in a new show which recently made its debut on Sunday nights called The Shift.
The show is a standard type reality cop show which follows the members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Dept.'s Homicide & Robbery squad on the 2-10pm shift. The first two episodes have aired and I am already addicted to watching this team work to solve the cases presented to the viewers which have been literally ripped from recent headlines in the IndyStar.
Until this show started being promoted, I had no idea that IMPD actually has a fantastic reputation for solving murders in the Circle City. In spite of the fact that our homicide rate has been increasing in recent years, the detectives on the show are really good at what they do and are apparently somewhat successful at closing cases and bringing justice to the victims' families in a fairly timely manner which is how they have earned a national reputation for their work.
The show airs at 10pm on Sundays on Investigation Discovery, a channel you may or, like me, may not know about. I started seeing ads for this show on other channels a few weeks before the first show aired that debuted Dec. 21st, before then I had not even heard of this channel. I'm glad they have this show though, it makes me proud of our fine detectives and it is fascinating to watch them work these cases on camera. I've embedded a trailer for the show I found on YouTube below and urge you all to check this show out sometime.
Greg Ballard, from his campaign website (and as was repeated almost verbatim on the campaign trail):
Indianapolis is currently in the midst of the largest crime wave in its history. As Mayor of Indianapolis, I will make public safety my number one priority. Since 1999, this city has suffered a double-digit increase in the crime rate, culminating in a 55% increase in murders during 2006. City government must reverse this epidemic and fulfill its primary responsibility of providing safety to the citizens of Indianapolis. I will provide the plan and leadership necessary to make our city safe again.
People are scared and have altered their normal behavior as a result. Our current Mayor will tell you that this crime wave is part of a national trend, but that's not entirely true. Our crime has significantly increased largely because the current administration has dismantled all of the connections and links within the city that are vitally necessary to a large community confronting this problem. The Mayor's failure to understand basic leadership principles has hurt this city immeasurably with respect to public safety.
With yesterday's double-murder, Indianapolis surpassed the 2007 murder total, and the 123 homicides in Indianapolis over the last year probably beg a response from the "Public safety mayor" of our state's largest city. His thoughts on the subject:Apparently, criminals in Indianapolis aren't responding to the strong and silent treatment.
Yesterday about 250 people stood outside the Indianapolis City-County Building in a cold rain and sleet as part of the grassroots National Day of Protest. While that may not seem like a lot of people compared to the posts about massive protests with thousands of people, I'd like to share specific reasons why Indy's rally was one of the best.
Jerame had to go to a funeral, so he dropped me off at the protest on his way out of town. I brought along the camcorder for the blog and the bullhorn for the protest. As a veteran of several protests, I know you always come prepared. But even I was unprepared for what happened.
Everyone has been asking what they can do in response to Florida's Amendment 2, California Prop 8, and Arizona 102. Well, someone has answered that question.
Join the Impact has started a movement for a National Day of Protest on November 15th, 2008:
On the steps of your City Hall on November 15th at 10:30am PST /1:30pm EST, our community WILL take to the streets and speak out.
The website has four locations in Indiana listed (Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville, and South Bend), but are asking for anyone to contact them to arrange one in their area. California had been protesting nonstop since their constitutional amendment passed, making huge national headlines. Now we can all step up and do the same in our own state.
Visit www.jointheimpact.com for more information. Feel free to use the comments section here or send me information to post about protests you are organizing in your area. Protest information for Indianapolis, Bloomington, South Bend, and Evansville after the jump.
Everyone has been asking what they can do in response to Florida's Amendment 2, California Prop 8, and Arizona 102. Well, someone has answered that question.
Join the Impact has started a movement for a National Day of Protest on November 15th, 2008:
On the steps of your City Hall on November 15th at 10:30am PST /1:30pm EST, our community WILL take to the streets and speak out.
The website has four locations in Indiana listed (Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville, and South Bend), but are asking for anyone to contact them to arrange one in their area. California had been protesting nonstop since their constitutional amendment passed, making huge national headlines. Now we can all step up and do the same in our own state.
Visit www.jointheimpact.com for more information. Feel free to use the comments section here or send me information to post about protests you are organizing in your area. Protest information for Indianapolis, South Bend, and Evansville after the jump..
This is a call for our Campaign for Change to continue!
To me, the most poignant moment in President-elect Obama's victory speech was:
This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.
It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.
This letter is going out by "blind copy" e-mail, and where necessary through good ol' "snail mail," to the friends that I have made throughout this political year whose dedication to electing Barack Obama President of the United States was so impressive and inspiring. It is also being sent to several long time friends and relatives who supported our efforts and who I know care deeply about the direction of our country and our world. In the final analysis, our ability, and that of so many others, to come together and work in pursuit of progressive change has resulted in the Obama presidency.
On a personal note, I have never been so impressed with a group of political activists as I have with the grassroots Obama group that we began at that cramped Starbucks on US 31 South in Indianapolis last January. I am exceptionally proud of the efforts that our group made in this year, and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to play some small role in those efforts.
Our nation's first woman to serve as Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, came to Indianapolis and Bloomington to speak on behalf of the Obama-Biden campaign today, and my videographer Karen Sensney and I were able to capture the event for Bloosiers and Blue Indiana.
The speech was fantastic and was far more laid back and humorous than I expected from a lady who has served as an inspirational figure for women everywhere, breaking the "marble ceiling" as she put it to become the first female Secretary of State in US history. Madame Secretary spoke on a wide array of foreign policy and domestic topics, extolling the virtues of Democratic Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama and his running mate, Senator Joe Biden.
The speech lasted for just under 35 minutes, and included a question and answer session with the audience at the gathering sponsored by the University of Indianapolis College Democrats. Former First Lady of Indiana Judy O'Bannon provided opening remarks before a fantastic introduction of Secretary Albright by local philanthropist and business leader Christel DeHaan which energized and excited the assembled crowd of U of I students, faculty, staff and members of the public.
When Secretary Albright took the stage the entire audience at the Ruth Lilly Performance Hall erupted into a standing ovation and thunderous applause. Madame Albright began her speech with a very engaging humorous story about a recent incident at Chicago's O'Hare Airport upon return from a trip to China.
She related the story of a fellow passenger who did not realize who she was traveling with who witnessed an exchange with a TSA security guard who recognized Madame Albright because he was a Bosnian immigrant. It was a very touching story and served as a reminder of the impact this woman has had on the entire world having served as the chief diplomat for the Clinton Administration.
I won't go into any detail here about her remarks, the video of the entire speech is available at the top of this post or by direct link at YouTube here. Watch the entire thing, she has a very important message for all Americans.
UPDATE: I had some after speech photos to share I finally got uploaded to Photobucket. Mary Ann Sullivan showed up, I saw but did not get a picture of State Rep. John Day, and captured photos of Judy O'Bannon, Christel DeHaan and Madame Albright after the speech.
I've been blogging repeatedly about the overwhelming crime problem plaguing my neighborhood. When our car was stolen or when the windows were smashed out, I knew crime was up all across the city. After having a gun stuck in my face on the front porch and a homicide a block away just a few weeks ago, I started altering my usual routine.
Over the past couple of weeks other neighbors have been robbed. One poor man has been broken into 5 times in the past 5 weeks. Our next door neighbor caught a stranger climbing in someone's window. Thursday, a few blocks from our home an Indianapolis police officer was shot in the head.
Please join Dream for Darfur and the Save Darfur Coalition for a nationwide protest against the silence of Olympic corporate sponsors on the Darfur crisis.
On June 20, U.N. World Refugee Day, activists across the country will gather at stores and headquarters of four sponsors of the Beijing Olympics - Coca-Cola, General Electric, Swatch and Volkswagen - and demand that they use their partnership with the Chinese government to help end genocide in Darfur.
What: Spotlight on the Sponsors Day of Action
When: Friday, June 20, 6:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.
Where: Harrison Center for the Arts
1505 North Delaware
Indianapolis, IN 46202
The Chinese government has not done enough to help end genocide in Darfur. Yet, as it prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games, the Chinese government is attempting to cloak itself in the Olympic ideals of peace and brotherhood and cover up its failure to act on Darfur.
And the Olympic corporate sponsors have refused to urge China to act.
The corporate sponsors cannot turn a blind eye to genocide. Join us on June 20 and demand that they speak out to China about Darfur.
Can't attend? You can still send all four sponsors a message. Click here to send an email to the CEO of each corporation to ask them to help end genocide. http://www.dreamfordarfur.org/...
Thank you for your commitment to Darfur, and we hope to see you on the 20th!.
Can't attend? You can still send all four sponsors a message. Click here to send an email to the CEO of each corporation to ask them to help end genocide.
Thank you for your commitment to Darfur, and we hope to see you on the 20th!
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This morning's Indianapolis Star 
After a double homicide over the holiday weekend, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) held a press conference to release details about the crime. IMPD released two male names and mug shots of the victims, commented on the victims' criminal histories and said the two lived "an alternative lifestyle." One of the victims was transgender; the other was her boyfriend.
