Brown Kicked Out of Indy Democratic Caucus

Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV

INDIANAPOLIS –Indianapolis City-County Councillor Jesse Brown was expelled from the Democratic caucus this week, a decision he attributes to his opposition to charter school resource proposals.

Brown, representing District 13, confirmed his expulsion from the Democratic caucus on Monday, saying, “Just got expelled from the Democratic caucus, lmao.” On Tuesday, his constituents filled a committee meeting to show their support after he named the councilors responsible for his removal.

In an interview with WISH-TV’s Jeremy Jenkins, Brown linked his expulsion to his stance on charter schools, saying, “Three peers sided with former Republican Mayor Greg Ballard, pushing IPS to give resources to charter schools. I publicly pushed back because it harms public education.”

Brown also criticized other local Democrats, including Mayor Joe Hogsett, and other contentious issues as factors. “Those were the major factors,” he said. “And I think the proximate cause was this push on charter schools.”

While some councilors have criticized Brown for making “inappropriate accusations,” Brown maintains that his posts were factual. “If anything was untrue, I wish they would clarify it,” he said.

The controversy intensified Tuesday at a Committee on Committees meeting. While a vote to remove Brown from his committee assignments did not occur, several supporters showed up in protest. Brown sees the support as a victory but remains focused on ensuring fair representation for his district.

“We need division. We need to fight through that and push for radical politics that confronts this head-on,” Brown concluded.