(Photo: WISH-TV)
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Republican challenger Jim Merritt faced off in a debate at Arsenal Tech High School Monday night.
Both candidates touched on Indy’s growing problem with violent crime – particularly its impact on the black community.
“Community violence is job number one for the Mayor of Indianapolis. It’s almost like we have an epidemic of murder,” said Merrit. “We need to create an Indianapolis commission on the social status of African-American males. It’s been successful on the state level.”
Merritt pushed again for the reestablishment of a Public Safety Director position, as well as the installation of Bill Benjamin as chief of police. The Republican state senator also pointed to his recent experiences of not seeing police officers in the Mile Square area downtown where a teenager was shot just last weekend.
“Senator I simply say that on Mile Square on an evening you described, there are at least 40 officers in that area at any particular time, so you’re just not looking in the right places,” Hogsett responded.
“Homicides have gone up, unfortunately, every year in Indianapolis since 2012, but it’s not simply something that started happening three years ago,” he added. “Overall, we have seen violent crime reduced in Marion County in 2018 and thus far in 2019.”
WIBC host Tony Katz, recapping the key issues of Monday’s debate, urged the black community to establish a vision for their future.
“You guys gotta decide what you want. Do you want platitudes or do you want a safer city?
I put forth to you that what ‘black Indianapolis’ is looking for is no different than what Indianapolis is looking for. You don’t want people shot on Monument Circle. You don’t want people shot on Illinois and Maryland. You don’t want people shot downtown. You don’t want people shot anywhere.
You want a city that is actively being proactive and creating a vision for itself, bringing more jobs down here as opposed to just one type of job. You want to create more value for yourself, which will create more value for the city.
Mayor Hogsett said Monday night that the story of our city, our state, and sadly, our country is one that is inextricably linked to a history of violence for those of African descent.
You see that, black Indy? He feels your pain. The only thing he didn’t give you was the Clinton thumb. You don’t need anybody to feel your pain; you need to make sure there are more jobs in the city, the streets are safer, and the potholes are filled so that when you hit a pothole, you’re not having to shell out thousands of dollars for new tires and rims.
We want the same things. But if you want someone to pander to you, Hogsett is definitely your guy.”
Click the link below to hear Tony’s full commentary.
