'The laws are the laws:' Indy Pride organizers balance event safety, community concerns
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Five years after Indy Pride stopped hiring police for event security, organizers say they're still keeping law enforcement at arm's length while staying compliant with city code.
The plans to retain status quo were announced during a public discussion between the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Indy Pride on April 23. A chair reserved for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department sat empty.
Indy Pride, the organization that hosts events, including the annual June parade, announced a plan to replace police with private security firms in June 2020. Leadership cited solidarity with protests against police brutality.
Per city code, only law enforcement can manage road closures and direct traffic away from outdoor festivities. Uniformed officers remain just outside the celebrations, causing some attendees to wonder whether Indy Pride's stance on police at Pride has changed.
'We will continue to stand with Black Lives Matter,' Jose Castillo Jimenez, Indy Pride board president, said April 23. The security personnel that now monitor events are not police officers, according to Castillo Jimenez.
Representatives for Indy Pride explained that they'd be unable to get permits for their largest events, which can attract as many as 60,000 visitors, without some degree of cooperation with police.
The discussion in Indianapolis came amid an ongoing national conversation about the role of law enforcement at LGBTQ+ celebrations.
Pride month is celebrated in June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots, a days-long series of protests against police raids at a New York City gay bar.
Nearly all of the attendees who spoke at the April 23 meeting said that the presence of law enforcement turns what should feel like a safe space into a hostile environment.
'Whenever I see police officers, I get nervous,' said Riley Seungyoon Park, an Indianapolis writer. 'I get extremely nervous, because I know what they do to our community members.'
A feeling of distrust has only increased amid a recent swath of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Indiana and throughout the country.
'We don't have to imagine a reality in which trans people develop a profound anxiety simply existing in public life out of fear for their safety, because we're already there,' said Elliot Froese, a graduate student.
While it's possible that volunteers could one day replace some police who surround the event's perimeters, Indy Pride currently lacks the necessary manpower and insurance to make that possible, board members said. Police would still be needed for road closures under city rules.
"The laws are the laws, and we have to follow them at the end of the day, so we can give you what you want — so you can have joy," said Aundrea Lacy, an Indy Pride board member.
Derek Ford, one of the town hall's organizers, said IMPD earlier said they'd send a representative but then reversed course shortly before the event.
"The absence is very present," Ford said.
An IMPD spokesperson said Indy Pride had contacted one of the department's LGBTQ+ liaisons to see if anyone was available, but all were busy.
IMPD and Indy Pride
In 2021, Indy Pride landed at the center of a social media controversy after posting a photo of friends posing in an Indy 500 car, holding pride flags. The post was swiftly deleted after commenters decried the IMPD logo on one person's t-shirt.
"This photo hurt members of our community that are actively fighting against police brutality," Indy Pride said in a statement after the deletion.
IMPD faced online backlash of its own after wrapping a patrol car with a rainbow flag decal in June 2023. In response, a department spokesperson told IndyStar that IMPD "celebrates Pride Month and the contributions of our LGBTQ+ colleagues within our department, community and our city."
2025 Indy Pride events
May 3: Drippin' in Pearls Pageant, Mr & Mx categories, 5 - 11 p.m., Krannert Room in Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave.
May 4: Drippin' in Pearls Pageant, Ms. Category, 5 - 11 p.m., Krannert Room in Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave.
May 10: Rainbow 5k run/walk, 7 a.m., Fowling Warehouse, 1125 E. Brookside Ave., Ste. D9
May 11: 250 Tricycle race, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sun King Brewery, 135 N. College Ave.
May 16: Asian and Pacific Islander Pride dance party, 7 – 10 p.m., 10 East Arts Hub, 3137 E. 10th St.
May 31: Pride Pet Parade, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Riverside Park, 2420 E. Riverside Drive.
June 1: Interfaith celebration, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Riverside Park, 2420 E. Riverside Drive
June 1: Cookout and Bat N Rouge, 1 – 5 p.m., Riverside Park, 2420 E. Riverside Drive
June 6: Queeraoke Night, 6 – 10 p.m., 10 East Arts Hub, 3137 E. 10th St.
June 9: Deaf Pride, 7 – 10 p.m., Greg's Our Place, 231 E. 16th St.
June 12: Girl Pride, 7 – 11 p.m., The Vogue Theatre, 6259 N. College Ave.
June 14: Pride Parade, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., begins at 748 Massachusetts Ave.
June 14 - 15: Celebration on the Circle Pride Festival, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Monument Circle
June 14 - 15: Word of Mouth music series, 2 – 10 p.m., American Legion Mall, 700 N. Pennsylvania St.
June 21: Betty Who Out of the Darkness Tour, 6 p.m., Hi-Fi Annex, 1065 St. Patrick St.
June 26: Bi and Beyond: A Pride Celebration, 7 – 10 p.m., 10 East Arts Hub, 3137 E. 10th St.
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