Who are the people in yellow and red shirts downtown? How a new tax funds cleanup, safety patrols

Indianapolis Star

2 days ago

Wielding trash pickers and pressure washers, members of Downtown Indy Inc.'s "Clean Team" have been manicuring the blocks of Georgia Street, the gateway to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, ahead of this weekend's WNBA All-Star Game.
Clad in bright red T-shirts, safety ambassadors are walking downtown blocks every day. They watch for people in need of help and alert police to potential hazards, working by a mantra: "See something, say something."
The dozens of workers doing cleanup and safety patrols are funded by a new downtown tax district that launched this year, replacing federal funding that recently dried up. Enabled by a state law that passed in 2024, up to $5.5 million in annual property tax money from downtown businesses will fund work to make the city's core safer and more inviting for the next decade, leaders say.
The 2025 budget is closer to $4.2 million, according to the economic development nonprofit Downtown Indy, in part because state lawmakers exempted residential properties from the 0.168% property tax. Tax revenue will organically rise over the coming years as assessed values grow and new properties are built within the so-called Downtown Economic Enhancement District's boundaries — Interstate 65 to the north and east, South Street to the south and Blackford Street to the west.
The money, approved by the Indianapolis City-County Council in March and distributed by Downtown Indy, funds a variety of work beyond the Clean Team and the safety ambassadors.
Those dollars will pay off-duty police officers on bicycles, who collectively work between 170-190 hours a week to patrol hotspots and major events, according to Downtown Indy. They'll pay for six full-time social workers who will try to connect people experiencing homelessness on downtown streets with housing options. Eventually, money will go toward the publicly funded homeless shelter set to open in 2027 just east of downtown.
A nine-member board oversees the fund, with six members appointed by state leaders and three appointed by city officials. Business owners, visitors and residents can shape how the money is spent in the future using an app called See Say to report issues and providing feedback in a 2025 survey.
"What we consistently hear from property owners and downtown stakeholders is, 'We want clean and safe, but we also want cared for,'" Downtown Indy CEO Taylor Schaffer told IndyStar. "When people come downtown, we want for it to feel like a place that is consistently cared for."
Although the tax district takes effect this year, federal funding has already paid for Downtown Indy to expand its presence in recent years. The Clean Team now includes nearly 40 members who in 2024 pressure washed more than 800 blocks, removed graffiti in 1,300 locations and picked up 17,000 bags' worth of trash, the nonprofit says.
Cory Lazzell, a 36-year-old Clean Team supervisor, hopes the tens of thousands of downtown visitors expected for All-Star Weekend take note of the workers in neon shirts laying out the metaphorical red (or rather orange, given that an entire block of Georgia Street has been transformed into a public hangout covered with actual orange carpet) for them.
"For some people," Lazzell said, "this may be the first time that they come into the city, and we want to make a good impression."
(Taxpayer dollars did not pay for the orange carpet, chairs, tables and other equipment that took over an entire block of Georgia Street this week. The WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee, led by members of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, footed that bill, according to a Pacers spokeswoman.)
The tax district's launch comes at a tense time downtown, with city leaders reeling from a mass shooting after the annual Fourth of July Celebration that killed two teens and injured five other people — all just blocks away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, this weekend's center of gravity.
Downtown Indy's safety ambassadors will work extended evening hours this weekend. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will boost its presence downtown and strictly enforce the state's youth curfew.
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Downtown Indy started a survey last year to gauge how safe downtown feels to a broad group including residents, visitors, property owners and workers. Just over half of people said they feel safe downtown most of the time, and just under half agree downtown is "clean and presents itself well."
These lackluster numbers persist despite that overall crime downtown has fallen dramatically since 2018, according to IMPD data shared by Downtown Indy. City officials assert that the Mile Square, where less than 6% of crime in Marion County occurs, is one of the safest areas in the city per capita.
'I think so much of what shapes people's perceptions about a downtown is also, does it feel inviting? Does it feel cared for? Does it feel like it's staying invested in?" Schaffer said. "Those are more emotional reactions than simply, was there a shooting?'
Safety Ambassadors Joseph Fuller and Scott Person, both of whom patrolled the blocks near Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, are working to counter those negative perceptions.
"The gist of the job is — there's a job description for us — but our main thing is, 'See something, say something,'" said Fuller, a 61-year-old veteran who's worked as a safety ambassador for three years.
For instance, in early 2023 Fuller said he saw a man walking down Washington Street swinging what appeared to be a four-way tire iron. He called 911 and followed the man toward New Jersey Street, where police had found and handcuffed him, Fuller said.
Much of the job is simpler: directing people toward restaurants or department stores, acting as an extra set of eyes and ears for nearby police.
A lot of what they do is like being an attentive neighbor, Person said — something everybody should do to keep the city safe.
"It's not only for us to see something, say something, man — it's our community," Person said. "If you want better, everybody has to get involved. Not just police, not only us. It has to be everyone."