By Abdul-Hakim Shabazz
July 20, 2025

If you want to fight the perception that downtown Indianapolis is unsafe, you start by doing exactly what we saw Saturday night.

The second Saturday of Indiana Black Expo. A sold-out Indiana Fever game against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Thousands of people—families, couples, out-of-town visitors—all pouring into the heart of the city. And guess what?

It was safe. It was smooth. It was peaceful.

Let that sink in for a moment, because if you’ve been paying attention to the online hysteria or cable-news theatrics, you’d think Monument Circle had become Gotham City after sundown. But if you were actually here—if you walked the blocks, visited the bars, took in the energy—you saw something else entirely.

You saw a functional, vibrant, and secure downtown.

And yes, let me be honest: some of us helped sound the alarm months ago when things weren’t so calm. We covered the fights. We shared the videos. We asked the hard questions. Not to tank downtown’s reputation—but to save it. We saw the direction things were headed, and if someone didn’t raise the flag, we were laying the groundwork for an abandoned city core. Silence would’ve been surrender. But this weekend? This weekend showed we can turn that ship around.

Because what we saw Saturday night was how you reclaim the narrative.

It was families with kids enjoying the Canal. Fans in Fever jerseys laughing on Georgia Street. A steady flow of pedestrians—not panicked, not huddled in corners, but out enjoying the city. The 10-Point Coalition and Indy Peace Fellowship were out in force, walking the Circle, engaging with the public, being seen. I didn’t catch any of the city’s paid “violence interrupters” in action—not saying they weren’t out, but they certainly didn’t make their presence known. If they were there, it was deep cover.

Meanwhile, IMPD was visible and measured. The 11 p.m. youth curfew was enforced. There weren’t roving packs of unsupervised teens clogging intersections or kicking off chaos. It wasn’t over-policing—it was adult supervision. And for the first time in a long time, it felt like the city had its hand firmly on the wheel.

Now, we did have one incident—if you want to call it that. At about 8 p.m.—in broad daylight—five men were arrested on Monument Circle for selling alcohol without a permit. One of them, bless his heart, made the sale to an undercover officer. And when they searched his backpack? They found a loaded gun and a sizable stash of weed. So in addition to playing bootleg bartender, the man was also armed and dealing. Brilliant.

Fortunately, IMPD handled it swiftly and without incident. Nobody got hurt. Nobody ran. It was textbook public safety: identify the threat, remove the threat, and keep the party going.

That’s how you beat back perception—with action, not talking points.

If you’re serious about combating the narrative that downtown is dangerous or declining, this is the formula:

  • Enforce the laws already on the books. Don’t reinvent the wheel—just keep it rolling.

  • Maintain a visible and professional police presence. Calm heads. Clear communication.

  • Empower trusted community partners. Like 10-Point and Indy Peace. They’re on the ground, they know the neighborhoods, and they’re committed.

  • Create positive, shared experiences. That’s what people remember. That’s what reshapes perception.

And don’t overlook the small business workers, venue staff, and everyday Hoosiers who make this downtown what it is. I spent the night, like I have most major weekends since 2011, working the door at Nicky Blaine’s. And from that vantage point, I saw something important: nobody looked scared. Not the families, not the couples, not the tourists. That matters.

What downtown needs now is consistency. Saturday can’t be the exception. It has to become the standard. That means leadership has to stop reacting and start managing. That means we focus less on press conferences and more on presence. And yes, that means arresting the occasional dummy selling jungle juice while armed and stoned.

Again… just saying.

So yes—downtown has issues. But it’s also got life. It’s got hope. And after what I saw this weekend, it’s got a fighting chance.

Abdul-Hakim Shabazz is the editor and publisher of Indy Politics.   He is also an attorney licensed to practice law in Indiana and Illinois.  You can reach him at abdul@indypolitics.org.