An estimated thousand people gathered at Holland Park in Fishers on Saturday for an anti-deportation rally and vigil, marching against an event that, by the time they set out, was no longer in their city.
Crowd estimates varied. Indy Politics counted roughly 2,000; the Indiana Capital Chronicle, which also covered the march, put the figure at about 1,000.
The event was organized by the grassroots group Fishers Resist and billed as a rally and vigil in response to Save Heritage Indiana’s invitation-only “Mass Deportation Rally,” advertised for weeks as a Fishers event. Mobilization lead Reagan Stafford Taren opened the program by thanking attendees for turning out in such numbers and urging them to move closer so everyone could hear. Taren described herself as “not normally a public speaker,” but said the size and energy of the crowd reflected a shared commitment to dignity, inclusion and what she called the true meaning of Hoosier hospitality.
State Sen. Fady Qaddoura, a Democrat representing Indiana Senate District 30, served as the main speaker. He greeted the crowd as “fellow Hoosiers” and “supporters of democracy,” and praised those who reject hate, discrimination and racism. In a wide-ranging address, he argued that contemporary efforts to scapegoat immigrants and religious minorities mirror tactics once used by the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana more than a century ago.
“The slogans may change, the uniform may change, the messaging may change,” Qaddoura said, “but it’s the same playbook.” He said that playbook involves identifying a vulnerable group, stoking fear about that group, legitimizing hostility and then using legal tools to strip away rights.
Qaddoura criticized politicians who invoke religious scripture to justify hostility toward Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Christian or immigrant neighbors, saying they are trying to “reshape God into their political image” rather than follow values of compassion, justice and welcoming the stranger. He pointed to the arrival of the Puritans — whom he described as “undocumented immigrants” — as well as the history of slavery, Black Codes and Jim Crow laws as part of a long struggle over who counts as fully American.
He linked that history to present-day debates over Medicaid, voting rights and civil rights protections, arguing that many current proposals seek to roll back gains won during the civil rights movement. Despite the dark history, Qaddoura said those opposing hate must not respond with hate of their own, calling instead for “fighting fear with hope, hate with love, and racism with inclusion.” He reminded the crowd they have “almost 90 days” until the next election to respond through the political process.
Rabbi Aaron Spiegel of the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance also addressed the crowd, telling marchers that immigrants are simply the newest group to be blamed for the country’s problems and that refusing to dehumanize anyone is a moral obligation, according to the Capital Chronicle.
Participants were advised to ignore agitators, respect private property, stay on sidewalks and clean up trash as they marched from Holland Park through nearby neighborhoods toward the Fishers Municipal Center and the adjacent Nickel Plate District Amphitheater for a closing vigil. The Capital Chronicle reported the program was cut short after lightning was spotted within five miles, and that a single masked counter-demonstrator’s sign was blocked from view by marchers raising signs of their own.
One attendee interviewed by the Capital Chronicle, former Indiana Libertarian Party chair Joe Hauptmann, said he had often aligned with Republicans but felt betrayed on immigration: <cite index=”12-1″>”I feel very used because what I thought, when we were talking about freedom, we meant for everyone, and it turns out most of our allies meant only for themselves.”</cite>
Mayor Scott Fadness said in a statement Saturday that Fishers hadn’t asked to be part of the debate but that people had chosen to exercise their constitutional rights in the city. His office had said earlier that organizers of the Save Heritage event never contacted the city and that local police would not provide private security for either gathering.
The event that left town
Save Heritage Indiana’s rally, meanwhile, quietly relocated to Greenfield the day of.
An email to ticketholders that began circulating on Reddit Saturday afternoon told recipients to be in Hancock County by 6 p.m. — no later than 6:30 or they might not get in — to park wherever they liked and gather in front of the public library at 900 W. McKenzie Rd. From there, organizers would check credentials and walk attendees to the actual venue in small groups.
The email opens with “Patriot” and instructs recipients not to share any of it with anyone, no exceptions. One other line runs underlined and in capitals: you must show your ID. No exceptions.
Indy Politics has not independently authenticated the email and Save Heritage Indiana has not confirmed it. The Capital Chronicle reported the same relocation, the same 6 p.m. start and the same ID requirement Saturday, likewise citing an unconfirmed email to attendees.
Executive Director Daniel Poynter had told reporters for weeks that Fishers was chosen because it was centrally located and easy for Hoosiers to drive to. The group said on X that it withheld the address to avoid harassment from opponents of free speech and because of violent threats. At least one marcher quoted by the Capital Chronicle suspected a simpler explanation — that the turnout in Fishers is what moved it.
Details of the private event remained thin. Poynter said on X it had sold out but declined to say how many would attend. Admission ran $50, with a dress code of suits and ties for men and dresses for women, and the program was set to run past 9 p.m. Poynter said two outlets had exclusive media access but would not name them. Save Heritage Indiana said it planned to release video afterward.
Former U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino headlined. Bovino was the public face of the Trump administration’s deportation campaign before being demoted amid backlash over two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis; he retired in March. Promotional material also listed Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, and British politician Rupert Lowe, founder of the pro-deportation Restore Britain party.
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Attorney General Todd Rokita each recorded video remarks for the event. When the Capital Chronicle asked for copies Thursday, Beckwith’s office demanded a formal public records request and hadn’t produced the video as of Saturday. Rokita’s office didn’t answer at all.
Gov. Mike Braun and U.S. Sen. Jim Banks sent nothing. Save Heritage Indiana told its mailing list the two “deserve the stocks” for declining, illustrating the point with a colonial-era image of a man locked in them. That message is what drove co-founder Nathan Roberts, a Turning Point Action operative, out of the organization last week; Roberts posted that Banks is the best senator in the country on immigration.
The library closed at 5. The parking lot did not.
Portions of this report are drawn from the Indiana Capital Chronicle’s coverage by Jack Forrest.
