The Week in Review
Although there has been a lot of news this week, I have some observations about some of the news behind the things you may have read, heard or watched.
We Shall Overcome Stupidity
Although Judge Greg Scott freely admits he was wrong to grab the arm of Judge Tonya Walton Pratt during a dispute over the state’s annual Martin Luther King celebration, I found out that one of the acts that was in dispute wanted to perform a skit where a character dressed as the Devil (would represent white people) was going to enslave Black people, who would later rise up and kill him. Somehow that doesn’t seem like something I would associate with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And to add insult to injury the Commission has hadn’t a quorum in years, even though it’s members can call a toll-free number and participate in meetings. Oh, and State Representative Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) says the Commission should under FSSA instead of the state’s Civil Rights Commission. Yes, let’s put an MLK celebration under the state welfare agency. I think I’m about to be offended.
Everyone Knows Your Name
Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi says he will sell his interest in Harry and Izzi’s, a restaurant-bar, slated to go into Circle Center Mall. State law does not allow law enforcement officials to have financial interests in an establishment that serves alcohol. Although it’s been reported that Brizzi had a 10 percent stake in the restaurant, he actually had a 10 percent stake in the corporation that was a partner in the restaurant venture. We can have an honest about debate whether Brizzi should have a stake in a place serves alcohol, but if the standard is simple “financial interest” then any police officer or law enforcement official with stock in any publicly traded company that serves alcohol is breaking the law. I’m not sure if that’s what we want.
It’s Murder Living in Indianapolis
I don’t have to tell you how bad the murder rate has been in Indianapolis, but what I do have to tell you is that it’s getting worse. At the beginning of the month we averaged a homicide every 3.8 days. Now the number is every three days. This is a trend that is going the wrong way and it’s only going to get worse as the weather gets better.
