Block party gets extra patrols after nearby triple homicide
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Some neighborhood leaders on Indianapolis’ near northwest side are taking steps to cut off violence before it happens.
The renewed efforts come after a triple homicide last weekend shortly after a jazz concert in at Watkins Park.
The Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition and pastors from the United Northwest Area are banding together.
On Sunday evening, about 30 people with the Ten Point Coalition and local faith leaders gathered at the 25th Street Baptist Church.
The two groups patrolled areas around a block party to make sure people could have fun but also to intervene if there are any tensions before they get violent.
They walked around the area from 25th to 27th streets along MLK Jr. Street and Ethel Avenue.
Officials with Indy Ten Point Coalition said the community was shocked and upset by last weekend’s homicides, and they are trying to do everything they can to keep things from getting worse.
“It’s important because we want to catch them at a younger age and show them a difference,” said Mario Burnett, who has been a member of the Indy Ten Point Coalition for more than a decade. “There are a lot of things that you can do other than what you may see in your community. We want to give them an opportunity to see that other side.”
“When one of us suffers, all of us suffer,” explained community chaplain, David Coatie, who works with Ten Point Coalition. “Often times, when those kinds of things happen in these kinds of neighborhoods, no one shows up. So, we’re here in times of peace so if there is a time of violence or is a time of crisis, it’s not the first time people are seeing us.”
The Ten Point Coalition will continue to patrol the area’s block parties every Sunday leading up to the last summer concert at Watkins Park, in September.
IMPD announced this week it is also increasing patrols on near 26th Street and Ethel Avenue.
The triple homicide that sparked increased attention to the area has still not been solved. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.
