By rssfeeds-admin 
During a news conference on Thursday morning, Rev. Charles Harrison, a senior pastor at the Barnes United Methodist Church and the board president of the coalition, announced that there will be several patrol teams in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday evening during the WNBA All-Star Game and the Indiana Black Expo to help create a safe environment for children, youth and families.
The coalition is a volunteer group that makes efforts to reduce violent crime in the Indianapolis area through patrols.
This comes after several shootings involving juveniles have occurred this month in downtown Indianapolis, including one on July 5 that resulted in the deaths of two juveniles. In response to the recent violence, the Indianapolis City-County Council’s Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee voted on Wednesday to amend the county’s juvenile curfew laws.
During a Thursday morning news conference, Harrison said that the teams will be deployed to “hot spot areas” identified by IMPD that specialize in intervention and de-escalation. The goal is to “help defuse any potential conflicts among juveniles and young adults” so the weekend’s events are peaceful.
Ultimately, Harrison said that they encourage young people to “be down there and have a good time” but without the violence.
During the conference, Bailey said he appreciates the outpouring of support and the actions from individuals who want to make Indianapolis a safer place for everyone. Bailey encouraged adults to be an example for their kids and for the youth in the community.
“They need you to be a guiding light for them,” Bailey said, “to show them the right way to do things, to tell them their lives are meaningful.”
This comes after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun recently joined in on the conversation surrounding the violence in downtown Indianapolis.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Braun said that Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears “shoulder near full responsibility.” Braun also praised the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, stating that they are doing their job.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has charged several individuals in relation to the recent downtown violence, including several juveniles being charged with criminal recklessness and other firearms charges.
Officials with the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police are also expected to respond to Braun’s comments during a seperate news conference on Thursday afternoon.
In a news release announcing that conference, Rick Snyder, the president of the organization, said that he appreciates Braun for “his leadership and frank observations.” Snyder said that the FOP will “outline issues” for the state to consider moving forward.
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