Make a one-time donation or sustain our city’s Liberated Center today!
The people had our last—and, in many ways, only—chance to provide input into Mayor Joe Hogsett’s proposed 2025 $1.6 billion budget at the City-County Council meeting on Sept. 23. The Council will vote on the budget on October 7, in all likelihood giving it a green-light, despite recent revelations of Hogsett’s facilitation of sexist abuse and the clear opposition of the people to how “our” elected representatives want to spend our money.
The video below captures leaders of different member-organizations of the Indianapolis Liberation Center during their public comment period. Forced to condense their detailed analyses of the budget into the allotted two-minute time period for public comment, each speaker makes clear the range of key problems with the budget. Together, they lead to the conclusion that this is not a budget for the people, but for the profits of the few and those who protect them. You can read each statement below.
What the people have to say about Hogsett’s 2025 budget
This meeting came on the heels of a 5:00 pm press conference demanding the immediate resignation of Hogsett for protecting a sexual abuser since at least 2017 until 2023 and was followed by multiple community discussions hosted by ANSWER Indiana and PSL Indianapolis.
Transcript
Cecilia Gomez: Good afternoon, City-Councilors. My name is Cecilia and I am commenting on the budget as a resident of Indianapolis in District 12, represented by Council President Vop Osili. As a social worker, the concerns that compel me to speak today are how the budget reflects the priorities of our leadership. Social Service projects like the Mobile Crisis Action Team, which had really stunning results for mental health crises in the city, are not receiving an increase in funding to build capacity. This program is a direct care initiative that diverts people in crisis from entering the prison system, and it’s working with a budget that can only staff 2,500 for a city of over 900,000 people.
In the same budget, we are increasing funding by $14 million more dollars to the IMPD. The fact that 40% of our city budget is being allocated to policing, when the real needs of the community are staring us in the face–things like pedestrian and cyclist safety, better roads and infrastructure, a publicly funded housing rental assistance program– is disrespectful, and does not reflect what the public needs to live quality lives in Indianapolis. For example, it would only cost 2% of the budget to house all 1700 homeless people on our streets. We deserve, and pay taxes, to nurture and expand programs that strengthen our care infrastructure.
Our taxes fund a majority of the city’s operations, and I will express plainly that we don’t want more police in Indianapolis. We don’t want essential services like MCAT to run understaffed and underfunded. And we especially do not want $12.8 million dollars to fund Israel’s genocide in Palestine.
As a resident, it is abundantly clear that the council did not seek democratic input from the working people of this city when developing the budget. The result is a grim realization from me and my neighbors that there is a gross divide between the priorities of the council and the community. The public is now very aware of the priorities of our elected leaders, and we will not accept where our money is being diverted without challenge
[Applause]
Ayatallah Palmer: Hi everyone, my name is Ayatallah Palmer. I am a resident of Indianapolis, currently in Living district 7 and my district counselor is John Barth. I am here today to discuss some of the concerns I have with the 2025 city budget, that I am sure others may have as well.
Firstly, I want to state that it should not be overlooked that this budget is greatly underfunding many programs that we in the city struggle for. This has been an unchanging factor that halts the growth of our city and people each year.
In the budget it’s stated that the IMPD will begin receiving a 4% increase from last year’s budget totaling $338 million while policing overall will be 41% of the total budget of $1.65 billion. I’m concerned that this increase will be wasted on the IMPD who, rather than serving and protecting us, waste their time terrorizing Indy’s residents, especially those that are Black and brown, with no consequences. I hope others will agree that this increase should go toward programs better equipped with handling the growing mental health crises around the city seeing that the individuals going through crises and their family members that call the police to seek help have been the greatest victims of IMPDs brutality. Programs like the Clinician Led Community Response team, who would be able to expand to all parts of the city with this funding.
I’m also concerned with the way the city has handled our collective efforts to call for an end to funds to Israel. A foreign country that is not only using funds that we in the city so desperately need, to pay for time and support from our politicians but are using these funds to bomb and attack anyone they want. It is your responsibility to work in the interests of your constituents but also in the interests of human rights. your lack of support for a ceasefire resolution and yearly funding of Israel is a direct disregard of your responsibilities. And shows that your priorities are not in line with mine.
As we continue to talk about the budget, I think it is important that we prioritize those who need help the most. Mayor Hogsett has continuously shown that his priorities are not for the safety of the city, but to continue to fund people like prosecutor Mears who is now best known for ignoring Black voices while locking the door of his public office as they desperately call for the prosecution of murderous cops. Killer Cops that are still on paid vacation. And this mayor and this council continue to increase funds for the IMPD who have shown time and time again that we are not safe with them.
It is time to show up for your constituents and find ways to actually keep us safe. Because this budget is not it. thank you.
[Applause]
Noah Leininger: My name is Noah Leininger, and I live in Councilor Osili’s district. I am an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and we are opposed to this budget that declares war on the people of Indianapolis and actually defunds the people fixing potholes.
No one can accuse this council of ever defunding the police, though! Not when you have consistently advanced budgets that increase the budget for IMPD and the Sheriff’s Office, no matter what — whether it was David Bisard; the night IMPD murdered Ashlyn Lisby, Dreasjon Reed and McHale Rose all in the span of hours – and Ashlyn by running her down in a police cruiser being recklessly driven by Jonathan Henderson who never faced any charges or accountability, which really makes all of this talk from you guys about “street takeovers” being so dangerous falls flat to me—to Gary Harrell, Freddie Davis; Joseph “Fly Guy” Stiger and the pedestrian who just died, neighbors of ours killed by reckless drivers who won’t get their cars towed or be threatened by Chief Bailey at a press conference – all because they too have a badge.
Then there’s the cops you have in here to intimidate us or drag us out for drawing connections between the struggle against violence funded by our taxes here in Indianapolis and in Palestine, the violence funded by this proposal and how we should reject it for the same reasons that we should reject our money going to bomb Lebanon and Gaza.
Compared to last year’s actual budget, a “yes” vote on this budget is a vote to defund the Fire Department, DPW, trash disposal, OPHS, urban farms and groups fighting food apartheid, the Election Board – so much for Democrats saving Democracy! – the Party for Socialism and Liberation votes no on this budget that defunds services the people need so you can further fund our killers and deepen our repression.
Come out to the Liberation Center this Thursday at 6:00pm to hear from union leaders and workers’ organizers about what a real democracy could look like, because it’s not this. Free Palestine!
[Applause]
Bridget O’Reilly:Good evening, council members. My name is Bridget O’Reilly, and I live in District 7, represented by Councilor John Barth. I’m here today to address the glaring issues in the proposed 2025 city budget and to demand accountability from our city’s leadership.
This budget, at $1.65 billion, continues to fail the people of Indianapolis, particularly women and working families. Over 40% of it—more than half a billion dollars—goes to policing. Meanwhile, essential services like mental health care, housing, and public transportation are underfunded. For instance, the Mobile Crisis Action Team, which provides critical mental health support, will see no expansion despite its proven need. Housing for our homeless neighbors? Just 200 units for over 1,700 people—a fraction of what is needed. It would cost less than 2% of the budget to house everyone currently living on the streets, yet this administration chooses to criminalize poverty instead of solving it.
But this is more than just a budgetary oversight—it reflects an administration that consistently fails to prioritize the needs of working women and families. Under Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett’s leadership, resources that could be going toward affordable childcare, healthcare, or housing are instead directed toward a system that neglects us. The mayor’s office culture, recently revealed to be rife with misogyny and abuse, is no exception. The same budgetary decisions that leave services underfunded are mirrored in the culture of disregard for women’s safety within this administration. How can we trust the current leadership to address the needs of working women when the city’s leadership itself is embroiled in a scandal where sexual harassment complaints are ignored?
I call on more of the good people in Indianapolis to stand with me and all working women to call for Mayor Hogsett to resign. The mayor’s policies, much like his actions, continue to harm women in this city by failing to provide the services we need to live safely and thrive.
Despite calls for his departure, Mayor Hogsett’s refusal to resign mirrors his refusal to prioritize the needs of the people of Indianapolis. We need a budget that truly reflects our needs—housing, mental health care, transportation—not one that serves the interests of the elite and protects abusers.
It’s time to reject this budget and demand actual accountability and worker participation in our “supposed” democracy. Thank you.
[Applause]
Riley Park: Good evening, my name is Riley and I am a graduate student at U Indy and a resident of Indianapolis. I am here tonight to demand three things: fund our communities, not IMPD, two: Mayor Hogsett needs to resign. Third: pass a ceasefire resolution and end all city and state aid to Israel; all 12.8 million dollars of it. Our communities need leaders who are accountable to the people, Mayor Hogsett is not accountable to the people. He has allowed for serial sexual abusers to be in his administration for years! He must go. This city must also end its partnership with the state of Israel and end its $12.8 million aid. This city is funding the genocide of the Palestinians and also funding racist police violence in our streets. This must end.
Finally, I want to call out the egregious behavior of this council last month where I was forced out by sheriffs and the council president Osili. These officers put their hands on my chair without regard to the damage they could’ve caused. They also did this to a friend of mine who also uses a wheelchair. This type of behavior is undemocratic, ableist and shows the complete disregard for the people of this city. Know that the people of the city are the ones who elected you and you serve us, not the other way around. Remember that.
[Applause]
Stephen Lane: Hello, my name is Stephen Lane and I live in Council President Vop Opsili’s District in Haughville, which is an under-resourced and over-policed neighborhood on the near Westside.
I manage a small art gallery on the near Northside and I come today to join workers in the art community and support a more funding for the arts. Every year, the arts organizations stretch themselves thin to fund grant opportunities for local artists to make a decent living. Artists make our city more vibrant and colorful. The fact that $1.3 million is being allocated out of a budget of $1.65 billion is egregious. This is the same amount allotted to the arts from 2024 when the budget was 1.56 billion, essentially slashing the arts budget after accounting for inflation.
I stand with the workers here today to not ask for more money but demand that our Council and Mayor do their jobs to better support workers, especially in the arts. There is no reason that Israel receives $122.8 million with our tax money to fund genocide and the local Arts receives only $1.3 million. There is no reason that a country on the other side of the world receives more support than the workers that live right here locally in Indianapolis.
You should also move money from the IMPD and Sheriff’s budget, which is 41% of the total budget, to fund the arts—which makes up 0.07% of the budget. Louisville’s budget is significantly larger than ours with $5 million allocated to the arts. Other cities of comparable size, like Denver and Cincinnati, have comparably large much larger budgets allocated to the arts, which is reflected in the amount of cultural activities available to residents and tourists alike. It really shows where this council’s priorities lie, which is not in supporting the workforce but finding ways to criminalize us. With the exception of Councilor Jesse Brown, we deserve better representation in the government and the arts deserves more support but I doubt we can expect that with the poor leadership we currently have.
[Applause]
Eli Morey: My name is Eli Morey, and I’m an organizer with the ANSWER Coalition, which stands for Act Now to Stop War and end Racism.
I would like to speak today about the connection between our city budget and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This is relevant to the conversation about the local budget since Indianapolis currently spends over 12 million dollars in Indianapolis taxpayer money every year to buy bonds which support the Israeli military. Indiana as a whole has increased its spending on Israel from 65 million to over 100 million this year. That money could be spent on public works, infrastructure, education, environmental sustainability, and other projects to better the lives of the people of our city. Instead, just like how our city spends over 40% of its budget on policing in order to wage war on poor, working class, and Black, and immigrant neighborhoods here in our city, valuable funds are being spent to support war crimes against innocent civilians in Palestine and potentially a regional war in the middle east.
The genocide in Palestine has been ongoing for well over 9 months. City councils in other cities across the country have passed resolutions in favor of an immediate ceasefire. This would be a meaningful if symbolic gesture in favor of peace. Taking investment in Israeli bonds out of our city budget would be a more concrete step. But for some reason it seems that our city counselors are determined to stand on the wrong side of history.
I’ve heard that many councilors are refusing to sign onto a ceasefire resolution because it is too “divisive.” How is calling for an end to genocide divisive? How is calling for an end to the murder of innocent people, men, women and children, divisive? Is saying that we should not be spending tens of millions of dollars of Indiana taxpayers’ money every year to support an apartheid regime on the other side of the world, divisive? Is standing up for basic human rights and dignity divisive?
If you do in fact believe that that is divisive, city-county councilmen and women, it’s time to ask yourselves which side of that divide you stand on. How would you like history to remember you? As people of conscience who, however belatedly, chose to raise your voices on behalf of the oppressed, or as accomplices in the greatest crime yet seen in the 21st century?
Finally, I would like to point out that a large majority of Americans—over two thirds—are in favor of a ceasefire resolution according to the most recent polls. To speak out in support of a ceasefire would be to speak on behalf of your constituency.
Free Palestine!
[Applause]
