The Creative Change Project
Homeless people who are forced to live outside on sidewalks, in parks, under bridges, or in other public spaces have no choice but to perform life-sustaining activities, such as eating, sleeping, and sitting down, in the public view. Despite this reality, many states and localities have passed and enforced laws treating these basic, necessary acts by homeless individuals as crimes.
Laws that criminalize homelessness are often designed to mask visible homelessness, rather than address the root causes of the problem. These bad public policies are ineffective, exacerbating rather than reducing the problem. The misuse of the criminal justice system wastes precious public resources, crowds local jails, and clogs the court system – all at the expense of taxpayers.
Downtown police (with the City’s approval) are arresting homeless people either shaking a cup or holding a sign and charging them with trespassing. At the pre-trial conference (the first court date) prosecutors are willing to drop charges for a plea that states, “Homeless person cannot return back downtown” or within a certain radius of the downtown area.
The City of Indianapolis is currently issuing one (1) permit to serve the homeless population in the downtown parks. All other organizations, groups and churches are barred from serving food to the homeless without a permit. No groups, to date, have been fined or arrested for serving food but police officers have shut down feedings and dispersed the hungry crowds.
City of Indianapolis
- Settled
City of Indianapolis
- Resolved
Legal Matters!
Keeping you posted on litigation and upcoming litigation involving the homeless and/or homeless issues in the City of Indianapolis.
Westside Shops
- Resolved
Downtown Business Owner is attempting to ban Homeless people from his commercial retail property. Stores and shops that are on the property and open to the general public; access is being denied to those without permanent shelter. A few of the stores on the property include Family Dollar, Panda Express, Pizza Hut, Hardees, Jimmy Johns and Starbucks.
The Marion County Health Department is refusing to accept the temporary paper Identification issued by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV); to purchase your own birth certificate.
Court Street Camp - Evicted 2017 (May)
City / State Issue
- Upcoming
With a lack of housing resources and shelter beds in the city, the homeless
are forced to be creative with where they sleep. Court Street (downtown Indy) has become a safe space for those in desperate need of a place to sleep. As a result, Criminalization efforts have begun.
Pine Street Camp
- Evicted 2012
(Aug)
CURRENT CASES
CURRENT CASES
RESOLVED CASES
CAMP EVICTION(S)
Irish Hill Camp
- Evicted 2013
(Aug)
Davidson Street Camp
- Evicted 2011
Ray Street (aka Salt Mines) Camp
-Evicted 2013 (September)
The Jungle Camp
- Evicted 2017 (March)
Pennsylvania Street Bridge
- Evicted 2017 (August)
Meridian Street Bridge
- Evicted 2017 (August)
Illinois Street Bridge
- Evicted 2017 (August)
Capital Street Bridge -
Evicted 2017
(August)
Michigan Street Bridge
- Evicted 2017 (September)
New York Street Bridge
- Evicted 2017 (September)
East Street Bridge
- Evicted 2017 (September)
PENDING CASES
Vermont Street Bridge
- Evicted 2017 (September)
