https://progressiveindiana.net
SUMMARY:
Rev. Tony Alexander and Pastor David W. Greene Sr. spend the hour on two fronts: ICE’s active presence across every side of Indianapolis this week, and continued Northwest Indiana flood recovery. On ICE, both hosts press local leadership — particularly Mayor Hogsett — to speak out publicly the way Democratic leaders did in Minneapolis, arguing that those being detained are largely working people, not the “worst of the worst” originally promised. Pastor Greene announces a new sign-on campaign, backed by the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance, calling on the mayor and City-County Council to respond publicly. Caller Imhotep cites a claim that IMPD has the highest rate of police shootings of Black people in the country and describes IMPD detaining and handcuffing a coach and students from Crispus Attucks; caller Mayhem raises Indiana’s anti-mask laws and the fact that ICE is now exempt from them. In the back half, the hosts turn to flood recovery, spotlighting Indiana 211 data showing Lake County with over 41,000 storm-related cases — more than every other affected county combined — yet the weakest response. Councilor Oliver, a longtime disaster-relief organizer, calls in and draws the parallel to Katrina. The show closes with a practical walkthrough of how to apply for FEMA assistance before the October 25th deadline.
WHAT’S INSIDE
00:00:00 Station ID and program open
- Rev. Alexander opens in praise and prayer; previews the night’s two main topics: ICE activity in Indianapolis and continued Northwest Indiana flood recovery, with about 30 days left until early voting begins.
00:03:38 ICE is active across every side of Indianapolis
- Pastor Greene confirms ICE has been operating on the east, west, north, and south sides of Indianapolis this week.
- He traces this to AG Todd Rokita encouraging ICE to target any city he felt wasn’t complying with the state’s new immigration law. (Note: Greene incorrectly says SEA 75 — the 2026 Indiana law mandating local cooperation with ICE is SEA 76.)
- This isn’t limited to people who are undocumented — Pastor Greene notes he himself could be stopped based on skin color and asked to prove his status, despite being a U.S. citizen.
00:05:35 A sign-on campaign and the mayor’s inadequate response
- Pastor Greene announces a new sign-on effort, backed by an interfaith coalition including Rabbi Aaron Spiegel and GIMA (the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance), because Indianapolis leadership — the mayor’s office, the majority-Democrat City-County Council — has been largely silent.
- Mayor Hogsett issued a statement, but Pastor Greene calls it generic: welcoming language about city services, not real leadership.
- His challenge extends to mayoral candidates: if you want the job, say publicly where you stand on ICE before you’re the one who has to handle it.
- This is not just for “the worst of the worst” — it’s people who have jobs, pay taxes, meet their court appointments, and have committed no crimes. Pastor Greene calls the current approach a witch hunt based on skin color and origin.
00:09:28 Why local silence matters — the Minneapolis contrast
- Rev. Alexander contrasts Indianapolis with Minneapolis, where Democratic leadership at every level — mayor, governor, attorney general — spoke out publicly and in unison, making it a national story.
- Indianapolis doesn’t have that same unified public stance, especially with no expectation of pushback from the governor’s office.
- The faith coalition’s press release, “Indianapolis faith leaders call on Mayor Hogsett and City-County Council to respond to ICE activity,” includes a public sign-on link.
- Pastor Greene: this is intentionally interfaith — Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians — because the moral objection isn’t limited to one tradition.
00:20:53 Caller Imhotep — leadership silence, IMPD shootings, and Crispus Attucks
- Imhotep expresses disappointment in local leadership — naming Leroy Robinson, Maggie Lewis, and Carlos Perkins among others — for not verbally speaking out, contrasting with Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Memphis, which has effectively been under extended federal occupation for eight to nine months, including a fatal National Guard shooting of a Black man — reportedly a first in the country’s history.
- He cites a statement from Nathaniel Lee that Indianapolis’s IMPD has the highest rate of police shootings of Black people in the country — higher than New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles — and criticizes the lack of accountability from city leadership on public safety.
- He describes a recent incident: IMPD stopped students from Crispus Attucks near a dangerous 10th Street intersection, made them sit on the curb, and handcuffed the coach who came out to ask what was happening — a heavy-handed response to a legitimate traffic-safety concern that could have been addressed with a simple conversation.
- His closing message: November matters, and flipping the House and Senate creates real accountability tools — up to and including charges against officials who fail their duties.
00:25:06 Caller Mayhem — masks, Indiana law, and who ICE really is
- Mayhem argues Indianapolis police corruption predates Trump — this administration has just made it bolder and more brazen.
- He notes Indiana has laws letting residents protect themselves against masked individuals falsely claiming authority — but points out no one can verify these masked ICE agents are even who they claim to be, or U.S. citizens themselves.
- His example: his mechanic was detained at an ICE operation in Kokomo for four to five months.
- Rev. Alexander clarifies: ICE is legally exempt from Indiana’s anti-mask laws — a change passed within the last year.
00:27:25 Response — judicial warrants, impersonation risk, and the cost of silence
- Pastor Greene: masked, unidentified agents create real danger — homeowners can’t distinguish a legitimate ICE agent from someone impersonating one, especially without a shown judicial warrant (not an ICE-issued one).
- Leadership needs to give the community and law enforcement cover by clearly and publicly rejecting these tactics — regardless of party.
00:29:21 New ICE rules and the Minnesota precedent
- Rev. Alexander details the new rules as of September: ICE can now operate in unmarked cars, without flashing lights, without body-worn cameras, and masked without identifying themselves.
- He cites Minnesota, where Renee Good was killed by ICE, then evidence and agents were removed from the scene entirely, with no accountability trail.
- Much of this requires action beyond the local level — Congress needs to intervene, since this affects far more than one group of people.
00:31:45 The vote as the available lever
- Pastor Greene: November is the clearest available action. He warns that ICE presence may be strategically deployed in heavily Democratic areas like Indianapolis specifically to deter voter turnout, and urges people to vote anyway.
00:33:33 Disaster recovery data — Lake County dwarfs every other county combined
- Rev. Alexander presents Indiana 211 disaster report figures: Lake County, 41,608 people affected; Porter County, just over 5,600; Madison County, 3,138; Marion County, 1,909; Hamilton County, 1,791; Delaware County, 1,534.
- Lake County’s total is more than double every other affected county combined — yet it received the weakest, slowest response of any of them.
- Pastor Greene calls the data staggering and says resource allocation should reflect that imbalance — but predicts, if the dollars are tracked, they won’t.
00:38:49 Cleared streets in Marion and Hamilton Counties vs. ongoing outages in Gary
- Rev. Alexander notes streets in Broad Ripple and Hamilton County have already been cleared, while residents in Gary and Lake County are still working to get their power turned back on.
- Indiana 211 has confirmed it is prioritizing disaster-relief callers — meaning everyday callers with non-disaster needs are being asked to wait, a tradeoff Rev. Alexander flags as its own problem.
00:42:25 Caller Councilor Oliver — echoes of Katrina, and a new relief effort for Gary
- Councilor Oliver, who organized Katrina relief caravans to New Orleans and Meridian, Mississippi in 2005, describes hearing the exact same pattern play out this time: an immediate, well-funded response to Carmel, followed by a full week of near-silence specifically about Gary — first vaguely referred to as “Northwest Indiana” before officials would even say the city’s name.
- He’s organizing a new Labor Day relief effort with two trucks already secured and donations staging at Reverend Covington’s church, aimed specifically at Gary.
00:46:36 How to apply for disaster assistance — a full walkthrough
- Rev. Alexander walks through disasterassistance.gov step by step: individual assistance applications, FEMA coverage for costs not covered by insurance (child care, medical, lodging, moving, funeral expenses), and video walkthroughs available in English, Spanish, and other languages.
- Practical tips: call your credit card company and mortgage lender directly if you’ve been affected — many are offering grace periods and concessions.
- The governor has announced roughly $2.1 million in available funds — both hosts stress this is a small amount relative to need and urge people not to wait, since funds could run out before the October 25th application deadline.
00:48:46 Program close — don’t wait
- Pastor Greene: $2.1 million sounds like a lot until you consider how many people are in crisis — get your application in now rather than risk being told the money is already gone.
- Rev. Alexander confirms the FEMA individual assistance deadline is October 25th, but urges people to apply immediately rather than wait.
- Program closes with thanks to listeners and a reminder to check back next week.
