Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 18 April 2003 — Page 2

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2003

► Continued from Page 1 trons being harassed. While there are plenty of anecdotal stories from people on every side of the issue, if you’re looking for direct racial confrontation on the streets of Broad Ripple, you'll he disappointed most nights. On busy weekend nights, as the streets of Broad Ripple fill up with people, you won’t find white-robed youths clashing with gangster rappers. "That’s what l don’t understand,’’ Miner says. “Usually, there’s an incident, a fight, something to spur this attention. This time there’s been nothing. No fights, no shootings. It's bizarre.” Educator and Recorder columnist Leroy Robinson is a consultant to hip-hop promoter Amp Harris. He puts it this way: "It is very dif ficult to prove that race is a factor, but common knowledge has it that when there is a hiphop event, police officers and residents are much more on the offensive,” he says. “The social climate that the residents and barhoppers have created in Broad Ripple is clearly for the comfort of those who identify with their cultural expression. It is an unwritten law that they want to have their area remain this way." Trouble at hip-hop shows gets amplified in Broad Ripple disproportionately by both the.community and local media, Johnson

MINESHAFT SALOON

said. He recalled an incident last summer when he was DJing at CT Peppers in Broad Ripple. “We were at Pepper's, had one light and we make the news. It was handled. Dude was removed from the club, so w hat do they do? They rope off the block and we’re on the news. Like there's no fights in Broad Ripple. Like people don’t get their heads busted in (at other clubs). But it’s a hip-hop show, so it makes the TV news.” On one side... On one side are some business people in Broad Ripple who, they say, feel threatened not by Black patrons but by the prospects of t rouble that could endanger their livelihoods. Getting them to go on the record on this subject is very difficult, because they say they could be targeted for boycotts if their remarks were misunderstood. A meeting between bar owners

and Indianapolis Police Department officials last year reflected their concerns, which were about security and keeping a peaceful environment. They tried to deemphasize the hip-hop music aspect and focused on increasing police presence in their neighborhood. “It’s not about rap music,” said one such businessperson, who agreed to be quoted only anonymously. “It’s about losing everything I've worked for for years. I don't care what kinds of music are played in Broad Ripple. But if people stop coming to Broad Ripple because they feel unsafe, then it hurts all of us (business owners) very badly.” Rap music has “a proven record” of attracting violenceprone people, this businessperson said. “It’s not a Black/white issue,” the person said. “It’s a safety

issue. If it was polka music that was attracting a bad crowd, then I’d be against polka music. The fact is that it's rap music we're talking about, and its potential for trouble. If 1 percent of the people who go to these shows that cause trouble, then it’s worth it to keep all of these shows out.” Told that most consumers of hip-hop in Broad Ripple are white, the businessperson said, “That’s not what I see. “I’m not racist in any way," the person said. “And I don't want to be portrayed that way in the newspaper. But if violence in Broad Ripple causes my customers to go somewhere else - that’s a basic survival issue with me, and I do have a problem with that.” Asked ifsome businesses in the area held racist beliefs or practiced discrimination, the person said, “That’s ridiculous. I can tell

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you that none of the bar owmers in Broad Ripple are racist or discriminators', as far as I can see. They are businessmen and - women trying to make a living.” Miner agreed. “1 haven’t seen any of that, and I’ve worked with nearly every club in the village. I don’t see that at all. I see people trying to make money in the village.” On the other hand... In any given month, there are between five and 10 hip-hop events in Broad Ripple, ranging from live shows to dance-party nights at those and other clubs. Just recently, Jurassic 5 played the Vogue and the Mudkids, Origin@l and MC Paul Barman were scheduled to play the Patio, in addition to J.Y.’s live shows and dance nights. Documenting violence in Broad Ripple is difficult when it comes to nightclubs”. I PD keeps statistics of the arrests it makes and the calls it receives, but the numbers get distorted when it comes to nightclubs. Reporting crimes that occur at their clubs can have a negative impact when it comes time for their liquor licenses to be renewed. “It raises questions about everything you do as a business,” the business owner quoted above said. “It makes people wonder if you’re serving intoxicated people, if you cater to a bad clientele, lots of things.” That’s why many clubs, whether in Broad Ripple or elsewhere, employ their own security forces who aren’t required to file public reports for every incident they handle. As far as rowdiness at hip-hop shows, Robinson says, “To be in the entertainment and nightclub business is to know that because of the alcohol and other factors involved, some behavioral problems will be present. If you are a good promoter and club owner, you anticipate these problems, but the problems are not any worse when dealing with a predominately Black crowd than when dealing with a predominately white crowd.” Miner says, “Do I see fights? Do I see ladies getting accosted in the parking lot? No. What I see are a lot of nice cars and people enjoying themselves and spending money.” Any fears about increased problems at hip-hop shows can best be dealt with by understanding the unique properties of the music and the people who attend such shows. “The Broad Ripple business community needs to be educated about what hip-hop culture and music is all about,” promoter Amp Harris says. “Hip-hop is not going anywhere and if Broad Ripple club owners are going to be successful, they will not be able to ignore the public’s demand for this kind of entertainment.” Similarly, it’s also difficult to document incidents of discrimination and racism by club owners or patrons. No such official fig-

ures exist. A patron last fall at a Broad Ripple nightspot alleged that she and others were treated in an illegal manner when the owner of one venue tried to disperse a line of patrons waiting to get in. “He was actually cursing at the Blacks in line, shoving the Blacks in line and even putting his hands on actual Black patrons,” the patron, who declined to let her name be used, said. “The people were orderly, the crowd was waiting patiently in line in the cold and the security and the two 1 PD cars were parked directly in front with three officers completely controlling the situation, hut still the guy was out of control,” the patron said. “The owner even went at one point and locked the doors to stop Blacks from coming in but a group of white patrons came up and he immediately opened the door, let them in and then locked it back.” The story was corroborated by others who were there that night. But attempts to reach the business owner were unsuccessful. Addressing the problem When neither side can answer the issue of whether there actually is a problem in Broad Ripple, resolving disputes can be tricky. “This is not the 1960s and I have no intention on organizing a sit-in,” Robinson says. “What I strongly encourage is for our local promoters to think like the business owners in Broad Ripple and secure the financing to have our owm facilities to host our own events and refrain from taking crumbs from their table, while sitting around begging to rent out their facilities... only to complain later that we were mistreated.” Taja Graham, member of MBARI, an Indiana AfricanAmerican Republican political club on a mission to diversify the state Republican Party by increasing Black membership within the GOP, calls for honesty. “We want these business owners to call this out for what it is,” Graham says. “Tell me you don’t want me and other Blacks in your area straight out and I will stop spending my money in your establishments. Let’s not hide behind this issue of music.” Graham says, “The community need not let this die. We need to put pressure on our leadership to look at this issue further because it appears there is a small minority voice who have a problem with this, not the whole Broad Ripple residential community.” Geno Shelton, one of the city’s most commercially successful entertainment promoters, called for more discussion. “We need open dialogue about the issue in the same way we had open dialogue about th<? manner in which I PD handled security during last year’s Indiana Black Expo,” Shelton says. Miner, who’s seen attendance decrease since the latest controversy started, requested all sides sit down and discuss the situation. He says, “IaR’s have a meeting about all of this. I know that everybody involved is looking out for the best interests of the Village. Nobody wants trouble, or riots. People want to make money in the Village; that’s what they’re there for. To the people who want to stop these shows, I’m not going to call them racist. That’s not my job. My job is to educate those people. As a white guy who promotes hip-hop, maybe I can provide some understanding. Bullet’s have a meeting and talk about it."

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

JAYLEN M. BONDS MONICA C. BLAKEY July 22, 1999 - April 8. 2000 January 12 1979 - April 8. 2000 Heaven only knows how much we miss you And no one ever can lake the place of the ones we loved so dear. Loving The Family