Page last updated on July 6, 2020 at 4:23 pm
For more information, please contact
Mayor Hamilton and City Clerk Bolden Release Statement
Bloomington, Ind. - Mayor John Hamilton and Bloomington City Clerk Nicole Bolden issue the following statement:
On behalf of the City of Bloomington, we would like to express outrage and grief relating to two apparent racially motivated incidents reported in our community over the July 4 weekend. A group of individuals physically assaulted and denounced and threatened with racial epithets one Black resident of Bloomington on nearby Indiana state park land at Lake Monroe. And a sheriff’s deputy from a neighboring county questioned and detained another Black Bloomington resident walking down the Bloomington street where they live in an apparent example of racial profiling. These separate incidents exemplify the persistence of racism and bias in our country and our own community. They deserve nothing less than our collective condemnation. They require that we come together as a whole, and recognize that racism damages all of us, not just our residents of color. We deserve better, and we must make it happen. Videos of the events remind us of the importance of witnesses and witnessing. Each of us must do our part to assure justice for those harmed in this weekend’s incidents, and do everything we can to forge inclusion and equity in Bloomington, and beyond.
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton
Bloomington City Clerk Nicole Bolden
-----------------------------------------------
Since learning of these disturbing incidents, Mayor Hamilton has been reaching out to the affected individuals and the legal representative of one of them, to the Monroe County Prosecutor, Governor Holcomb, and law enforcement officials in Monroe and Lawrence Counties.
The mayor is committed to advocating for justice for both community members.
Bloomington's jurisdiction does not cover either of the events, but we condemn this horrific, discriminatory behavior in our midst and will work with our partners to pursue justice for these individuals and work toward equity and justice for all in our community.