Indianapolis councilor, candidate for Congress say IMPD officer shoved them outside Lucas Oil Stadium INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis City-County Council member and a congressional candidate on Monday said an Indianapolis police officer shoved them and other protesters without warning du ring a Saturday protest. City-County Councilor Jesse Brown and congressional candidate Jackson Franklin, both Democrats, were among a small group that marched Saturday afternoon from Monument Circle to Lucas Oil Stadium to protest NCAA basketball teams’ use of charter airlines that also conduct deportation flights. Franklin told News 8 the group slowed due to heavy pedestrian traffic as they neared the stadium. At that point, he said, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer shoved him from behind without first issuing any command to move. “I thought it was just someone who supported ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Turn around and it was a police officer,” he said. “I did not expect that at all. It was kind of confusing, of course. We have a First Amendment right to protest, to peacefully protest. Just asking us to hurry up the pace with the foot traffic, we would have obeyed that order as well. Bystander video shows the moments after that initial alleged confrontation. In it, the officer repeatedly orders Franklin and his small group to move and refused to provide his name or his badge number. At that point, Brown steps in, identifies himself and asks the officer for his information. The officer refused and told Brown the group is obstructing the traffic flow. Brown told News 8 that the officer in question crossed the street to confront the group. He said there were about a dozen other police officers in the vicinity, including on the same side of the street as the protesters, who never indicated the protesters were doing anything wrong and did not join in the other officer’s actions. Brown and Franklin said they did not have access to video of the confrontation itself. Brown said an IMPD sergeant took a report from him immediately after the confrontation, after which Brown filed a formal complaint against the officer. “I wasn’t harmed at all, I don’t know if anybody was, but just, it seemed like he had no fear of any accountability and he didn’t seem to need to follow the general orders, which is very disturbing to me,” he said. IMPD leadership released a statement Monday saying they are looking into the matter. “On Saturday, April 4, IMPD officers were monitoring a protest as it moved through several busy streets in downtown Indianapolis. The group came to a stop in front of Lucas Oil Stadium in an area with heavy pedestrian traffic due to the Men’s Final Four. An IMPD officer advised the protesters they could not block the sidewalk and impede pedestrian traffic.A formal complaint was filed at the scene by one protester and received by a supervisor. An internal investigation into the interaction between the officer and protesters is now underway. IMPD will follow all established procedures to ensure the review is thorough, objective, and complete.IMPD remains committed to ensuring public safety for everyone, including those exercising their rights to lawfully protest, and those who are downtown attending the NCAA Final Four. Our officers work to balance these important interests by protecting First Amendment rights while also maintaining safe and accessible public spaces.”Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Franklin said pedestrians continued to walk on either side of his group and he never attempted to obstruct foot traffic. He said his group probably moved a little slower because its members were trying to figure out how to get their signs and banners around barricades but they never stopped. News 8 has requested body camera footage of the incident from IMPD. ...read more read less