Thursday, June 11, 2020
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Motion could stop Myers' release By Alex Hardgrave ahardgra@iu.edu | @a_hardgrave
SAM HOUSE | IDS
Signs and tents are decorated with Black Lives Matter slogans June 9 in the grass around the Monroe County Courthouse. Some people packed up their tents while others left them standing.
Sheriff evicts overnight protesters By Lilly St. Angelo lstangel@iu.edu | @lilly_st_ang
The Courthouse Square lawn has been a temporary home to several activists and people experiencing homelessness for over a week as protests over the killing of George Floyd and other acts of police brutality continue. The sheriff gave protesters notice Monday night that they must evict the property by 10 p.m. Tuesday. Personal property must be removed by Friday according to a press release, but orders were given by the county legal department to begin enforcing hours of the courthouse property Tuesday night. About 100 protesters showed up to the Courthouse Square on Tuesday night to protest the eviction. There was chanting and dancing, but no sheriff until 2 a.m., hours after protesters expected them to come and after many had left. According to a press release sent by the sheriff the next morning, Sheriff Brad Swain and twelve deputies asked about 30 people to move to the sidewalk, and they all complied. All tents had been taken down by the time the deputies arrived. A small group of protesters stayed the night on the side-
walk and deputies stayed on the courthouse property until 6 a.m. to enforce the hours. No arrests were made. The property, which is owned by the county, is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m, according to Chapter 262 in Monroe County code. If people are using the grounds beyond those hours, they may be charged with trespassing. In Chapter 257, the county also states that camping is not allowed on county property unless approved by commissioners. At nearly 11 p.m., when many of the protesters were still present and the sheriff had not yet arrived, Patrick Ford, protest coordinator and IU alumnus, told protesters to think of the night as a victory. “When we show in numbers, our voices are heard and the system is scared of us,” Ford said. Ford said the county has been very lenient with protesters and that they planned to be mostly off the lawn by 10 p.m. But some protesters wanted to stay on the lawn. Crow, a man experiencing homelessness, said he would be staying on the lawn as long it didn’t endanger his friends’ lives. “Am I afraid to get arrested for a cause such as this?” Crow said.
SEE MYERS, PAGE 3
SAM HOUSE | IDS
A banner that reads “defund BPD” hangs June 10 over the stairs going up to the Monroe County Courthouse. People honked their cars in support of the protesters as they drove past.
“I’ve seen a lot more shit worse than prison.” But no one ended up staying on the lawn or getting arrested. Crow has been staying with protesters on the courthouse lawn for the past week, sleeping in a hammock, leading chants, helping distribute food and drinks and making a lot of friends. He came to Bloomington from Columbus, Indiana, last week after
he lost his job in a finishing plant painting appliances. Within 30 minutes of being in town, he met protesters who welcomed him into their group. “Before I came here, I was a lonely alcoholic, I had no aspirations for my life whatsoever, I just accepted the fact that I was going to die alone with a bottle in my SEE SHERIFF, PAGE 3
Black artists combine creativity, advocacy By Katharine Khamhaengwong kkhamhae@iu.edu | @katharinegk
Several local Black artists joined the approximately 7,000 attendees of the June 5 protest against police brutality in Bloomington. They have contributed to the recent protests in a multitude of ways: making signs, creating graphics for social media campaigns, chalking, raising funds, painting murals, writing poems and more. Kayleigh Dance, a food photographer, self-described “small influencer” and IU Office of Enrollment Management social media specialist, has been using her Instagram platform to pressure local restaurants into publicly stating their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests. After the most recent protests broke out, following the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Dance said she was initially at a loss for how to tie her advocacy for herself and her community to her art, so she paused her work and attended
a protest in Indianapolis. A few days later, she noticed that a lot of the local small businesses she had worked with in Bloomington had remained silent, even as national outrage grew. “That stung a bit,” she said. “Now, I’m making sure that businesses that I have personal ties to are learning that their silence is being seen as complicity.” On the Thursday before the protest, Dance posted one of her photographs to Instagram with a caption calling on businesses to show their support. She said that two businesses, Bedräk Cafe and the Village Deli, posted about their support shortly after following her or liking her post, and that the owner of Bedräk Cafe opened their parking lot to protesters and attended the event. Claudia Hodges, a mixed-media artist and interior design student at IU, said that they are contributing to the protest movement and associated causes financially, with the proceeds from sales of a print of their work. Like Dance, they too were initially not sure how
SAM HOUSE | IDS
A Honda CR-V decorated with Black Lives Matter slogans is parked June 5 next to Dunn Meadow. A few other cars were decorated similarly, and many protesters at the June 5 ‘Enough is Enough’ protest held up signs they had decorated themselves.
to use their art to contribute, as most of their art does not have any explicitly political meaning. “I live as a Black person in America,” Hodges said. “I don’t want my art to always be centered on it — I want art as an escape.” However, they said they made a collage six months ago utilizing an
image from a 1947 issue of National Geographic that included a skull labeled “negro,” and that since posting it on June 1, they have sold eight or nine prints for $35 each and donated the proceeds to causes including Black Lives Matter, bail funds and funds to support homeless trans women.
Pygmalion’s to close after nearly 50 years By Lauren McLaughlin lrmclaug@iu.edu | @l_mclaughlin8
Nancy Crenshaw ran Pygmalion’s Art Supplies after her brother, John Wilson, died last June. The business was doing well until February, when Crenshaw received her new lease agreement. The property manager sold
the building and land, and the increase in rent was 65%, Crenshaw said. “Business was good, but not good enough to afford what they were asking,” manager Chase Lewandowski said. Crenshaw said she looked into more affordable spaces in Bloomington, but there was no luck. The
John Myers, the man convicted of the 2000 murder of IU student Jill Behrman, is slated to be released from prison June 15 awaiting an appeal decision. An emergency motion filed Friday by the Indiana Attorney General’s office, if approved, could stop his release. A May 29 order by U.S. District Court Judge James Sweeney approved Myers' request to be released until the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals makes a decision on the validity of his 2006 trial. The order cited Myers' fears of contracting COVID-19 while in prison, as he is immunocompromised. Marilyn Behrman, Jill Behrman’s mother expressed worries of his release. “The idea that he may be released soon makes me uneasy,” she said. “Even though he will be on house arrest at his mother’s house, I am not sure he can obey the rules.” She said she is feeling hopeful the latest appeal will be approved, keeping him in jail. In Sept. 2019, Sweeney ordered that Myers be released, stating he
store had to close for about two months due to the pandemic. The decision was inevitable. “I just finally felt like the only thing I had left to do was to close the store,” she said. The plan is to close on June 30, Lewandowski said. Pygmalion’s has operated for almost 50 years. The business has
been in her family since 2007, when her brother purchased it. When Wilson died, he left the store to Crenshaw and her two sons in his will. Despite living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Crenshaw took on the responsibility. SEE PYGMALION'S, PAGE 3
Hendershot pleads guilty to criminal trespassing By Grace Ybarra gnybarra@iu.edu | @gnybarra
IU redshirt junior tight end Peyton Hendershot pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor criminal trespass following his arrest in February. His remaining charges of domestic battery, criminal conversion and criminal mischief were dismissed. Hendershot was arrested Feb. 22 after he allegedly assaulted a 22-year-old woman he was previously in a relationship with, according to a press release from the Bloomington Police Department. Under the conditions of Hendershot’s plea agreement, he is required to complete a mental health evaluation and a one-year probation. Following his arrest, Hendershot was placed on a 24-hour hold at the Monroe County Correctional Center. IU football head coach Tom Allen suspended Hendershot indefinitely Feb. 24 from all team activities. On an April 22 Zoom call, Allen said that Hendershot had been brought back in a "modified" way.
Suspect identified in Sunday shooting By Lilly St. Angelo lstangel@iu.edu | @lilly_st_ang
The Bloomington Police Department issued a warrant for the arrest of De Juan Lamar Kelley, the suspect in the Sunday morning fatal shooting of 39-year-old Bloomington man Michael T. Parker, according to a release Monday afternoon. Kelley is being charged with murder and carrying a handgun without a license. According to the release, Kelley is to be considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. BPD is asking anyone with information about where Kelley is to contact detective Jeff Rodgers at 812-339-4477.