People marched through the streets of Bloomington's neighborhoods chanting and singing.
(Ethan Burks, WFIU/WTIU News)
About 70 people marched through the streets of Bloomington Monday night in honor of MLK Day, and to speak out against what they called the current injustices facing the community’s homeless population.
The march began at Seminary Park, where several people experiencing homelessness had been sleeping in tents the past few weeks – in violation of city laws.
The police asked them to leave last week, and the encampment was hauled off on truck trailers.
Chair of the Monroe County Democratic Party Jennifer Crossley said a few words before the rally moved into the streets.
"What would he [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.] say and do if he were here right now in Bloomington, looking at all of these things that are going on? I personally think he would be ashamed," Crossley said.
Crossley said she will continue to use her voice to speak on these issues and that she encourages more elected officials to do the same.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m., people started marching out of Seminary Park and toward Mayor John Hamilton's house.
The rally crowd stops outside Mayor Hamilton's house. One of the signs said, "We are not asking for a seat at the table. We built our own." (Ethan Burks/WFIU/WTIU News)
As protestors formed a line along the sidewalk and street, Trevor Richardson spoke in front of the crowd.
“Discrimination can be in all forms. Before we had racism based on skin color, we had classism," Richardson said. "We deal with the same thing today. I say, at what point are they going to change? And at what point do we make them change?”
Richardson said he is one of the individuals who had been spending nights on-and-off in Seminary Park.
“They say that we don’t want the help, and I say, according to who? They say that they have affordable housing, and I say, affordable for who?” Richardson said.
A statement made by Mayor Hamilton earlier Monday said he appreciates the passion and care people are showing.
"I believe we share the goals of safe, emergency shelter for all in the immediate term and ultimately affordable, decent housing for all in our community," Hamilton said.
Hamilton mentioned over the the past five years the community has added 140 supportive housing beds focused on Housing First for people experiencing homelessness and related challenges, and hundreds more low-income units.
"Late last year we added $500,000 for emergency investments in our social safety net," Hamilton said. "I will continue to listen to those with lived experience of homelessness as I have done throughout my service as mayor, and share ideas and hope to develop a roadmap together to realize our mutual goals."
From the mayor’s house, the rally moved downtown to its conclusion in Peoples Park. Organizers said the spot was chosen as the ending point because of the location's racial history.
In the fall of 1968, it was the site of a thriving store called The Black Market, opened by Black Indiana University graduate student Clarence "Rollo" Turner partially as a place for students to gather. According to the Indiana University archives, The Black Market sold art, music, clothing and African crafts.
Later that year, the store was firebombed by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Students and store patrons were outraged, and at a rally organized outside the burned building, Turner "declared that peace between the races was dead."
Monday night's rally ended around midnight in Peoples Park.
