Latest / Concerned Clergy Podcast / Concerned Clergy Podcast October 14, 2026

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Concerned Clergy Podcast October 14, 2026 · Concerned Clergy Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_01: The following program is paid for by the Concerned Clergy.
0:03
SPEAKER_01: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and guests
0:07
SPEAKER_01: and do not necessarily reflect the views of Urban One Incorporated,
0:11
SPEAKER_01: Radio One, or any of its subsidiary companies.
0:16
SPEAKER_01: The Concerned Clergy invites you to their weekly town hall meeting on Pray, AM 1310, 95.1 FM.
0:21
SPEAKER_01: Well, good evening.
0:30
SPEAKER_01: Praise the Lord, everybody.
0:32
SPEAKER_01: Glad to have our president with us.
0:35
SPEAKER_01: Glad to have each and every one of you with us.
0:39
SPEAKER_01: We're going to have a great show on tonight.
0:41
SPEAKER_01: We're looking forward to our conversations.
0:44
SPEAKER_01: We want to encourage you if you can't catch the entire program tonight
0:48
SPEAKER_01: in its entirety,
0:49
SPEAKER_01: you can always come back to Facebook,
0:51
SPEAKER_01: YouTube, and also you can catch the replay, which is the Concerned Clergy Substack.
0:57
SPEAKER_01: You can catch that on tomorrow if you have your pod or any of your as you're listening online.
1:06
SPEAKER_01: That's another opportunity for you to do that.
1:09
SPEAKER_01: I want to say good evening to our president.
1:11
SPEAKER_01: Mr. President, how are you doing, Pastor Green?
1:14
SPEAKER_00: I'm doing well.
1:15
SPEAKER_00: Glad to be with you,
1:16
SPEAKER_00: Rem Alexander,
1:17
SPEAKER_00: and our prosecutor, Prosecutor Mears, and all of our participants today.
1:23
SPEAKER_00: It's just good to be with you again.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're looking forward to having Prosecutor Ryan Mears with us on tonight.
1:30
SPEAKER_01: He is putting his hat back in the ring to continue to be prosecutor.
1:36
SPEAKER_01: So we're going to have an opportunity to chat with him to hear what it is
1:42
SPEAKER_01: that he's looking at, his vision for Marion County.
1:46
SPEAKER_01: And how the prosecutor's office can,
1:50
SPEAKER_01: under his leadership, can really make a difference, can make change.
1:55
SPEAKER_01: And hopefully,
1:57
SPEAKER_01: we'll be able to,
1:58
SPEAKER_01: you know,
1:58
SPEAKER_01: have an opportunity, you know, to hear from some of our listeners and callers.
2:03
SPEAKER_01: If you have questions for the prosecutor, feel free to call in.
2:07
SPEAKER_01: And the number to call in to the studio is 317-480-1310.
2:14
SPEAKER_01: Once again, that number is 317-480-1310.
2:15
SPEAKER_01: Mr. President,
2:17
SPEAKER_01: I'm going to ask you if you would go ahead and open this up in prayer
2:21
SPEAKER_01: and we'll get going.
2:22
SPEAKER_00: Dear Lord, we thank you for this day.
2:24
SPEAKER_00: We thank you, Lord God, for continuing to watch over all of us and keep us.
2:28
SPEAKER_00: We continue to pray for our local, state, and national leaders.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: Bless the work of the concerned clergy, Lord God.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for all of our listeners and participants on tonight.
2:37
SPEAKER_00: In Jesus' name, amen.
2:39
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
2:40
SPEAKER_01: Once again, it's definitely a privilege just to be able to be with each and every one of you.
2:47
SPEAKER_01: Let's go ahead and see if we can bring our prosecutor in,
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SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor Ryan Mears,
2:52
SPEAKER_01: who is the Marion County Prosecutor here in Indianapolis, Indiana.
2:58
SPEAKER_01: Let's go ahead and welcome him in this evening.
3:01
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor, how are you?
3:03
SPEAKER_02: I'm doing great.
3:04
SPEAKER_02: It's great to see you guys.
3:05
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for having me on the show.
3:07
SPEAKER_01: The privilege is all ours.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: So, Mr.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor,
3:12
SPEAKER_01: you're in,
3:14
SPEAKER_01: it's campaign season,
3:16
SPEAKER_01: kind of share a little bit,
3:18
SPEAKER_01: you know,
3:18
SPEAKER_01: with our listening audience,
3:21
SPEAKER_01: kind of what it is that you're looking at as a vision for the prosecutor's office,
3:25
SPEAKER_01: knowing I'll kind of just open it up like that and have you share just a little bit
3:29
SPEAKER_01: about yourself and your campaign, Mr.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor.
3:46
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you.
3:46
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate the opportunity.
3:48
SPEAKER_02: And I would know I might be established, but I'm not the establishment.
3:53
SPEAKER_02: Pastor Green might not talk to me.
3:55
SPEAKER_01: There's a big difference.
3:57
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
3:59
SPEAKER_02: So my name is Ryan Mears.
4:00
SPEAKER_02: I've been the prosecutor since 2019.
4:02
SPEAKER_02: I've worked in the office for 20 years.
4:06
SPEAKER_02: I'm from the west side of Indianapolis.
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SPEAKER_02: I attended Cardinal River High School, which is a stone's throw away from Pastor Green's church.
4:12
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, just feel very fortunate to have been brought up in this community.
4:17
SPEAKER_02: And so my first job out of law school was in the prosecutor's office.
4:20
SPEAKER_02: And I had the opportunity to really work my way up.
4:23
SPEAKER_02: I had every job in the building.
4:25
SPEAKER_02: And because of that,
4:26
SPEAKER_02: I have a unique perspective on the criminal justice system and
4:30
SPEAKER_02: the prosecutor's office as a whole.
4:32
SPEAKER_02: And then in 2019,
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SPEAKER_02: I went from kind of just being a rank and file or a deputy prosecutor to becoming
4:36
SPEAKER_02: the elected prosecutor when Prosecutor Curry became ill.
4:40
SPEAKER_02: And one of the first things that I did was I made the decision not
4:43
SPEAKER_02: to prosecute simple possession of marijuana.
4:46
SPEAKER_02: And the reason I did that is I saw just enormous disparities between,
4:51
SPEAKER_02: if you look at the marijuana usage rate amongst white people and black people,
4:54
SPEAKER_02: and then you look at who ended up in the criminal justice system.
4:57
SPEAKER_02: We had these huge racial disparities that everybody more or less acknowledged,
5:02
SPEAKER_02: but nobody was doing anything about.
5:04
SPEAKER_02: And so one of the first things I did is I said,
5:06
SPEAKER_02: I'm not going to prosecute simple possession of marijuana.
5:09
SPEAKER_02: Because I did see those disparities.
5:11
SPEAKER_02: And I think hopefully that set the tone for my time as prosecutor,
5:15
SPEAKER_02: where number one, I was going to be independent.
5:17
SPEAKER_02: But number two, I was going to be focused on how can I have the biggest impact on public safety?
5:22
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, I'm a big believer in our resources and we need to be focused on violent crime.
5:28
SPEAKER_02: We shouldn't be worried about,
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SPEAKER_02: you know,
5:29
SPEAKER_02: someone maybe having a joint when they're,
5:32
SPEAKER_02: you know,
5:34
SPEAKER_02: The other side of that coin is we have to make sure that we're doing things
5:37
SPEAKER_02: to help people in the
5:57
SPEAKER_02: It can't just all be about prostitution.
5:59
SPEAKER_02: And if the only time you talk to someone is after something bad has happened,
6:02
SPEAKER_02: you're probably not going to have a very positive relationship.
6:05
SPEAKER_02: So I really try to focus on community partnerships.
6:07
SPEAKER_02: How can I work with different people in the community who have relationships,
6:11
SPEAKER_02: who do positive things for people in the community to hopefully make a difference?
6:15
SPEAKER_02: One of the most successful programs we have is our second chance of it,
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SPEAKER_02: where we help people get their driver's license reinstated,
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SPEAKER_02: where we help people get criminal convictions removed from the record.
6:23
SPEAKER_02: Because I've found that there's far too many people in our community who want to do
6:26
SPEAKER_02: the right thing,
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SPEAKER_02: but they're being held back by the fact that they can't drive anywhere
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SPEAKER_02: or they have transportation issues or that prior convictions preventing them
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SPEAKER_02: from getting a job or find housing.
6:36
SPEAKER_02: And those are ways that we can have a tangible impact on people in the community
6:39
SPEAKER_02: and hopefully make a positive difference on the city of Indianapolis.
6:44
SPEAKER_01: Pastor Green, that's an area that I know...
6:48
SPEAKER_01: We've seen, I mean,
6:49
SPEAKER_01: literally for decades,
6:51
SPEAKER_01: where a young person,
6:52
SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: kind of makes a mistake,
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SPEAKER_01: gets caught up in something,
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SPEAKER_01: you know,
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SPEAKER_01: at an early age, and it kind of follows them around for the rest of their life.
7:04
SPEAKER_01: And it was, well, it is, I'll say continually, it was
7:11
SPEAKER_01: disproportionate.
7:13
SPEAKER_01: When we look at certain communities where a lot of young folks make mistakes,
7:19
SPEAKER_01: but certain communities pay for those mistakes a lot longer and a lot harsher,
7:24
SPEAKER_01: if you will.
7:26
SPEAKER_00: Oh, without a doubt.
7:27
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's why I'm so happy that the prosecutor implemented these programs,
7:31
SPEAKER_00: Second Chance, et cetera.
7:33
SPEAKER_00: We continue to always advertise.
7:35
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of great testimonies of young people who have gone and taken advantage
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SPEAKER_00: of the opportunity.
7:43
SPEAKER_00: It seems like every one of them prosecutor mirrors is jammed to capacity
7:48
SPEAKER_00: and you're closing the door because there's usually a line of people wanting
7:52
SPEAKER_00: to take advantage of those programs.
7:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we were at the Urban League today and once again we had great response.
8:00
SPEAKER_02: The room was filled of individuals who wanted to do the right thing
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SPEAKER_02: who were just looking for those resources.
8:05
SPEAKER_02: And to record Alexander's point about people being treated differently,
8:11
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think marijuana is a perfect example.
8:14
SPEAKER_02: You know, right now there's kids on Butler's campus getting high.
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SPEAKER_02: And if they get caught, they're going to be administratively punished.
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SPEAKER_02: Their RA is going to write them up.
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SPEAKER_02: They're going to receive some sort of administrative punishment.
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SPEAKER_02: Yet if you do that exact same thing,
8:26
SPEAKER_02: that exact same activity somewhere else in the city,
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SPEAKER_02: it used to be you'd be arrested.
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SPEAKER_02: You go to jail and you'd be prosecuted when you're doing the exact same thing.
8:34
SPEAKER_02: And so when we see kind of those discrepancies, I think it's important for us to act.
8:38
SPEAKER_02: And certainly the criminal justice system is far from perfect,
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SPEAKER_02: but there are things that we can do to improve things.
8:45
SPEAKER_02: And hopefully we're on the road to trying to make things better.
8:49
SPEAKER_01: Mr.
8:49
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor, you just mentioned about some of your activity.
8:53
SPEAKER_01: You mentioned the Urban League on today being in the community.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: I think that's one thing that's kind of different about you,
9:03
SPEAKER_01: as I've observed, because you're extremely active in the community.
9:07
SPEAKER_01: That's not something you normally see the role.
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SPEAKER_01: I mean, excuse me, a normal or regular prosecutor.
9:15
SPEAKER_01: Normally, prosecutors are like, you know, it's I'll say us against them.
9:21
SPEAKER_01: But there's not a lot of interaction with the community.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I've watched you do things such as, you know, be involved in basketball leagues.
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SPEAKER_01: New youth events.
9:32
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you've talked about some of the prosecution on low-level crimes,
9:38
SPEAKER_01: but you've been one that said,
9:40
SPEAKER_01: hey, I'm going to be out in the community and I'm not afraid of the community.
9:46
SPEAKER_01: And to me, I think that's unique.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: Well, I appreciate you saying that,
9:50
SPEAKER_02: but I have a great mentor in the president of the Concerned Clergy
9:53
SPEAKER_02: who said you can either be with the community or you can be against the community.
9:57
SPEAKER_02: And I knew where I wanted to be.
9:59
SPEAKER_02: And I think the other thing, too,
10:02
SPEAKER_02: is just if you want to be good at this job,
10:05
SPEAKER_02: you have to have the trust of the people that you serve.
10:07
SPEAKER_02: You have to have the trust of the community.
10:09
SPEAKER_02: And you're not going to get that trust by sitting in your office.
10:12
SPEAKER_02: You have to be out there talking to people.
10:14
SPEAKER_02: You have to meet people where they are.
10:16
SPEAKER_02: And you have to demonstrate to people that you truly are sincere, that you want to help.
10:21
SPEAKER_02: And so I look at people in this community who I think are successful,
10:25
SPEAKER_02: who have good relationships.
10:27
SPEAKER_02: And they're always doing that.
10:28
SPEAKER_02: They're always out in the community.
10:29
SPEAKER_02: So when I see the concerned clergy,
10:31
SPEAKER_02: I know they've got a footprint in the community and that's where their power comes
10:36
SPEAKER_02: from.
10:36
SPEAKER_02: And that's where their ability to serve and to lead comes from is the fact
10:41
SPEAKER_02: that they're in the community doing the work.
10:43
SPEAKER_02: And so those are the things that I try to emulate is when I see people
10:47
SPEAKER_02: who are successful,
10:49
SPEAKER_02: it's because they've embraced that relationship with the community
10:52
SPEAKER_02: because they understand in order to serve the community,
10:54
SPEAKER_02: you have to understand the community.
10:56
SPEAKER_02: Community has to trust you.
10:58
SPEAKER_02: And the best way to do that is to do the work.
11:02
SPEAKER_01: Mr. President, one of the things that community, as we know, they have a distrust.
11:11
SPEAKER_01: You know,
11:11
SPEAKER_01: when it comes to the system,
11:13
SPEAKER_01: you know,
11:13
SPEAKER_01: when it comes to whether or not they're going to be fairly treated,
11:17
SPEAKER_01: you know,
11:17
SPEAKER_01: if they have,
11:18
SPEAKER_01: you know, are going through, you know, any type of type of legal issues.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: And I know we don't see a lot of what we're seeing with prosecutor mirrors.
11:30
SPEAKER_01: We don't see that from a lot of other elected officials who can still make
11:34
SPEAKER_01: that same, I'll say, effort, if you will.
11:38
SPEAKER_01: To help the community gain trust in them, in their roles, whatever that position may be.
11:45
SPEAKER_00: Well, I think that's where Prosecutor Mears needs to be commended for his work
11:51
SPEAKER_00: in connecting with the community.
11:52
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure there are people when,
11:54
SPEAKER_00: you know,
11:54
SPEAKER_00: these initial programs second chance,
11:56
SPEAKER_00: there are people thinking, well, no, that's a setup.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to get locked up.
12:00
SPEAKER_00: But their ability to say, wait a minute, to have success.
12:03
SPEAKER_00: That's why these programs continue to work.
12:06
SPEAKER_00: That's why.
12:07
SPEAKER_00: When his staff are going to be,
12:09
SPEAKER_00: whether it's the Urban League or another location downtown,
12:14
SPEAKER_00: why it goes so successful is that people,
12:16
SPEAKER_00: now you got the people who figured out, hey,
12:18
SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to get locked up because word spread in the community that this is
12:22
SPEAKER_00: a legitimate program because of the work he's done in the community,
12:26
SPEAKER_00: the ties that he has, just reaching out, his team being available and accessible.
12:32
SPEAKER_00: I think he raised the bar for Quote,
12:35
SPEAKER_00: unquote,
12:36
SPEAKER_00: elected officials,
12:37
SPEAKER_00: especially in this area,
12:39
SPEAKER_00: that they just can't operate in their offices because there's a difference
12:42
SPEAKER_00: between somebody who is an elected official who's working diligently to connect with
12:47
SPEAKER_00: the community,
12:48
SPEAKER_00: out in the community, talking to people, regular people on a regular basis.
12:54
SPEAKER_00: That's how relationships are key if you're going to build trust.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: You can't do that,
13:00
SPEAKER_00: you know, with an us versus them mentality and get there in terms of relationships.
13:06
SPEAKER_00: And he's worked on that.
13:09
SPEAKER_01: Well, I think it also gives you prosecutor mirrors and opportunity
13:12
SPEAKER_01: where you can actually hear from the community.
13:14
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to get it secondhand.
13:16
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to get it from,
13:18
SPEAKER_01: you know, quote unquote, I know you got a great relationship with Pastor Green.
13:21
SPEAKER_01: You don't necessarily have to get it from him because you're right there.
13:24
SPEAKER_01: You're talking to the folks.
13:25
SPEAKER_01: You're talking to folks that have lost their driver's license,
13:28
SPEAKER_01: that are going through child support issues, that have other, you know, issues.
13:33
SPEAKER_01: And you're engaging with them one on one.
13:38
SPEAKER_02: And really the genesis of a lot of our ideas are coming from the community.
13:43
SPEAKER_02: The driver's license program is a perfect example.
13:47
SPEAKER_02: I talked to a lot of people who talked about how they felt like they were in a tough spot.
13:51
SPEAKER_02: When I take my kids to school,
13:52
SPEAKER_02: I'm technically breaking the law,
13:54
SPEAKER_02: but I know taking my kids to school is the right thing to do.
13:57
SPEAKER_02: But I'm afraid to drive because I don't want to get locked up.
14:00
SPEAKER_02: It's difficult to get to work because I'm afraid to drive because I don't want
14:03
SPEAKER_02: to get locked up because I want to be there for my kids.
14:06
SPEAKER_02: And we just put people in all these predicaments that's so difficult to get their way out of.
14:10
SPEAKER_02: And then so when you have those conversations,
14:11
SPEAKER_02: you realize, hey,
14:12
SPEAKER_02: as prosecutor,
14:13
SPEAKER_02: there's an opportunity for me to have a And so a lot of my best ideas I'm stealing
14:19
SPEAKER_02: from people in the community who are telling me,
14:21
SPEAKER_02: hey, if you do this, this could be really helpful and beneficial.
14:24
SPEAKER_02: And so not only do I feel like I kind of know where the community is at on different issues,
14:39
SPEAKER_02: I'm also understanding that there's ways that our office can maybe help solve some
14:43
SPEAKER_02: of those problems because people from the community are coming forward and saying,
14:47
SPEAKER_02: hey,
14:47
SPEAKER_02: if you were willing to do this,
14:48
SPEAKER_02: it would go a long ways towards improving people's lives.
14:53
SPEAKER_01: If you would like to be part of the conversation,
14:55
SPEAKER_01: you have a question for our prosecutor,
14:58
SPEAKER_01: prosecutor Ryan Mears,
14:59
SPEAKER_01: Marion County prosecutor, you can call into the radio station.
15:03
SPEAKER_01: And their phone number is 317-480-1310.
15:07
SPEAKER_01: Once again, 317-480-1310.
15:11
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor Mears, I mean, you just shared a lot of the ideas come from the community.
15:16
SPEAKER_01: Kind of share how you've been able to hear back from the community.
15:22
SPEAKER_01: How some of the things you've implemented have really benefited the community.
15:30
SPEAKER_02: You know,
15:30
SPEAKER_02: I talked about our second chance,
15:32
SPEAKER_02: which was driven through the community of Pastor Green,
15:36
SPEAKER_02: that a guy actually told me that I was okay with doing the time.
15:40
SPEAKER_02: I just didn't know it was going to be a life sentence
15:41
SPEAKER_02: because his convictions followed me around everywhere.
15:44
SPEAKER_02: And realizing that Indiana had an expungement law that we could take advantage of,
15:48
SPEAKER_02: it's like, okay, well,
15:49
SPEAKER_02: let's bring this program to the masses where we can help as many people as possible.
15:54
SPEAKER_02: I think it's also on smaller scale things that can have an impact.
15:59
SPEAKER_02: I meet with a lot of young people.
16:01
SPEAKER_02: Young people all the time tell me about their sincere desire.
16:04
SPEAKER_02: They're like, I'm just looking for a place to go.
16:06
SPEAKER_02: I'm just looking for a place to hang out.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: And so, like,
16:09
SPEAKER_02: we partnered up with Don Carlisle,
16:10
SPEAKER_02: who's the head coach at Ben Davis,
16:12
SPEAKER_02: on his underdog program,
16:13
SPEAKER_02: where every Saturday we open up the gym doors to help kids not only learn
16:18
SPEAKER_02: about basketball, but teach them leadership skills.
16:20
SPEAKER_02: About half the time is spent on leadership development and character development,
16:24
SPEAKER_02: helping kids understand that they have the capacity and ability to be great leaders,
16:29
SPEAKER_02: and not just great basketball players,
16:31
SPEAKER_02: but that they can be a positive voice in their neighborhood,
16:34
SPEAKER_02: on their block, in their school, on their team.
16:36
SPEAKER_02: And...
16:37
SPEAKER_02: It's driven by just having conversations with people who care.
16:41
SPEAKER_02: I meet so many good people in our community who want to make a difference.
16:44
SPEAKER_02: And that's where a lot of these partnerships come from is,
16:46
SPEAKER_02: okay, you're interested in helping us.
16:48
SPEAKER_02: How can we be helpful?
16:50
SPEAKER_02: We do a book bag giveaway every year with Pastor Moore and Pastor Green.
16:56
SPEAKER_02: And the reason we put that together is because there's a need.
17:00
SPEAKER_02: And it's like, okay, well, there's a need out there.
17:02
SPEAKER_02: How can I get my platform as prosecutor to drive resources to these kids to try
17:06
SPEAKER_02: to help them out so they can get ready for school?
17:09
SPEAKER_02: And that was something that, you know, we were very passionate about.
17:12
SPEAKER_02: But it started with Pastor Green and Pastor Moore telling me, hey, there's a real need here.
17:16
SPEAKER_02: Is there anything that we can do for these kids out?
17:19
SPEAKER_02: And so it's not only listening,
17:20
SPEAKER_02: but it's also being in a position to say, hey, let's leverage our relationships.
17:25
SPEAKER_02: Let's leverage our resources to directly help the people in the community.
17:32
SPEAKER_01: So, Pastor Green,
17:33
SPEAKER_01: you know, for me,
17:37
SPEAKER_01: it's great to hear when you know you have an elected official that says,
17:42
SPEAKER_01: we're hearing from the community.
17:44
SPEAKER_01: On the flip side,
17:45
SPEAKER_01: it's extremely frustrating when you know
17:50
SPEAKER_01: that you're sharing some important community feedback with other elected officials.
17:58
SPEAKER_01: However, They are like, they're not going to receive anything that you bring their way.
18:04
SPEAKER_01: They're not going to receive anything that you say comes from the community.
18:08
SPEAKER_01: And then it's refreshing to know, okay,
18:10
SPEAKER_01: here's an elected official who's in a very key,
18:15
SPEAKER_01: critical,
18:16
SPEAKER_01: impactful position that's really hearing from the community and is taking
18:24
SPEAKER_01: the position seriously enough that they're willing to To make whatever changes is
18:31
SPEAKER_01: for the betterment of the community and not just political,
18:36
SPEAKER_01: you know, going from wrong position to another position, if you will.
18:40
SPEAKER_00: Well, so many people in these offices, Rem Alexander, are self-service.
18:45
SPEAKER_00: And so they do see it.
18:48
SPEAKER_00: You know, what benefits me?
18:51
SPEAKER_00: There's a huge us versus them.
18:53
SPEAKER_00: So they always see the community as somebody who, To be exploited rather than to work with.
19:00
SPEAKER_00: And so when you have elected officials who have that type of mindset,
19:04
SPEAKER_00: there's a whole different type of relationship.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of things they're not trying to do.
19:09
SPEAKER_00: They don't want to hear because it's not to one,
19:12
SPEAKER_00: maybe to their personal benefit or two, because they see this is us versus them.
19:18
SPEAKER_00: They're always skeptical of anything that the community is going to have to say.
19:21
SPEAKER_00: You can find a reason why we shouldn't do it, why we can't do it.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: Versus saying, how do we work together?
19:29
SPEAKER_00: And I think one of the strengths of Prosecutor Mears is he, since,
19:33
SPEAKER_00: you know,
19:34
SPEAKER_00: being prosecutor, he's been fully committed to how do we do things together?
19:39
SPEAKER_00: He's committed to being out in the community,
19:41
SPEAKER_00: working with the community, working to find solutions together.
19:46
SPEAKER_00: And that's one, a breath of fresh air.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: And two, that's so different from most people in elected offices.
19:55
SPEAKER_00: They tend to be very self-serving.
19:57
SPEAKER_00: You only see them during election time.
19:59
SPEAKER_00: They're hard to reach.
20:01
SPEAKER_00: They're hard to communicate with.
20:03
SPEAKER_00: And they're always skeptical when they hear from the community.
20:06
SPEAKER_00: And so then there's always friction around, you know, because you're not anti them.
20:14
SPEAKER_00: It's just that they will be pushing back on you,
20:18
SPEAKER_00: whether it's flat cameras,
20:20
SPEAKER_00: whether it's It's,
20:22
SPEAKER_00: you know,
20:22
SPEAKER_00: data center stuff,
20:24
SPEAKER_00: any of those type of issues,
20:26
SPEAKER_00: they immediately go on the defense rather than come out saying,
20:30
SPEAKER_00: now let's talk to the community about this.
20:32
SPEAKER_00: And the crazy part is we implement the stuff without talking to the community.
20:37
SPEAKER_00: We just go implement systems and changes.
20:40
SPEAKER_00: And then when the community pushes back or raises questions,
20:44
SPEAKER_00: now you're anti-police or you're anti-whatever.
20:48
SPEAKER_00: No, people want to be safe, et cetera.
20:51
SPEAKER_00: But they want some balance to this thing.
20:54
SPEAKER_00: And that's where,
20:56
SPEAKER_00: in my opinion,
20:57
SPEAKER_00: we just see the train gets off the track because so many things are implemented.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: There are things that right now they know is going to get implemented in 27,
21:07
SPEAKER_00: 28, that people will not talk to the community about.
21:10
SPEAKER_00: Counselors and a number of elected officials,
21:13
SPEAKER_00: they know this is the plan or this is something coming to the city,
21:17
SPEAKER_00: but they don't talk to the community about it.
21:20
SPEAKER_00: A few people are going to just Roll it out.
21:23
SPEAKER_00: If the community gets upset,
21:25
SPEAKER_00: then they try to label people as troublemakers of this or the other
21:29
SPEAKER_00: when they could be building it with the community instead of doing it to
21:33
SPEAKER_00: the community.
21:35
SPEAKER_01: You know, you just said a mouthful there.
21:37
SPEAKER_01: We got to go to a break.
21:38
SPEAKER_01: But I kind of want to I kind of want to add to that because,
21:42
SPEAKER_01: you know,
21:42
SPEAKER_01: when you look at whether it be,
21:45
SPEAKER_01: you know,
21:45
SPEAKER_01: flat camera usage,
21:47
SPEAKER_01: body camera usage, data centers, the community up front said we have some concerns.
21:54
SPEAKER_01: We have some issues.
21:55
SPEAKER_01: And it was brought.
21:57
SPEAKER_01: To like the city county council is brought to the mayor is brought to a whole lot of folks.
22:02
SPEAKER_01: And they pretty much put a hand in the face of the community like,
22:06
SPEAKER_01: no, we don't want to hear you.
22:07
SPEAKER_01: Here's what we're going to do.
22:10
SPEAKER_01: And it's not till,
22:11
SPEAKER_01: you know,
22:12
SPEAKER_01: other people complain,
22:13
SPEAKER_01: if you will, you know, to the train is, you know, so far down the track.
22:20
SPEAKER_01: And now we have like city county council,
22:22
SPEAKER_01: you know,
22:22
SPEAKER_01: trying to come and act like the hero heroes coming in on a white horse
22:27
SPEAKER_01: and saying now, OK, we're going to put some parameters around data centers.
22:30
SPEAKER_01: We're going to put a moratorium or now we're going to put something on flat cameras
22:35
SPEAKER_01: when they could have from the very beginning.
22:39
SPEAKER_01: Had a substantive conversation as the community, what are your concerns?
22:46
SPEAKER_01: Heated those concerns because the communities always had the same concerns,
22:51
SPEAKER_01: but it has been the response of those elected officials,
22:56
SPEAKER_01: especially when we're looking at our city county council,
22:58
SPEAKER_01: that said, well,
22:59
SPEAKER_01: we don't want to hear anything you have to say until certain pressure,
23:03
SPEAKER_01: if you will, quote unquote, comes their way.
23:06
SPEAKER_01: Well, let's go to our first break.
23:08
SPEAKER_01: If you would like to be part of the conversation today,
23:11
SPEAKER_01: You can call into the radio station, their phone number, 317-480-1310.
23:17
SPEAKER_01: We're glad to have our prosecutor in with us.
23:19
SPEAKER_01: Once again, 317-480-1310 is the phone number.
23:23
SPEAKER_01: You can also comment on our Facebook page.
23:26
SPEAKER_01: We'll catch you on the other side of the break.
23:28
SPEAKER_01: You're listening to the Concerned Clergy Radio Show on Praise AM 1310,
23:33
SPEAKER_01: 95.1 FM, Indy's Inspiration Station.
23:40
SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to the Concerned Clergy Radio Show.
23:43
SPEAKER_01: We're privileged to be joined on tonight.
23:46
SPEAKER_01: We're joined by the Marion County Prosecutor, Ryan Mears.
23:49
SPEAKER_01: I'm Rep. Tony Alexander.
23:51
SPEAKER_01: Have our president with us as well,
23:52
SPEAKER_01: President Pastor David W.
23:54
SPEAKER_01: Green Sr.
23:56
SPEAKER_01: And we've just been chatting in regards to,
24:00
SPEAKER_01: you know,
24:00
SPEAKER_01: some of the great things that our prosecutor has done as he has been prosecutor here
24:06
SPEAKER_01: in Marion County.
24:07
SPEAKER_01: And some of what he,
24:08
SPEAKER_01: you know,
24:09
SPEAKER_01: his vision and what he's looking forward to doing in the prosecutor's office in
24:13
SPEAKER_01: the future as well.
24:15
SPEAKER_01: If you'd like to be part of the conversation on tonight,
24:18
SPEAKER_01: if you have a question, you can call in to the radio station.
24:22
SPEAKER_01: And their phone number is 317-480-1310.
24:25
SPEAKER_01: Once again, 317-480-1310.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: Now, Mr.
24:29
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor,
24:30
SPEAKER_01: I do have a question for you because,
24:34
SPEAKER_01: you know, we know here in Marion County, we don't select our own judges.
24:40
SPEAKER_01: We know there needs to be a lot of investigative
24:45
SPEAKER_01: groundwork that needs to be done
24:48
SPEAKER_01: in order for cases to be brought to you and presented to you for
24:51
SPEAKER_01: the prosecutor's office to make a decision.
24:55
SPEAKER_01: So that being said,
24:56
SPEAKER_01: how do you respond to those,
24:57
SPEAKER_01: you know,
24:57
SPEAKER_01: that have questions to your commitment in making sure
25:02
SPEAKER_01: that violent criminals are prosecuted?
25:04
SPEAKER_01: Because a lot of those,
25:05
SPEAKER_01: I think,
25:06
SPEAKER_01: are some unfair attacks,
25:08
SPEAKER_01: not understanding kind of what the procedure is to bring charges as well as
25:16
SPEAKER_01: who makes the sentencing decisions.
25:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of people understand it intuitively.
25:24
SPEAKER_02: They just are maybe looking for a way to distract the public.
25:28
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the reality is we've never had higher conviction rates in a number of areas,
25:32
SPEAKER_02: including homicides, including cases involving children.
25:37
SPEAKER_02: And I pay very close attention to our jury trial numbers because that's literally
25:41
SPEAKER_02: the community weighing in on are we doing a good job or not.
25:44
SPEAKER_02: That's people from the community that has a burden or not.
25:48
SPEAKER_02: Which I think is a reflection of our commitment to hold people accountable.
25:53
SPEAKER_02: I do think, and I'm glad you raised this issue about the judgment.
25:57
SPEAKER_02: One thing I hope everybody's paying attention to when they go to
25:59
SPEAKER_02: the ballot box is there's going to be a question on there to amend the Constitution
26:04
SPEAKER_02: to make it so our judges don't have to live in our county.
26:08
SPEAKER_02: And I just hope people understand what they're trying to do.
26:11
SPEAKER_02: We already don't get the opportunity to vote for our jail, which is in and of itself terrible.
26:17
SPEAKER_02: Meaning we have no say in the people who are ultimately making the decision
26:21
SPEAKER_02: on bonds,
26:21
SPEAKER_02: people who are making the sentence on sentences,
26:24
SPEAKER_02: people who are kind of making the decision on how our criminal justice system runs.
26:28
SPEAKER_02: They're all appointed by Governor Braun.
26:31
SPEAKER_02: Governor Braun couldn't get more than probably 40% of the vote in Marion County,
26:35
SPEAKER_02: and that's on a good day.
26:37
SPEAKER_02: And yet he's the one who's dictating who the judges are.
26:40
SPEAKER_02: And now the Indiana legislature wants to go one step further and they want to amend
26:44
SPEAKER_02: the Constitution to make it so not only that,
26:48
SPEAKER_02: The judges that they do appoint don't even have to live in Marion County,
26:51
SPEAKER_02: meaning they can live in Hamilton County and then they can be appointed judges.
26:56
SPEAKER_02: And this really impacts our system in very profound ways.
27:01
SPEAKER_02: And you can say, hey,
27:02
SPEAKER_02: maybe I'm a good prosecutor,
27:03
SPEAKER_02: maybe I'm a bad prosecutor,
27:04
SPEAKER_02: but I'm in the community every day and I hear people's feedback and I get
27:08
SPEAKER_02: the perspective of where the community is at.
27:10
SPEAKER_02: And these judges don't because they're not elective.
27:12
SPEAKER_02: They're not a part of the community.
27:14
SPEAKER_02: And now the Indiana legislature is going so far as to let's amend the Constitution
27:18
SPEAKER_02: so they have no connection to the community.
27:20
SPEAKER_02: So this idea that this is somehow a solution to our problems,
27:25
SPEAKER_02: I think,
27:26
SPEAKER_02: speaks to the disconnect between the Indiana legislature and the people who live in
27:30
SPEAKER_02: the city of Indianapolis and Marion County, because this is a terrible idea.
27:36
SPEAKER_02: That is being presented to people this time around.
27:40
SPEAKER_02: And I hope people really think about and carefully consider this public question
27:45
SPEAKER_02: because it's going to have a dramatic impact on who serves as a judge
27:50
SPEAKER_02: in Marion County.
27:51
SPEAKER_02: And we could get to the point very easily where the judges in Marion County,
27:56
SPEAKER_02: not only do they not live here,
27:58
SPEAKER_02: they're not going to be elected by a single person who lives in Marion County.
28:02
SPEAKER_02: And that is a recipe for disaster.
28:07
SPEAKER_01: So I've got the question up that Prosecutor Mears just brought up.
28:11
SPEAKER_01: That is the public question number two that will be on all of our ballots.
28:16
SPEAKER_01: And so that question says,
28:18
SPEAKER_01: shall the Constitution of the state of Indiana be admitted to permit that the judge
28:22
SPEAKER_01: of the city or town court to reside in the county which the court is located or
28:27
SPEAKER_01: the morning county closest to the city?
28:30
SPEAKER_01: And we in Marion County and Lake County should be extremely concerned
28:33
SPEAKER_01: because this is not something
28:59
SPEAKER_00: That's applicable in terms of electing your judges to the whole state of Indiana.
29:05
SPEAKER_00: So we would have if you put item one,
29:08
SPEAKER_00: item two together,
29:10
SPEAKER_00: you're talking about our inability to address any judge who happens to go rogue.
29:17
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, because the Constitution will be changed.
29:20
SPEAKER_00: So if they want to no bail people, I mean, it could just be a completely slippery slope.
29:26
SPEAKER_00: Where we would not have any recourse to really pick from.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: And so we definitely need to go vote.
29:33
SPEAKER_00: We need to keep these referendums in mind.
29:37
SPEAKER_00: The concerned clergy,
29:39
SPEAKER_00: along with other faith-based organizations,
29:42
SPEAKER_00: the Baptist Friendship Alliance,
29:45
SPEAKER_00: the General Association of Missionary Baptists in the state of Indiana,
29:48
SPEAKER_00: have put out a statement that Asking people to say no and share with the media
29:53
SPEAKER_00: to say, hey, this is not good for Marion County.
29:58
SPEAKER_00: It's not good for the state of Indiana.
30:01
SPEAKER_00: It clearly is directed towards counties where there's a lot of Democrats at.
30:09
SPEAKER_00: And yet, as the prosecutor mentioned, the governor is in the midst right now.
30:14
SPEAKER_00: Think of electing appointing two more judges who are going to be retiring at the end
30:18
SPEAKER_00: of the year.
30:20
SPEAKER_00: And so imagine what that's like when you say, hey,
30:23
SPEAKER_00: you can appoint somebody from Hendricks County or Johnson County to be the judge
30:28
SPEAKER_00: in Marion County.
30:29
SPEAKER_00: That should not be an option.
30:31
SPEAKER_00: That should not be on the table.
30:34
SPEAKER_00: We shouldn't want that.
30:36
SPEAKER_00: And we should even really should be wanting to get back to the place
30:40
SPEAKER_00: where we elect our own judges, just like so many of the other counties.
30:47
SPEAKER_00: Indiana does.
30:48
SPEAKER_00: If that's such a great idea, why does it work for all 92 counties?
30:53
SPEAKER_00: But we come up with special rules for only certain counties.
30:59
SPEAKER_00: And then when we add these other items in here,
31:03
SPEAKER_00: this is going to be problematic for Marion County.
31:07
SPEAKER_00: It's problematic for Lake County.
31:09
SPEAKER_00: It's problematic for counties where there's a number of black people.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: Brown people.
31:17
SPEAKER_00: That's the problem here because we don't see this in predominantly white counties.
31:22
SPEAKER_00: And so we have to be against this because judges out in some
31:26
SPEAKER_00: of these rural counties, they're part of the community.
31:29
SPEAKER_00: They're not going to get crazy because they know they can get the same way they got elected.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: They could get beat and taken out.
31:35
SPEAKER_00: We don't have that as an option.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: If this stuff, these changes take place, we're not able to do that.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: And so we ought to be vehemently against these referendums.
31:48
SPEAKER_01: Well, we certainly would want,
31:51
SPEAKER_01: because so, so much seems to be taken away from us here in Marion County.
31:56
SPEAKER_01: You know,
31:56
SPEAKER_01: we have to fight just against that,
31:58
SPEAKER_01: you know,
31:59
SPEAKER_01: as they try to pull more from us and say,
32:01
SPEAKER_01: we're going to dictate to you what,
32:04
SPEAKER_01: you know, and who, quote unquote, serves you or who's in an elected position.
32:10
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's so many areas if we,
32:12
SPEAKER_01: you know,
32:13
SPEAKER_01: had a list and where Marion County is already being taken care,
32:16
SPEAKER_01: you know, taken advantage of.
32:17
SPEAKER_01: You know,
32:18
SPEAKER_01: when you look at,
32:18
SPEAKER_01: you know,
32:19
SPEAKER_01: road usage and things such as that,
32:22
SPEAKER_01: when you look at the judicial system,
32:25
SPEAKER_01: we can go on and on and on about how really resources
32:30
SPEAKER_01: in Marion County are really used to support other communities and we're missing out.
32:36
SPEAKER_01: We're going to continue our conversation with our prosecutor on tonight.
32:40
SPEAKER_01: Mr.
32:40
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor, when we come back, we have another question that's also on the ballot for all of us.
32:47
SPEAKER_01: And, you know,
32:47
SPEAKER_01: that's going to be in regards to whether or not,
32:52
SPEAKER_01: you know, judges should have the discretion to withhold bail.
32:57
SPEAKER_01: So we're going to get your thoughts on that when we come back as well,
33:01
SPEAKER_01: because that is another question that's on a ballot coming up here today.
33:06
SPEAKER_01: In a couple of weeks in November that we have to answer as a voting community.
33:11
SPEAKER_01: But let's go to our break.
33:12
SPEAKER_01: And if you would like to be part of the conversation,
33:15
SPEAKER_01: you can call in the phone number 317-480-1310.
33:17
SPEAKER_01: Once again, 317-480-1310.
33:18
SPEAKER_01: Listening to the Concerned Clergy Radio Show on Praise AM 1310,
33:21
SPEAKER_01: 95.1 FM Indies, Inspiration Station.
33:30
[music]
33:40
SPEAKER_01: So he's asking for your vote,
33:41
SPEAKER_01: and he's here with us on tonight,
33:43
SPEAKER_01: and that is the Marion County Prosecutor, Prosecutor Ryan Mears.
33:49
SPEAKER_01: If you would like to be part of the conversation,
33:51
SPEAKER_01: you can call in, ask our prosecutor if you have any questions or comments.
33:55
SPEAKER_01: You can do that by calling in to the radio station at number 317-480-1310.
34:00
SPEAKER_01: Once again, 317-480-1310.
34:01
SPEAKER_01: Mr.
34:03
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor, once again, glad to have you.
34:07
SPEAKER_01: There's another question on the ballot we've already talked about,
34:10
SPEAKER_01: public question number two, in which that is in regards to having judges.
34:16
SPEAKER_01: And that's public question number one, and that is in regards to giving judges
34:31
SPEAKER_01: Discretion on their own,
34:34
SPEAKER_01: whether or not to allow a defendant to post bail or they can actually deny bail with
34:41
SPEAKER_01: the understanding that right now it's already constitutionally here in the state
34:45
SPEAKER_01: of Indiana.
34:46
SPEAKER_01: The Constitution says that you cannot withhold bail with the exception of murder or treason.
34:53
SPEAKER_01: So you already have something there and judges have liberty
34:57
SPEAKER_01: that they have some discretions in which they can impose what bail amounts may be
35:03
SPEAKER_01: or bond amounts may be.
35:05
SPEAKER_01: But kind of talk about how that could affect your office as a prosecutor.
35:12
SPEAKER_02: Well, I think these two questions are related to one another.
35:17
SPEAKER_02: I think it's important to remember kind of the history of the context.
35:19
SPEAKER_02: I mean,
35:20
SPEAKER_02: this is It's been a part of the state constitution since the inception of the state
35:25
SPEAKER_02: that people were entitled to bail unless they were murder or treason.
35:31
SPEAKER_02: And the reason why we have that is because sometimes people use the courts
35:36
SPEAKER_02: and sometimes the government use the courts to punish people,
35:40
SPEAKER_02: in particular people, for political reasons.
35:43
SPEAKER_02: And this was a really good way to shut someone up or maybe remove something And yet
35:48
SPEAKER_02: in this case, they want to modify the Constitution.
35:52
SPEAKER_02: And I think it's directly
36:20
SPEAKER_02: Not only do they want to hold you without bail,
36:22
SPEAKER_02: but those judges can have no connection to your community to get to make
36:26
SPEAKER_02: that decision.
36:28
SPEAKER_02: How crazy is that?
36:29
SPEAKER_02: And so it's,
36:30
SPEAKER_02: let's give judges more power over people's freedom,
36:33
SPEAKER_02: over who's going to actually end up in jail.
36:42
SPEAKER_02: I think you have questions in conjunction with one another.
36:45
SPEAKER_02: And I think it's pretty clear what they are trying to do.
36:49
SPEAKER_02: But there's a reason it was a part of our Constitution to begin with.
36:52
SPEAKER_02: When a judge makes a bail decision, it's not really appealable.
36:55
SPEAKER_02: You don't get to appeal a bail decision
37:03
SPEAKER_02: without bail.
37:04
SPEAKER_02: And the person who ultimately gets to make that determination is not
37:08
SPEAKER_02: at all connected to the community.
37:12
SPEAKER_02: These, to me, are two very misguided attempts.
37:15
SPEAKER_02: Legislature should take power away from the people.
37:20
SPEAKER_02: And so I hope everybody votes again.
37:22
SPEAKER_01: All right.
37:25
SPEAKER_01: We got a caller that's on the line.
37:27
SPEAKER_01: Let's go ahead and bring our caller in.
37:28
SPEAKER_01: We have Denise.
37:32
SPEAKER_03: Good evening.
37:33
SPEAKER_01: Good evening.
37:34
SPEAKER_03: Hello, everybody.
37:36
SPEAKER_03: I'm so grateful for this prosecutor in particular because he clearly sees the disparities.
37:45
SPEAKER_03: In the justice system.
37:47
SPEAKER_03: White is a justice.
37:52
SPEAKER_03: White people get justice.
37:53
SPEAKER_03: And I think that African American people get the injustice.
37:57
SPEAKER_03: And I'm so glad to see, I will be voting for him again.
38:00
SPEAKER_03: I'm glad to see the difference,
38:02
SPEAKER_03: that he knows the difference and he can speak publicly regarding the difference.
38:08
SPEAKER_03: And we all know that Donald Trump did not get due justice.
38:14
SPEAKER_03: For his crimes.
38:16
SPEAKER_03: But my comment is based upon the voters here in Indianapolis.
38:23
SPEAKER_03: If we have a referendum on our voting on number one and number two,
38:29
SPEAKER_03: how do we get the word out that both of those are no's?
38:35
SPEAKER_03: Because anytime you have white judges coming from these small towns,
38:41
SPEAKER_03: To Indianapolis,
38:43
SPEAKER_03: majority of black and brown people live in Indianapolis,
38:48
SPEAKER_03: as opposed to the other small counties.
38:51
SPEAKER_03: So what suggestions do you guys have,
38:55
SPEAKER_03: and the prosecutor,
38:57
SPEAKER_03: how to get the word out on those two questions, one and two, to be no?
39:02
SPEAKER_03: Because it comes down to the younger generation getting...
39:10
SPEAKER_03: No bail on not senseless crimes,
39:14
SPEAKER_03: but on not a crime like Donald Trump was accused of,
39:19
SPEAKER_03: rape, and found guilty on, or the others.
39:22
SPEAKER_03: But how do we get the word out to the voters that the judges coming from
39:29
SPEAKER_03: the other counties
39:33
SPEAKER_03: cannot overrule sensibility when it comes to the low...
39:39
SPEAKER_03: I know crime is a big deal, but they released Donald Trump, so we know there's a difference.
39:48
SPEAKER_03: How do we get the word out?
39:50
SPEAKER_01: Let's allow the prosecutor to attempt to answer that.
39:53
SPEAKER_01: Mr.
39:53
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor, how are you going about getting the word out?
40:01
SPEAKER_01: Mr.
40:01
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor, you're breaking up on us.
40:03
SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure if you got some background noise.
40:07
SPEAKER_01: Try it again.
40:07
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
40:19
SPEAKER_02: Mr.
40:23
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor?
40:25
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we can't hear you.
40:27
SPEAKER_01: I think there's something interfering with your audio there.
40:33
SPEAKER_01: Try it one more time to answer that question because that's a great question.
40:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm hopeful that, you know, I'm at a community meeting right now.
40:40
SPEAKER_02: I was at a community meeting yesterday where we had the conversation about this very issue.
40:45
SPEAKER_02: I'm also,
40:46
SPEAKER_02: you know,
40:46
SPEAKER_02: I do think there's a role for the state party and the local Democratic Party
40:49
SPEAKER_02: to really step up and make sure people are aware of this issue.
40:53
SPEAKER_02: If you look at how,
40:54
SPEAKER_02: in particular,
40:55
SPEAKER_02: the bail question is worded, it is intentionally confusing and makes no sense.
41:01
SPEAKER_02: I've been an attorney for 20 years.
41:02
SPEAKER_02: I've been a prosecutor for 20 years.
41:04
SPEAKER_02: I had to read it three times just to figure out what they were saying.
41:06
SPEAKER_02: And I think that's by design.
41:08
SPEAKER_02: And so, you know,
41:09
SPEAKER_02: I give a lot of credit to the Concerned Clergy,
41:11
SPEAKER_02: the Baptist Minister Alliance,
41:13
SPEAKER_02: and other groups who are really stepping up to educate the public about this topic
41:16
SPEAKER_02: and this issue.
41:18
SPEAKER_02: Because people need to understand that there are going to be huge consequences
41:21
SPEAKER_02: if these things are amended and become part of our Constitution.
41:26
SPEAKER_01: Mr. President, you know, that question is one we've raised.
41:31
SPEAKER_01: You know,
41:31
SPEAKER_01: how do we get,
41:33
SPEAKER_01: you know,
41:33
SPEAKER_01: that information out,
41:34
SPEAKER_01: you know,
41:35
SPEAKER_01: to the community as well as making sure
41:37
SPEAKER_01: that they understand what Prosecutor Mears just said?
41:39
SPEAKER_01: Hey, the question is kind of confusing and what you need to understand what it really means.
41:48
SPEAKER_01: And here's,
41:49
SPEAKER_01: you know,
41:49
SPEAKER_01: at least what we're trying to do, if you will, you know, to assist in that effort.
41:55
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, clearly we are at a local level,
41:59
SPEAKER_00: but this is something where,
42:01
SPEAKER_00: in my opinion,
42:02
SPEAKER_00: the state party,
42:03
SPEAKER_00: I know it's something that you've advocated for as well,
42:10
SPEAKER_00: Reverend Alexander,
42:11
SPEAKER_00: and our local party, Democrat Party, should have already been talking about this.
42:17
SPEAKER_00: This would be information they're committed to sharing.
42:20
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think if we understood it,
42:23
SPEAKER_00: If they understood it,
42:24
SPEAKER_00: leaders understood it,
42:25
SPEAKER_00: it would have been a way of getting especially more black turnout to vote
42:30
SPEAKER_00: because that's usually down.
42:32
SPEAKER_00: This could have been one of the levers that you used to help get them out,
42:36
SPEAKER_00: to help people understand the importance of what these items were saying.
42:41
SPEAKER_00: So I think,
42:42
SPEAKER_00: prosecutor,
42:43
SPEAKER_00: this is a missed opportunity by party leadership to increase votes, voting,
42:49
SPEAKER_00: to get more people involved, to have reasons why they would come out to vote.
42:54
SPEAKER_00: But the lack of education of letting people know what's going on has an impact.
43:00
SPEAKER_00: I mean, my greatest fear is this passes because the rural people know to vote for it.
43:07
SPEAKER_00: And Marion County people, Lake County people, Vandenberg County people either vote.
43:15
SPEAKER_00: Even if they go vote,
43:16
SPEAKER_00: do they just see the word bail and vote for it because they don't understand it,
43:20
SPEAKER_00: how it was worded?
43:22
SPEAKER_00: Or do they skip it and not vote at all when we need some clear no votes?
43:26
SPEAKER_00: We need to.
43:28
SPEAKER_00: Our caller was correct.
43:30
SPEAKER_00: We.
43:30
SPEAKER_00: We need to be shouting from the rooftops because people are already voting now,
43:34
SPEAKER_00: letting them know because Marion County is certainly key in this.
43:38
SPEAKER_00: If we don't want this to pass, Marion County has to have a turnout, a bunch of no votes.
43:43
SPEAKER_00: We can't be in the middle of it,
43:45
SPEAKER_00: just in the middle of the road, half doing or not doing or not understanding it.
43:52
SPEAKER_01: You know what, Mr. President, I would even add this.
43:55
SPEAKER_01: You know,
43:56
SPEAKER_01: we have a lot of folks,
43:57
SPEAKER_01: especially here in central Indiana,
43:59
SPEAKER_01: Marion County, the Democrats that are running unopposed.
44:03
SPEAKER_01: Well, since you don't have,
44:04
SPEAKER_01: you know,
44:05
SPEAKER_01: an opponent, you know, if you will, here in November, this should be your opponent.
44:11
SPEAKER_01: You should be telling everybody about this bail issue.
44:15
SPEAKER_01: You should be telling about the judges' issues.
44:17
SPEAKER_01: You don't have to worry about somebody that's going to be talking about you
44:22
SPEAKER_01: and making stuff up about you because you don't have an opponent when it comes to
44:28
SPEAKER_01: the general election.
44:29
SPEAKER_01: But what you could do You could make sure that you're shooting against all of
44:35
SPEAKER_01: the other questions,
44:37
SPEAKER_01: whether it's referendums,
44:39
SPEAKER_01: whatever it is, that could cause harm and damage to the community.
44:44
SPEAKER_01: But I think a lot of times what our elected officials do,
44:49
SPEAKER_01: especially here in the Democrat Party,
44:51
SPEAKER_01: they find out they don't have an opponent and they're on vacation.
44:56
SPEAKER_01: They're at the beach.
44:58
SPEAKER_01: They got whatever.
44:59
SPEAKER_01: Is it my ties or whatever it is you got with the umbrellas?
45:02
SPEAKER_01: That's their mentality.
45:05
SPEAKER_01: And not still thinking, we still have a fight to fight.
45:08
SPEAKER_01: Because even if I win my district, my precinct, my race, that don't mean I've got any influence.
45:17
SPEAKER_01: That doesn't mean I can get the numbers to make any change.
45:21
SPEAKER_01: Because once again, we're here too often.
45:23
SPEAKER_01: We're in a super minority, super majority, whichever way you're looking.
45:28
SPEAKER_00: And it's especially important for him,
45:30
SPEAKER_00: Alexander,
45:31
SPEAKER_00: because we know these changes that are listed here,
45:35
SPEAKER_00: people are going to be accused and they're going to be convicted already.
45:39
SPEAKER_00: It's basically what's going to happen.
45:41
SPEAKER_00: But we know who this is going to, there's going to be disparities in this when this goes down.
45:47
SPEAKER_00: This is going to hit much more likely black and brown people.
45:52
SPEAKER_00: I mean, this is ice for black people.
45:55
SPEAKER_00: What are we talking about here?
45:56
SPEAKER_00: And we need to be responding to this with urgency.
46:00
SPEAKER_00: It should have already happened.
46:01
SPEAKER_00: I'm disappointed that here we are, October the 14th.
46:06
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, this should have been shouted in June, July.
46:10
SPEAKER_00: When that session ended, they knew this was going to be there.
46:13
SPEAKER_00: So the party could have locally and statewide have been saying a lot more.
46:21
SPEAKER_00: Rather than choosing to be mute.
46:25
SPEAKER_00: Until the community brought it up.
46:26
SPEAKER_00: Now the community is driving it.
46:28
SPEAKER_00: And that's what I would say to our caller.
46:30
SPEAKER_00: Hey, community, we got to do it.
46:33
SPEAKER_00: If we're going to overcome this, it will be the community.
46:37
SPEAKER_01: Mr.
46:37
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor,
46:37
SPEAKER_01: let me ask you this question,
46:38
SPEAKER_01: because I would think it would present a different dynamic for prosecutors
46:42
SPEAKER_01: that are going to be,
46:45
SPEAKER_01: you know,
46:45
SPEAKER_01: handling cases in front of judges,
46:47
SPEAKER_01: because in a lot of cases, the prosecutors have recommended sentencing.
46:52
SPEAKER_01: And a lot of times it's based on quote unquote guidelines.
46:55
SPEAKER_01: Can you speak to at least in however you'd like to,
47:01
SPEAKER_01: how that could affect,
47:03
SPEAKER_01: you know,
47:03
SPEAKER_01: maybe How you present,
47:06
SPEAKER_01: you know,
47:06
SPEAKER_01: those sentencing recommendations, how it could affect a prosecutor's office.
47:12
SPEAKER_02: Well, you know,
47:13
SPEAKER_02: I think it goes back to also our initial conversation,
47:15
SPEAKER_02: which was about having that relationship with the community.
47:18
SPEAKER_02: And anytime I've ever been involved in the community,
47:20
SPEAKER_02: the only thing the community wants out of a justice system is
47:23
SPEAKER_02: a justice system that's fair.
47:25
SPEAKER_02: And when you don't have those guidelines and when you don't have procedures in place
47:29
SPEAKER_02: that really serve as a check to try to treat everybody differently,
47:34
SPEAKER_02: In the same way or a similar fashion, that's when you see these abuses take place.
47:39
SPEAKER_02: And so I just think it's really important that people realize that the choices
47:45
SPEAKER_02: and decisions that are being made here are not really reviewable.
47:49
SPEAKER_02: Once you're appointed a judge in Marion County,
47:51
SPEAKER_02: it's extraordinarily difficult not to remain a judge once
47:54
SPEAKER_02: the government has appointed you.
47:56
SPEAKER_02: And now they're trying to make it so people from Hamilton County can be judges here.
47:59
SPEAKER_02: The second part of that is those judges are now going to make decisions on people's bail.
48:04
SPEAKER_02: And that's not really a reviewable decision.
48:06
SPEAKER_02: You're not going to go up on appeal on a bail determination as to whether
48:10
SPEAKER_02: or not I was entitled to bail or not.
48:12
SPEAKER_02: And so the judges who are making these choices are not going to be responsive to the community.
48:18
SPEAKER_02: I have a simple solution to all of these problems.
48:21
SPEAKER_02: Make the judges elected.
48:22
SPEAKER_02: And if they're elected, they will be responsive to the concerns of the community.
48:26
SPEAKER_02: They will have to come on the Concerned Clergy's Radio Show.
48:29
SPEAKER_02: They will have to have meetings with people who are in the community.
48:33
SPEAKER_02: And so if we elect our judges, we eliminate a lot of these challenges and a lot of these issues.
48:38
SPEAKER_02: The criminal justice system is not going to be perfect,
48:40
SPEAKER_02: but it's going to be way better when people know there's that level
48:43
SPEAKER_02: of community accountability that currently does not exist.
48:47
SPEAKER_02: And instead of amending the Constitution,
48:49
SPEAKER_02: which is an extraordinary remedy that we shouldn't be doing,
48:53
SPEAKER_02: Why don't we just give people what I think all of us hopefully believe in,
48:57
SPEAKER_02: which is let's give people their right to a democracy and allow them
49:01
SPEAKER_02: to choose their elected leadership.
49:04
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor Mears, I appreciate you for joining us on tonight, all that you've shared.
49:10
SPEAKER_01: You have a couple minutes,
49:12
SPEAKER_01: if you would,
49:12
SPEAKER_01: if you could kind of share,
49:15
SPEAKER_01: if someone wants to get involved in your campaign,
49:17
SPEAKER_01: if they wanted to support,
49:20
SPEAKER_01: what is it or how is it they can get involved with your campaign,
49:25
SPEAKER_01: the Ryan Mears campaign for Marion County Prosecutor?
49:28
SPEAKER_02: Well, we're on all the social media channels.
49:30
SPEAKER_02: You can also hit us up on our website at just Ryan Mears.
49:34
SPEAKER_02: We'd love to get people involved and engaged.
49:38
SPEAKER_02: And so if there are people out there who'd love to participate or volunteer,
49:41
SPEAKER_02: we'd love to see you on Election Day.
49:43
SPEAKER_02: But the most important thing anybody can do is go out there and vote.
49:47
SPEAKER_02: It's not only voting for me as prosecutor,
49:48
SPEAKER_02: but it's voting against those two constitutional amendments.
49:52
SPEAKER_02: And so to everybody who's out there,
49:54
SPEAKER_02: as much as I'd love for you to help me on my campaign,
49:56
SPEAKER_02: what I really want you to do is go out there and vote.
49:58
SPEAKER_02: I hope you consider voting for me,
50:00
SPEAKER_02: but I also hope that you'll vote against those two constitutional questions.
50:05
SPEAKER_01: All right.
50:05
SPEAKER_01: Mr.
50:06
SPEAKER_01: Prosecutor, appreciate you for joining us.
50:08
SPEAKER_01: Mr. President, as we're closing our program, we're in the middle of early voting.
50:15
SPEAKER_01: So you can still vote at the city county council or excuse me,
50:18
SPEAKER_01: the city county building downtown.
50:21
SPEAKER_01: You can vote there beginning November 24th.
50:26
SPEAKER_01: There's going to be satellite locations that are going to be open that across
50:33
SPEAKER_01: the county, across the city and all the townships.
50:37
SPEAKER_00: It's October 24th, not November.
50:40
SPEAKER_01: No.
50:40
SPEAKER_01: Oh, thank you.
50:42
SPEAKER_01: OK, so it was October 24th.
50:45
SPEAKER_01: So that's coming up next week.
50:48
SPEAKER_01: Let's make it plain.
50:49
SPEAKER_01: It's coming up next week.
50:50
SPEAKER_01: Kind of talk about that.
50:52
SPEAKER_00: Well, it's something, again, we're trying to get people out to vote.
50:56
SPEAKER_00: It's going to be available in all of our townships.
51:00
SPEAKER_00: It's a march to the polls concept.
51:03
SPEAKER_00: So for each one of those little satellite sites, there's going to be a location next to it.
51:10
SPEAKER_00: Again, we're trying to demonstrate our need for democracy and making sure we get out to vote.
51:15
SPEAKER_00: And that's extremely important in Marion County when you consider that we don't get
51:20
SPEAKER_00: to vote for certain things, etc.
51:22
SPEAKER_00: Our democracy is under attack.
51:24
SPEAKER_00: The concerned clergy is a part of this coalition,
51:28
SPEAKER_00: this Hoosier voting coalition that includes a number of other advocacy organizations
51:35
SPEAKER_00: that have come together to say we've got to make sure we get out to vote.
51:40
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it includes Indivisible, you know, Mad Voters.
51:44
SPEAKER_00: There's a laundry list of organizations that have come together.
51:48
SPEAKER_00: We're just committed to getting people out to vote.
51:51
SPEAKER_00: So again, that's Saturday, October the 24th.
51:56
SPEAKER_00: So as the map there is on the screen,
51:59
SPEAKER_00: consider going and saying,
52:00
SPEAKER_00: hey, I'm going to be a part of that and demonstrate how important voting is.
52:04
SPEAKER_00: Because so goes Marion County, especially for those statewide offices.
52:09
SPEAKER_00: It's going to have a huge impact on whether that candidate wins or loses.
52:15
SPEAKER_00: And when there's much discussion and conversation about a blue wave,
52:20
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it hinges on what we do in Marion County.
52:23
SPEAKER_00: I would have asked the prosecutor that, what he thought about a blue wave.
52:26
SPEAKER_00: But time is out, Reverend Alexander.
52:29
SPEAKER_01: All right.
52:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, time is out.
52:31
SPEAKER_01: And if you have to be watching this on Facebook or if you're catching this
52:35
SPEAKER_01: on our Substack, there's going to be locations across the city.
52:39
SPEAKER_01: We've got the map on every township.
52:42
SPEAKER_01: There is a location and there's going to be a march to the polls.
52:47
SPEAKER_01: It'll be an opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to voting,
52:52
SPEAKER_01: having a voting plan and not waiting to election day,
52:57
SPEAKER_01: but getting your vote in or So we want to thank our prosecutor for joining us
53:01
SPEAKER_01: on tonight.
53:01
SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Mr. President.
53:03
SPEAKER_01: Thank all of you that have listened and called in.
53:07
SPEAKER_01: Don't forget to vote.
53:08
SPEAKER_01: We'll look to see you on next week.
53:10
SPEAKER_01: Be blessed.
53:16
SPEAKER_01: You've been listening to the weekly town hall meeting brought to you by
53:19
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53:25
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53:29
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53:34
SPEAKER_02: Radio 1, or its manager.