Leaders from LiveFree Indiana and allied organizations gathered this week on Lafayette Road to unveil a bold new billboard campaign as part of their ongoing #KeepIndyHome initiative. The message was clear: end the Marion County Sheriff’s collaboration with ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service. With over 30 advocates present, including voices from Indy Action Coalition, The Validus Movement, and The Black Church Coalition, the press event called attention to what organizers describe as “inhumane” and profit-driven decisions made by Sheriff Kerry Forrestal. “Our jail is already in crisis,” said Joel Reichenbach, referencing overcrowding, poor medical care, and unsafe conditions.

Speakers highlighted the worsening state of the facility and the exploitative nature of the federal detention contract. “As both an organizer and a former employee in the jail’s release lobby, I’ve seen firsthand how broken this system is,” said Dewayne Whitney of the Validus Movement. “This partnership with ICE isn’t about public safety. It’s about dollars over dignity.”

Leaders also revealed that during a June 11 meeting with Mayor Joe Hogsett, the mayor pledged to pressure the Sheriff to terminate the ICE contract and to make a public statement if his efforts were unsuccessful. Weeks later, the Sheriff still refuses to meet with organizers, and the community is now calling on Mayor Hogsett to honor his word. “We’re asking him to act boldly and speak out not just as mayor, but as the County Executive,” urged Rev. Keion Jackson of the Black Church Coalition.

The campaign’s powerful billboards are now live at 3115 Madison Ave, 5780 Sunnyside Rd, and 3654 Lafayette Rd. The goal is to raise public awareness and increase pressure on local officials. They serve as a visual call to action for justice, transparency, and humane treatment of all Indianapolis residents, regardless of immigration status.