Carmel Mayor Brainard threatens to sue Minneapolis for costs of protecting against riots

Watch as protestors and police clash during a protest in downtown Indianapolis. Indianapolis Star

Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard announced Monday the city has retained outside legal counsel and is planning to take action against the city of Minneapolis, a step he made as peaceful protests began in both Fishers and Carmel.

Brainard said the negligence of the Minneapolis Police Department has burdened Carmel and other cities with the costs of responding to the resulting riots and looting following protests over officer-involved killings of black men and women, according to a news release from the city.

The death of George Floyd was avoidable, he said.

“The officer should not have been on the force given the previous disciplinary problems,” Brainard said Monday while attending a peaceful protest at the City Center. “Their negligence resulted in damage to cities all over the country.”

He said messages posted to social media concerned him that violent protests could cause harm to areas of Carmel. He said he quadrupled the number of patrol officers Saturday. He said some windows were broken at a Kohl’s on Michigan Road, and the Police Department is gathering evidence.

“I encourage other cities to join us in this lawsuit for recovery of our costs,” Brainard said in the news release. “Those in power need to understand the far-reaching consequences of their actions.”

The Minneapolis mayor’s office did not immediately return a message for comment Monday.

Both peaceful daytime protests and nighttime rioting have taken place in a number of cities across the nation, including the past four days in Indianapolis. In Indianapolis, more than 80 businesses were damaged, and two people died amid the rioting.

In Carmel Monday, a mostly white crowd of local students and families were carrying signs in City Center and chanting in support of African Americans against police violence. 

Sarah Piesley, 20, Carmel, was carrying a sign that said “white silence is violence.” 

She said it’s important to protest in the predominantly white Hamilton County cities.

“This message does not stop in Indy,” she said.

At least one protester was skeptical of Brainard’s chances in court.

“Good luck on that,” Carmel resident Gary Hutt, 52, said. “If everybody else joins in, you might have a leg to stand on.”

The scene in Fishers was much the same as in Carmel, with hundreds of students and families circling the city amphitheater, some carrying “Black lives matter” signs.

Mayor Scott Fadness said the students approached him about the protest and suggested the plan.

“They were frustrated they didn’t have a localized way to express themselves,” he said.

Contact IndyStar reporter Chris Sikich at Chris.Sikich@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisSikich.

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