Here's what happened at student protests this week over Gaza conflict
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Fallout from RFRA very concerning to Indianapolis mayors

Indiana
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard held a news conference outside the City-County Building on Monday, March 30, 2015 to affirm that "Indianapolis welcomes everybody," as he addressed his concerns about Indiana's recently passed RFRA and its impact on the city. "Indianapolis will not be defined by this," he said, emphatically saying it a second time, "Indianapolis will not be defined by this!"

We, the five living mayors of Indianapolis, are distressed and very concerned by the fallout from the enactment of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The local, national and international response threatens to undo many of the efforts we have made, going back to 1967, to build an inclusive, caring, and hospitable city.

Indianapolis is a city with a first-class reputation as a great place to live, as an extraordinary host for major events and major league sports teams, and as a winner in the competition to attract new economic development opportunities. Ours is a city that cares about the common good and promotes respect for all citizens, and a city that has a vibrant Downtown with successful venues for all kinds of sporting, religious, entertainment and educational events and conventions. Our state's capital city is known for a spirit of partnership and determination to display an open hand to peoples of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientation and religious beliefs.

On the cornerstone of the old City Hall Downtown is an inscription from the Bible that says we are citizens of "no mean city." Which is to say, we are citizens of an exceptional city — one that values fairness, civility and equal opportunity—not one that is seen as mean-spirited and accepting of discriminatory practices.

We ask that national associations and corporations that do business, or would do business, in our city recognize that Indianapolis has a history of ordinances and executive orders protecting tolerance and preventing discrimination whether in terms of prayer, employment, provision of goods and services, or public accommodation, and explicitly extending to sexual orientation and gender identity.

We call upon the state legislature to amend this bill, well-intentioned by its sponsors but damaging to the city and state in its unintended consequences, and clarify that the existing laws and wishes of our community will be fulfilled.

Richard Lugar, Mayor, 1968-1976

William H. Hudnut III, Mayor, 1976-1992

Stephen Goldsmith, Mayor, 1992-2000

Bart Peterson, Mayor, 2000-2008

Greg Ballard, Mayor, 2008-present