INDIANAPOLIS — There are increasing questions about a new fence going up as Indianapolis prepares to become the "city of basketball".
The fence surrounds a homeless camp in downtown Indianapolis, within walking distance of venues that will be hosting tournament games this month.
13News did some digging on who's behind the fence and what a homeless resident thinks about it.
Anyone standing in the one-way split of West Street can see the giant NCAA brackets on the JW Marriott from the homeless camp. But because of the fencing, you may not see the camp itself.
Lito, who lives in the homeless camp, would be just fine with that, too. He has had more people approach the camp in the past couple of days based on what has been posted on social media than ever before. He never expected the fence to draw so much attention to the camp they've had set up for a while now.
"People just keep coming up," said Lito, who preferred not to use his full name in an interview with 13News.
Lito is one of several people who calls the downtown location home. It's practically gone unnoticed until the fence went up. The chain link fence stands about six feet tall and has black cloth attachments to each section, which stretches the length of the campsite.
"Before the fence was there, nobody knew we were there," said Lito, "Now that it's there, for us, to make sure nobody bothers us, more people come bother us now."
Visible landmarks around the camp include Victory Field, the JW Marriott, the Indiana Convention Center, and Lucas Oil Stadium. All of these locations are within three blocks of the homeless camp.
13News learned the Capitol Improvement Board ordered the fence after reaching out to Lito and his fellow campers. Under what you might call a "gentleman's agreement," first, the CIB provided a dumpster for campers to throw away excessive trash along the downtown median.
Then, Lisa Veali from CIB told 13 News, that's when they ordered the fencing through one of their contractors. Lito said that the privacy the fencing provides helps now that so many people have read about their campsite on social media.
Veali also said the fence was never an attempt to hide the camp from would-be NCAA visitors. The CIB and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful have worked with the campsite to make sure they understand that the two city-related organizations are responsible for the upkeep of the median location, which includes trash removal and landscaping.
Once the black cloth fence went up providing privacy, Lito told 13News it's clearly been terribly mistaken as a call for help.
"Please help the homeless people who put out the cry for help," said Lito.
Metro Police Lt. Tabatha McLemore, who runs IMPD's Homeless Unit, understands Lito's frustration. She and her officers have met dozens, if not hundreds, of people who never expected to be in a homeless situation. In many cases, unfortunately, their offer to help is turned down. But eventually, they are able to connect homeless people with services that include everything from mental health to job assistance to medical attention and housing assistance.
IMPD has had nearly zero police emergency calls to Lito's camp, where officers have built a rapport with several of them.
"We are all year round. They don't just bring us in during big downtown events," said McLemore. "We don't actually take a law enforcement action when it comes to our homeless population. We are dedicated to help get them in touch with resources and try to get him in housing to help get them off the street."
McLemore trains her officers to avoid being authoritative or confrontational with the homeless population.
"They are part of our city. They are community members like you and me, so we are here to help them like anyone else," she said.
"Help the ones who are asking for help. If we are not sending out bat signals for help, don't come to help us. We are not asking to be bothered. Don't bother us," said Lito.
The Capital Improvement Board, along with Keep Indiana Beautiful, are responsible for maintaining the area where Lito and his fellow campers are set up downtown. That's one more reason why the CIB is in constant contact with the people who share the homeless campsite space.