INDIANAPOLIS — In 2017 Mayor Joe Hogsett stood in front of a rundown home in the Riverside neighborhood as it was being demolished.
It came days after Hogsett, a relatively new mayor at the time, announced 2,000 homes would be revamped or demolished within two years. As of 2023, they've only demolished 341 of those 2,000 properties.
"We want to see homes rehabilitated, but frankly this is a good example that no one is going to be able to purchase this home and rehabilitate it," Hogsett said in 2017.
That was a month after his April 2017 state of the city address, standing in front of an abandoned home being demolished.
Fast forward to 2024. We've seen two men killed at a vacant home on Leland Avenue, said by neighbors to be a flop house. A week later, three vacant homes were destroyed in what IFD says was arson.
Two homes, now reduced to their foundation, the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services say had several complaints, including squatters.
On Wednesday afternoon, I went to a ribbon-cutting ceremony Hogsett attended to address how he's tackling the city's vacant properties.
"We recognize that this is a multi-faceted problem that requites multi-faceted solutions," said Hogsett at the event.
And while he recognized issues vacant houses pose, he failed to comment - due to a meeting, his spokesperson said - on why we're seeing him fall short on his 2017 promise of demolishing 2,000 vacant homes. So reporter Chase Houle approached the mayor as he was mingling at the event. Here's what happened:
Chase: "Hey mayor. Mayor. Can I ask you a quick question?"
Mayor: "Yeah."
Chase: "Just when you get a quick moment, just over here."
Spokesperson: "Just one second."
Mayor: "Can we find out what..."
Assistant: "Not today."
Chase: "Why not today?"
We didn't see the mayor again after that.
As for addressing the ongoing issue of vacant homes and the owners who are only identified as LLCs, State Representative Cherrish Pryor (D-District 94) says there needs to be more transparency and consequences.
"If it's a continual problem and if it's the same company that continues to do it at different locations, they should be made to pay," Pryor said. "I think that once these companies know that we're holding them accountable for the maintenance and the upkeep of those properties, they will do a better job or they will sell those properties."
Pryor said when it comes to demolitions, it takes time to do so, but she doesn't disagree that it needs to move quicker.
The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services says 45 structures were demolished in 2023. This year and throughout 2025, Hoosiers could see 58 structures demolished at some point.