(This story was updated to add new information.)
A counter-protester was arrested Monday afternoon at an Indiana Statehouse rally featuring Gov. Mike Braun after a dispute with police.
Indiana State Police officers handcuffed Christina Smith, leader of the Indianapolis Education Justice Coalition, and led her away from the event, held to support property tax reform.
In a social media post last week, Smith had invited those opposed to Indiana’s Republican leadership and in favor of public education to attend a separate event at the Statehouse on Monday.
ISP said Smith was arrested for disorderly conduct and that there were no other arrests at the event. She was listed as detained in Marion County’s arrest log as of 1:45 p.m. Monday.
The property tax reform event, featuring Braun and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, filled the third-floor atrium, with participants overflowing onto the stairs and hallway. Authorities estimated the crowd at a couple hundred people.
The arrest happened around 12:40 p.m. Police have not provided an account of the arrest so it’s unclear what led to Smith’s disorderly conduct charge. However, a colleague of Smith’s said she believed the arrest was unwarranted.
Smith is a longstanding critic of both Republican and Democratic politicians in Indiana, including Indianapolis Public Schools board members and other groups that support charter schools and school choice. Earlier this year, Smith filed a harassment complaint against an Indianapolis Public Schools board member. The status of that complaint is unclear.
Smith was at the Statehouse Monday as part of an event to advocate for music education in public schools.
The arrest followed a disagreement with police over the music group’s presence on the third floor of the Statehouse, the same location as the property tax rally.
Lawmakers this session are debating property tax cuts, but Indiana school districts and their advocates say those changes could affect public school funding. Braun campaigned on property tax relief.
An organizer for the music education event, Adrea McCloud, said her group had been demonstrating on the third floor of the Statehouse when police approached them and asked for their permit.
Police told the group, which included Smith, that they needed to leave the third floor and go up to the fourth floor to comply with the permit.
However, McCloud said she was originally told by the Indiana Department of Administration that her group was allowed to move freely within the Statehouse between noon and 1 p.m.
“We did have permission to be there,” McCloud said. “We were there to raise support for public education for arts programs to remain funded. She came to support our cause and to advocate for public schools.”
Mary Kate Dugan, co-chair of Central Indiana DSA, who was at the music event, said the arrest happened after she and Smith attempted to walk up the west steps of the Statehouse to the fourth floor to comply with the police directive to move. Attendees of the tax reform rally were “blocking and pushing us back,” Dugan said.
“There never should’ve been a clash,” Dugan said. “It was very chaotic.”
Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
