Concerned Clergy Podcast

About Concerned Clergy Podcast

The Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis is a fellowship of pastors and other concerned citizens who are God-fearing people who believe injustice, racism, ageism, classism and sexism to be contrary to the will of God. www.progressiveindiana.net (https://www.progressiveindiana.net/s/concerned-clergy?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis

Category

news · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Jan 2026

Latest episode

22 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

37 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Oct 2026

   Concerned Clergy Podcast October 21, 2026

   https://concernedclergy.org (https://concernedclergy.org) https://progressiveindiana.net (https://progressiveindiana.net) SUMMARY: With early voting underway, Rev. Alexander and Pastor Greene devote the episode to education, joined by Rev. Dr. Wayne Moore, who is seeking a second term on the Pike Township School Board. Moore describes a district doing better than most but squeezed by the General Assembly, falling enrollment, and the loss of per-student funding to charter schools. The three discuss the record 38 school referendums on the November ballot, why they expect many to fail, and why they say school boards must explain the money to taxpayers. Greene warns that closed or failing charter schools can turn public school property into development land, and that the appointed Indianapolis Public Education Corporation will control who gets IPS buildings. The second half turns to Turning Point USA's Club America chapters in Indiana high schools, which Alexander maps on air and urges voters to ask school board candidates about. Callers Joyce, Barbara, and Imhotep weigh in on redistricting, what happens to charter school buildings, and curriculum that centers African-American literature. Greene closes by urging Pike Township voters to re-elect the three incumbents and announcing this weekend's march to the polls. Progressive Indiana Network is proud to distribute the Concerned Clergy Podcast. Help us continue to bring you more content like this by becoming a free or paid subscriber. WHAT’S INSIDE 00:00:00 — Welcome, prayer, and the education focus - Alexander introduces Moore, an incumbent on the Pike Township School Board seeking another term - Greene opens in prayer, thanking Moore for his willingness to serve on the school board - Moore says he is excited to join the Concerned Clergy conversation - Alexander says the show will center on education and urges voters in Pike Township, IPS, and every district with a school board race or referendum to pay close attention 00:03:27 — Moore’s platform as an incumbent - Moore is closing out his first four years and seeking a second term - Says he sits on the committee negotiating a contract for the district - Says education is under a “government gavel” and Pike Township is doing better than many other townships - Says no one knows what the General Assembly will do heading into 2027, and that the last two years have been extremely difficult for districts statewide 00:05:29 — A record number of school referendums - Alexander: roughly 38 referendums are on the November ballot and resources are stretched across Indiana; voters should back candidates who want to put resources into schools - Greene: Moore was instrumental in getting Pike’s referendum across the finish line by explaining it to the community - Greene says districts with surplus money now will face referendums again within a year or two - Greene predicts not all 38 referendums will pass, depending on who speaks for them and whether they’re explained rather than looking like another tax increase 00:08:37 — The Pike ballot and Moore’s warning on referendums - Moore: three seats, four candidates, and three incumbents; he strongly encourages voters to consider the incumbents given the state of education - Says not all referendums will be accepted, and that even districts like Carmel, Hamilton, and Zionsville are now signing up for major referendums - Says school boards and bargaining units must shift from “us against them” to working together for survival - Says the aim is graduation and proficiency, with as many teachers and services as possible kept in place 00:11:42 — Fellow incumbents and Pike’s biggest challenge - Moore names the other two incumbents as Terry Webster and Alonzo Anderson, saying there is work still to finish - Says Pike’s biggest challenge is a stronger budget, to secure staff and school security - Says nearly every district has lost students, and losing 200 students means losing the dollars that pay teachers - Says school boards need to communicate with the community rather than seek to be “important” 00:13:56 — Charter schools and the loss of per-student funding - Alexander says much of the student movement is due to charter schools scattering students in many directions - Greene: when a charter picks up a couple hundred students, the district loses funding tied per student, often learning of it mid-year and having to cut - Greene notes diesel and gas costs are straining shrinking school district budgets - Greene says this is why IPS needed to keep an elected board rather than an appointed one 00:16:36 — Moore on how charter funding is deducted - Moore: when students leave for charters, the money follows, and it comes out of the district’s funds - Says Pike’s state dollars are paid out to charters first; with 75 students gone to charters, the charter school is paid before the township - Calls it disrespectful to a township that has educated students for 132 years - Says Pike is effectively supporting two systems, the township district and the charter district 00:19:11 — Vouchers and the case for public education - Alexander says more Indiana vouchers now go to families earning over $100,000 than to lower earners, though the program was meant to help the less fortunate - Moore says he is running on public education and is a product of it - Notes IPS has existed for 173 years; says charters have a far shorter record and there aren’t enough successful ones to meet graduation and proficiency needs - Warns against “wolves in sheep’s clothing” joining public education boards 00:22:38 — Lawmakers’ role in school board structure - Alexander says many of the problems Moore describes are caused by legislators who change the rules and put boards in place to carry their water - Argues voters must look at the legislators making these laws as well as at school board candidates - Says the districts are suffering because of the laws lawmakers have passed 00:24:30 — Caller Joyce: redistricting and the courts - Joyce says Indianapolis was divided up to dilute the Black vote and that people should be able to vote on their own - Says some people in the courts need training, citing a police officer she says should not have been reintroduced to the force - Alexander thanks her and returns to Moore 00:26:41 — Do Pike families understand the referendum? - Alexander asks whether parents understand charter schools, the referendum, and other district dynamics - Moore: “Some do and some don’t”; most people are still gaining knowledge about the referendum - Moore says that if taxpayers paid for the referendum they ought to know about it, especially if the district needs to ask again - Moore hopes the board will set a clearer line of communication about referendums - Alexander previews Turning Point USA and says voters should ask school board candidates whether they support it in schools 00:30:23 — Caller Barbara: what happens to charter buildings? - Barbara asks whether charter schools own IPS buildings and what happens to the property if a school closes - Alexander says charters can acquire buildings for a dollar - Greene: this is how neighborhoods are gentrified, as failing charters leave property that becomes development land - Greene says the IPS superintendent has said she must sell schools, but the appointed Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC) will control who gets the buildings 00:33:03 — School property, data centers, and playing chess - Greene says charter-school rules are being modified, but that has not yet happened - Says school property is massive, including athletic fields, and is the kind of land a data center developer would love to get for a dollar - Says the Black community is often hurt because that money doesn’t flow into school systems the way it should - Greene: “while we’re playing checkers, others are playing chess,” planning five to ten years out 00:34:52 — Why charter schools struggle to sustain enrollment - Greene says he is pro-public education and that charters need a minimum number of students to be sustainable - Cites the STEM school on Michigan Road, which he says is in the news this week for being short of students - Says many charters lack resources for special-needs children - Says rising rents and utility costs push families to move, so charters lose students they counted on 00:37:57 — Turning Point USA’s Club America chapters - Alexander says falling birth rates mean “the math ain’t math” for adding schools - Presents a map of Turning Point USA’s Club America, its high school chapter program, and describes its toolkit and regional contacts - Says there are over 20 schools in central Indiana, with 11 on the north side of town and six on the south side - Urges voters to ask school board candidates whether they support Turning Point USA 00:41:06 — Moore on Turning Point’s reach and curriculum - Moore says the data shows 65 chapters statewide, including ones in Westfield, Huntington North, and Cardinal Ritter - Says most listed schools are outside Marion County except Brebeuf, that Ritter should be on the list, and that Pike and North Central are not yet on it while Decatur is “moving” - Says school boards aren’t discussing it and calls the curriculum “poisonous and dangerous,” saying he and Greene did a show on it - Moore says the group caters to young white people and shows no Black or brown students in its literature - Alexander lists Zionsville, Perry Meridian, Noblesville, Mooresville, Hamilton Southeastern, Franklin Central, Fishers, Brownsburg, and Brebeuf among the schools 00:45:33 — Governor Braun and Turning Point in schools - Alexander says everyone should know whether a school board candidate supports it - Moore says the group has no business in an extracurricular program in schools - Moore says Governor Mike Braun found a way to push it into school systems and that the announcement showed only white children 00:46:25 — Caller Imhotep: deconstructing the curriculum - Imhotep says he saw Moore at Roland Martin’s recent book signing in Indianapolis, where Martin shared strategies, and urges boycotts of corporations that don’t treat people fairly - Argues education must be deconstructed, asking whether charter schools, including Black-run ones, use African-American literature and instructors - Calls Turning Point an “ethnostate” and links it to the “Great Replacement” and white-supremacist doctrines, saying ministers are the torchlight against it 00:49:29 — Moore’s closing thoughts on books and education - Moore says the books Imhotep listed are being taken out of libraries, which is a detriment to any new charter school - Says education has become a threat to “the other culture” - Says education once meant going back to the neighborhood to bring others along, a tradition he says we’ve lost and must regain 00:51:14 — March to the polls and a vote for the incumbents - Greene: marches to the polls will take place in every township this weekend; Pike’s leaves Bethel AME at 11:30 for the Pike library, with “Souls to the Polls” on Sunday - Greene urges voting for Moore and the other two Pike incumbents, saying the district needs people who already understand Turning Point USA, budgets, and money - Greene thanks Moore for stepping up, saying his love for children is unquestionable after four years on the board - Alexander urges everyone to vote https://concernedclergy.org (https://concernedclergy.org) https://www.facebook.com/ClergyIndy (https://www.facebook.com/ClergyIndy) https://progressiveindiana.net (https://progressiveindiana.net) Progressive Indiana Network is proud to distribute the Concerned Clergy Podcast. Help us continue to bring you more content like this by becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe (https://www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   15 Oct 2026

   Concerned Clergy Podcast October 14, 2026

   https://concernedclergy.org (https://concernedclergy.org) https://progressiveindiana.net (https://progressiveindiana.net) SUMMARY: With early voting underway, Rev. Tony Alexander and Pastor David W. Greene Sr. spend this episode in conversation with Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, who is seeking another term. Mears describes his path from a west-side Indianapolis upbringing to the prosecutor’s office, his decision to stop prosecuting simple marijuana possession, and community-driven programs such as the Second Chance Workshop, a Saturday youth program, and an annual book bag giveaway. The hosts contrast his approach with elected officials they say ignore community input, citing Flock cameras and data centers. The second half turns to the two constitutional questions on the November ballot: Public Question 2 (judicial residency) and Public Question 1 (denying bail). Mears and both hosts urge a “no” vote on each, argue that Marion County’s appointed judges are unaccountable to local voters, and say Mears’s answer is simple: let Marion County elect its judges. A caller, Denise, asks how to get the word out; the hosts fault party leadership for not making the questions a turnout issue sooner. The show closes with a push for early voting and the Saturday, October 24 “March to the Polls.” Progressive Indiana Network is proud to distribute the Concerned Clergy Podcast. Help us continue to bring you more content like this by becoming a free or paid subscriber. WHAT’S INSIDE 00:00:00 — Show open, prayer, and introduction of Prosecutor Mears - Alexander welcomes listeners and previews the guest, who is “putting his hat back in the ring” for prosecutor - Greene opens in prayer for local, state, and national leaders - Alexander brings Mears on and asks him to share his vision for the office 00:03:46 — Mears’s background and the marijuana decision - Mears: prosecutor since 2019 and a 20-year veteran of the office; from Indianapolis’s west side and a graduate of Cardinal Ritter High School - Became the elected prosecutor in 2019 when Prosecutor Curry became ill - One of his first acts was to stop prosecuting simple possession of marijuana, citing racial disparities between usage rates and who ended up in the system - Says he wants resources focused on violent crime and on building relationships so contact with the office isn’t only “after something bad has happened” 00:06:44 — Second Chance and disparities in enforcement - Mears describes the Second Chance Workshop, which helps people get driver’s licenses reinstated and convictions removed from their records - Alexander: a youthful mistake can follow a person for life, and some communities pay for those mistakes longer and harder - Greene: the programs are packed, and word spread in the community that they aren’t a setup - Mears’s example: a student caught with marijuana on a college campus gets an administrative write-up, while the same act elsewhere in the city used to mean arrest and prosecution 00:08:49 — Why presence in the community builds trust - Alexander says Mears stands out for being active in the community — youth events, basketball leagues — rather than an “us against them” prosecutor - Mears credits the Concerned Clergy president for the advice to be with the community rather than against it - Argues trust cannot be earned “by sitting in your office”; leaders must meet people where they are - Says the Concerned Clergy’s power comes from its footprint in the community 00:11:02 — Community distrust of the system - Alexander notes community distrust about whether people will be treated fairly, and that few other elected officials make comparable efforts - Greene commends Mears’s outreach and says he “raised the bar” for elected officials - Greene: relationships are the key to trust and can’t be built with an us-versus-them mentality 00:13:38 — Ideas that come from the community - Mears: the driver’s license program grew from people who said they were afraid to drive their kids to school or get to work - Says many of his best ideas are “stolen” from community members 00:15:30 — Partnerships: expungement, youth basketball, and book bags - Mears: the Second Chance Workshop grew from a man who said he was fine with doing the time but not with a “life sentence” of convictions following him; Indiana’s expungement law made the program possible - Partnered with Don Carlisle, head coach at Ben Davis, on his Underdog program, which opens the gym on Saturdays for basketball and leadership development - Runs an annual book bag giveaway with Pastor Moore and Pastor Greene, after the pastors told him there was a need 00:17:32 — Officials who listen and officials who don’t - Alexander: it’s frustrating to bring community feedback to other elected officials who won’t receive it, and refreshing to see one who does - Greene: many officeholders are self-serving, hard to reach, and skeptical of the community, and go on the defense over issues like Flock cameras and data centers - Greene says decisions are implemented first and the community is labeled “troublemakers” afterward, and that some plans for 2027–28 are known to officials but not discussed with residents 00:21:35 — Council response to Flock cameras and data centers; first break - Alexander: on Flock cameras, body cameras, and data centers, the community raised concerns up front and was brushed off by the City-County Council and the mayor - Says officials now present moratoriums and limits as heroic when they could have had the conversation from the start 00:23:40 — Violent crime, conviction rates, and who decides - Alexander reintroduces Mears and Greene and asks how he responds to critics who question his commitment to prosecuting violent crime, noting Marion County doesn’t select its judges - Mears: conviction rates are the highest they’ve been in a number of areas, including homicides and cases involving children - Says he watches jury trial numbers closely because they reflect the community’s verdict on the office 00:25:53 — Mears on Public Question 2: judicial residency - Mears urges voters to watch for the question on the ballot to amend the Constitution so judges don’t have to live in the county - Says Marion County already can’t vote for its judges, who are appointed by Governor Braun, whom Mears says couldn’t get more than about 40% of the vote in Marion County - Warns judges could live in places like Hamilton County and have no connection to the community, calling it “a recipe for disaster” - [Note: Alexander reads the ballot language as follows: the Constitution would be amended “to permit the judge of a city or town court to reside in” the county where the court is located or the bordering county closest to the city or town. WFYI’s 2026 voter guide describes the amendment as covering city and town court judges, who hear misdemeanor, traffic, and city ordinance cases. The speakers discuss it as applying to Marion County’s appointed judges generally; that characterization does not appear to match the ballot language as read.] 00:28:07 — Alexander reads Question 2; Greene on how Questions 1 and 2 combine - Alexander puts the question on screen and reads it - Greene: taken together with Question 1, voters would have no way to address a judge who “goes rogue,” a possible “slippery slope” toward no-bail decisions - Greene says the Concerned Clergy, the Baptist Minister’s Alliance, and the General Association of Missionary Baptists in Indiana issued a statement urging “no” votes and calling the changes harmful to Marion County and the state - Notes the governor is appointing two more judges who retire at year’s end 00:31:07 — Judges in rural counties vs. Marion County - Greene: it’s problematic for Marion County, Lake County, and other counties with many Black and brown residents, and asks why electing judges works in other Indiana counties but not here - Argues rural judges are part of their communities and can be voted out; Marion County voters can’t do that - Alexander: Marion County keeps having things “taken away,” and its resources support other communities; teases the bail question after the break 00:33:40 — Public Question 1: bail and the Constitution - Alexander explains Question 1: judges would gain discretion to deny bail beyond murder and treason, which are the only exceptions now - Notes judges already have discretion over bail and bond amounts - Mears: bail has been a constitutional right since statehood to prevent governments from punishing people, including for political reasons - Says a bail decision isn’t really appealable and that the decision-maker would have no connection to the community 00:37:22 — Caller Denise: how do we get the word out? - Denise thanks Mears for acknowledging racial disparities and says she will vote for him - Asks how to spread the message that Questions 1 and 2 should both be “no,” especially to younger voters, and worries about judges brought in from small towns - [Note: Denise says Donald Trump was “found guilty” of rape and “did not get due justice.” Trump was found civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll case and was separately convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records; he was not criminally convicted of rape.] 00:40:37 — Mears: a role for the parties; the question is “intentionally confusing” - Mears says he was at a community meeting discussing this very issue and sees a role for the state and local Democratic parties - Calls the bail question’s wording “intentionally confusing” — he says he had to read it three times, despite being an attorney for 20 years - Credits the Concerned Clergy, the Baptist Minister’s Alliance, and other groups for educating the public 00:41:26 — Hosts on getting information out - Alexander agrees and says the question is confusing and that the show is trying to help voters understand it - Greene: the party should already have been talking about it, because it could have been a lever for Black turnout - Greene’s fear: rural voters know to vote for it while Marion, Lake, and Vanderburgh County voters either skip it or vote “yes” on the word “bail” - Says people are already voting and “we need to be shouting from the rooftops” 00:43:52 — Unopposed Democrats and the stakes - Alexander: Democrats running unopposed should treat these referendums as their opponent and campaign against them rather than “go on vacation” - Greene: the changes will hit Black and brown people hardest — “this is ICE for Black people” - Greene is disappointed that on October 14 the party hasn’t been louder, saying it should have started in June or July and that “the community is driving it” 00:46:37 — Mears on sentencing, accountability, and electing judges - Alexander asks how the changes could affect prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations - Mears: people want a fair system, and without guidelines and checks the result is abuse - Says decisions of appointed Marion County judges are “not really reviewable” and bail rulings can’t realistically be appealed - His “simple solution”: make Marion County’s judges elected so they must answer to the community, and not amend the Constitution 00:49:04 — How to support the Mears campaign - Mears: find the campaign on social media and on its website, and volunteer or join him on Election Day - Says the most important thing anyone can do is vote — for him and against both constitutional questions - Alexander thanks him for joining and begins wrapping up the program 00:50:05 — Early voting and the march to the polls - Alexander mentions early voting at the City-County Building; ”March to the Polls” is October 24th (a Saturday) - Greene: the Concerned Clergy is part of the Hoosier voting coalition, with groups including Indivisible and MADVoters, organizing “March to the Polls” events next to each satellite early-voting site in every township - Greene: Marion County’s turnout will have a big impact on statewide races and on any “blue wave” https://concernedclergy.org (https://concernedclergy.org) https://www.facebook.com/ClergyIndy (https://www.facebook.com/ClergyIndy) https://progressiveindiana.net (https://progressiveindiana.net) Progressive Indiana Network is proud to distribute the Concerned Clergy Podcast. Help us continue to bring you more content like this by becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe (https://www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   8 Oct 2026

   Concerned Clergy Podcast October 7, 2026

   https://concernedclergy.org (https://concernedclergy.org) https://progressiveindiana.net (https://progressiveindiana.net) SUMMARY: With early voting underway in Marion County, Rev. Tony Alexander and Pastor David W. Greene Sr. devote this episode to walking listeners through what’s actually on this November’s ballot. The centerpiece is Public Question 1, a statewide constitutional referendum that would let a judge deny bail — at their own discretion, based on “clear and convincing evidence” — to anyone charged with an offense other than murder or treason, not just those crimes as under the current Constitution. Both hosts argue against it: Marion County doesn’t elect its judges, so there would be no way to vote out a judge who used the new power unevenly; judges already have supervision, electronic monitoring, and other tools short of denying bail outright; and data the ACLU of Indiana compiled from jails across the state shows more than 98% of people classified as high, moderate, or even low risk do not go on to commit a new violent crime — meaning the change would reshape due process for everyone over a very small number of cases. They also cover judicial retention votes (which only ask whether to keep standing judges, not elect new ones) and the wave of roughly 40 school-funding referendums on ballots statewide, including the IPS referendum, which the hosts say won’t prevent cuts regardless of the outcome and which stems directly from last year’s state property-tax legislation (SB1) shifting the funding burden onto local referendums. Two callers phone in: Imhotep, who connects the bail referendum to the economics of the private-prison industry and cites state-level data on how incarceration rates dropped after marijuana legalization, and Josephine, who asks the hosts to cut through the question’s wording with a plain “yes or no.” Progressive Indiana Network is proud to distribute the Concerned Clergy Podcast. Help us continue to bring you more content like this by becoming a free or paid subscriber. WHAT’S INSIDE 00:00:00 — Show open: disclaimer, prayer, early voting underway - Alexander: early voting began the day before at the City-County Building downtown; voters can also request a mail-in ballot - Greene opens in prayer for the city, state, and national leadership during the “election season” - Preview of tonight’s focus: ballot questions, the bail referendum, and school-funding referendums 00:04:48 — Why this midterm election carries real weight - Greene: this is a critical election for democracy, and voters need to know not just that to vote but who and what they’re voting for - Flags gas prices, an ongoing war, and school referendums (including ones in Wayne and Washington Townships) as consequences riding on this ballot - Greene: Public Question 1 (the bail referendum) will appear on every ballot statewide 00:06:26 — Indiana’s low turnout and the midterm trap - Alexander: Indiana’s voter turnout is historically poor, and many voters only learn about major policy shifts after the fact — e.g., through a letter saying a benefit or program has changed - Argues midterm elections are routinely underrated even though they directly affect property taxes, school assignment, and the legal process - Greene adds that redistricting and other “fast-tracked” changes are also in play this cycle 00:09:40 — Public Question 1: what the bail referendum actually says - Alexander reads the ballot language: current law denies bail only for murder or treason when “the proof is evident or the presumption strong”; the amendment would extend that denial to any offense if the state proves by “clear and convincing evidence” that no release conditions would reasonably protect public safety - Alexander and Greene summarize the practical effect: a judge could decide to withhold bail based on their own read of the evidence, before trial - Cites an ACLU of Indiana summary of the amendment’s text and implications, shared on the show’s Facebook page 00:10:22 — No elected judges in Marion County — why that matters here - Greene: Marion County lost the ability to elect its own judges years ago, so there is no way to vote out a judge who used this new bail authority unevenly - Argues it’s unwise to concentrate that much discretion in one appointed official with no accountability mechanism - Both hosts stress that an arrest is not a conviction — someone could be arrested for something “frivolous” and still lose their liberty pretrial under the new standard 00:13:26 — Political incentives: judges courting favor for appointment - Alexander: with a Supreme Court majority seen as deferential to the Trump administration, and a tiered system of lower courts, the “one or two bad actors” concern is bigger than it sounds - Greene: judges hoping to be appointed to higher (including federal) posts would have an incentive to deny bail aggressively to “impress” the president, particularly against people of color, since that visibility could help their career 00:15:16 — Judges already have non-bail tools; the gun-law comparison - Alexander lists the tools ACLU data shows judges can already use short of denying bail: supervision, bail conditions, electronic monitoring, no-contact orders, treatment, drug testing, and travel restrictions - Draws a parallel to gun-safety debates: just as advocates often note “there are already laws in place” after mass shootings, he argues the same logic applies here — existing tools are already available, and a sweeping constitutional change risks collateral damage (mistrials, dropped charges, successful not-guilty verdicts, plea deals) for people who never needed to be denied bail in the first place 00:18:01 — A Marion County example: wrongful accusation risk - Greene cites a real Marion County case near Riverside Park in which a police officer initially claimed a young Black man pointed a weapon, and video later showed that wasn’t true - Argues that under a no-bail standard, that same man could have been held in jail — losing a job, housing stability, and more — based on an initial accusation that didn’t hold up - Both hosts stress they aren’t accusing all officers of this, but that the risk of a wrongful initial account is real enough that a judge shouldn’t have unchecked discretion to deny bail based on it 00:20:48 — What the ACLU’s data actually shows - Alexander reads Indiana-specific data from the ACLU: 98.6% of people classified high risk, 98.9% classified moderate risk, and 99.4% classified low risk did not go on to commit a new violent crime - Contrasts this with the narrative pushed by local media, social media, and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) blaming prosecutors and “revolving door” releases for crime - Argues the actual share of cases involved is under 2%, often closer to 1–2 cases statewide per year by Greene’s framing 00:22:45 — Why amend the Constitution for such a small number of cases? - Greene: a change this sweeping would affect far more than the 1–2% of people it’s meant to target, since it resets due-process standards for everyone charged with a non-murder/treason offense - Alexander draws a comparison to national rhetoric about voter fraud, which he says affects roughly .00008% of votes over 30 years, yet is used to justify large-scale changes to voting systems — arguing the bail referendum follows the same pattern of using rare cases to justify broad disruption 00:26:01 — Recap: how to actually read Public Question 1 - Back from the first break, Alexander walks through the exact ballot wording again, pointing out that the question starts with “shall” and lays out the state’s proposed new standard - Frames the “due process” problem directly: the amendment lets the state act on what a prosecutor or judge believes before a trial has happened - Notes that people are regularly found not guilty, have charges dropped, or see evidence or witness testimony change — all reasons due process matters before bail is denied 00:29:42 — Drawing the ICE parallel - Alexander argues ICE’s current enforcement approach — presuming guilt, removing people without ties to or family in the countries they’re sent to, and offering no due process — mirrors what Public Question 1 would authorize domestically - Greene agrees, and adds that how this would play out “for anybody other than a white man” could look very different, warning this puts everyone on a path similar to ICE’s enforcement model - Both hosts conclude their recommended vote is no 00:32:09 — Caller Imhotep: misdemeanors, private prisons, and the marijuana-legalization data - Imhotep, drawing on family members who work as attorneys, argues the criminal justice system’s daily caseload is driven by misdemeanors and petty crimes, not major felonies — meaning this referendum’s effects would “leak down” into minor cases far more than advertised - Connects the push to the private-prison industry (citing CCA, a major private-prison operator) and its need for high occupancy to stay profitable, noting ICE enforcement has helped supply bodies to private facilities - Cites reported prison- and jail-population drops of 50–70% in states like Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada after marijuana legalization as evidence the private-prison industry has a financial incentive to find other ways to keep facilities full - Also raises concerns about a local public-affairs program (a prior day’s broadcast featuring Indianapolis City-County Council President Maggie Lewis) not asking tough questions about Flock camera use, the Dalys Jett investigation, and an incident involving a young man removed from a public forum 00:36:54 — Judge retention votes, explained - Alexander: in addition to the bail question, voters will see judge retention questions — a yes/no on whether to keep a sitting judge, not a vote for new candidates, since Marion County judges aren’t elected - Greene notes a separate process is already underway: a judicial nominating committee has sent the governor a list of 10 names to fill two upcoming judicial vacancies from retirements 00:39:23 — School-funding referendums statewide, including IPS - Alexander: roughly 40 school districts across Indiana, including IPS in Marion County, have funding referendums on this ballot - Frames the core questions for voters: what does the money fund, and what will it mean for property taxes? 00:40:28 — How SB1 created this wave of referendums - Greene traces the referendums back to the legislature’s 2025 property-tax bill (SB1), which cut property taxes while also reducing direct school funding — pushing districts, inside and outside Marion County (”donut counties”), to go to voters for funding instead - Argues this shifts the cost rather than eliminating it, and that households will feel the funding gap directly regardless of whether their property tax bill technically goes down - Notes that the IPS referendum’s money would ultimately be controlled by IPEC, an appointed (not elected) board, which Greene says is a major source of public distrust — compounded by rising AES and Citizens Energy rate increases that make the added referendum cost harder for fixed-income households to absorb 00:44:46 — IPS says cuts are coming regardless - Alexander: even if the IPS referendum passes, IPS has said cuts are still coming — because IPS shares referendum revenue with charter schools under current law, which limits how far the money goes - Argues this dynamic pits IPS and the charter sector against each other for the same pool of money, and that charter schools “win either way” — if IPS loses funding, that reinforces the case for charters, and if a traditional school closes, charter operators are positioned to acquire the building cheaply - Notes Indianapolis Star reporting suggesting this referendum could further strain, rather than mend, the formal relationship between IPS and charter operators 00:47:09 — Undisclosed school-closure plans - Greene: IPS has already signaled publicly that some school closures are coming, but hasn’t disclosed which schools or who might take over those buildings - Argues voters deciding on the referendum deserve to know whether their own neighborhood school is on a closure list before casting a vote they believe is “saving” it - Frames IPEC’s decision-making as money-driven rather than centered on what’s best for students 00:49:26 — What’s missing from the ballot debate - Alexander: nothing currently on the table guarantees what transportation, extracurricular activities (athletics, cheerleading), or related logistics will look like regardless of how the referendum vote goes - Notes the presence of Turning Point USA programming in schools and the absence of any guaranteed counter-programming or alternative, framing it as one more example of funding gaps affecting what students actually experience day to day 00:50:22 — Caller Josephine: a plain-language gut check - Josephine, worried about a hypothetical where a family member could be jailed indefinitely without due process over a minor offense, asks the hosts directly: is the answer “yes” or “no”? - Greene answers simply: “No” - Alexander ties her question back to the ballot language, explaining that voting “no” means declining to change the Constitution, and acknowledges the wording itself is confusing enough that even attorneys he’s spoken with have said so 00:52:52 — Closing: have a plan to vote - Greene’s closing message: get a plan together, vote, and bring others — failing to participate is what allows constitutional changes like this one to pass - Argues that whatever gets changed in the Constitution this cycle is unlikely to benefit ordinary residents, and more likely to benefit the wealthy and those already in power https://concernedclergy.org (https://concernedclergy.org) https://www.facebook.com/ClergyIndy (https://www.facebook.com/ClergyIndy) https://progressiveindiana.net (https://progressiveindiana.net) Progressive Indiana Network is proud to distribute the Concerned Clergy Podcast. Help us continue to bring you more content like this by becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Progressive Indiana Network at www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe (https://www.progressiveindiana.net/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Contact Concerned Clergy Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.