Brizzi Sets Himself Apart From Marion Co. GOP At Indy Rainbow Chamber

Marion County Republican Prosecutor Carl Brizzi set himself apart from more conservative elements of his party this evening by speaking at a meeting of the Indy Rainbow Chamber of Commerce. That’s part of a process he began more than a year ago when, on his own initiative, he enacted a non-discrimination policy to protect gay and lesbian employees among his staff of 168 attorneys and other support staff before the city-county council approved the human rights ordinance.

Brizzi highlighted his push, beginning last year, to bring Indiana law into line with all but four other states by enacting a hate crimes law. He doesn’t think it’s a good thing to be in the same category as Arkansas and Georgia on this particular score. Brizzi cited recent examples of hate crimes committed against gays and Hispanics to illustrate the need for the law. He noted the 1999 Jamie Carson case, the grandson of Rep. Julia Carson (D), where two gay men were subjected to incredible torture and sexual abuse at gunpoint by Carson and two accomplices during the commission of a home invasion. Brizzi says he’s been alarmed by a recent trend of signs being posted in Hispanic areas of the city offering a $100 a head bounty against suspected illegal Hispanic immigrants.

Brizzi engaged in a dialogue with his audience, encouraging their active participation in helping to convince the legislature of the need for a hate crimes law. Brizzi encouraged chamber members to help identify hate crime victims, who would be willing to tell their stories. While Indiana currently has a law requiring the reporting of hate crimes, Brizzi says it is ineffective without an accompanying hate crimes law to provide an extra incentive to gather the information. He believes he will have more success advocating such a law to the legislature than his Democratic opponent, Melina Kennedy, who is also on record supporting a hate crimes law. He observed that, even if the Democrats are successful in recapturing the House, the Senate and the Governor’s office will still remain in Republican hands. He believes he can more effectively reach out to the Governor and the Republican-controlled Senate to get the job done.

Brizzi was asked about the potential impact of the proposed constitutional amendment in Indiana to not only ban gay marriages, but also any legal incidents of marriage for any unmarried couples, straight or gay. In particular, he was asked about the amendment’s impact on the use of domestic violence safeguards for unmarried couples. He indicated that he does not think it would be wise to deny the use of domestic violence laws to protect unmarried couples. Brizzi also surprised his audience by predicting that the gay marriage amendment would not pass the legislature during the next session. That was certainly welcome news to the crowd.

Brizzi repeated his often used slogan, “criminals have a choice, victims don’t.” It is an emphasis on personal accountability he explains. To that end, he hailed his administration’s conviction rate for methamphetamine-related cases, 95%, and successful legislative efforts to regulate over-the-counter sales of Sudafed, a common ingredient in meth. Increased child support collection efforts by his office have increased collections by 16%, or $86 million over the past four years. He noted successful legislative efforts to increase criminal penalties for gang-related activities. The infiltration of outside gangs into the city poses a real challenge to his office. During a recent visit to the L.A. prosecutor’s office, he learned that MS18 gang members refer to Indianapolis as little L.A. An Internet sting operation his office conducted netted the arrests of numerous child predators. So many men offered to have sex to undercover investigators posing as young, teen-age girls on Internet chat rooms, Brizzi says it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Brizzi's Democrat opponent, Melina Kennedy, spoke to the group last month. Both candidates were well-received. As a nonpartisan group, the Indy Rainbow Chamber does not endorse any candidate for office. It welcomes candidates from both parties to its events.