A community service specialist vehicle bumped pro-Palestinian protesters multiple times at the intersection of North Walnut and Sixth street on Tuesday afternoon. This occurred during a “March for Rafah” demonstration down Kirkwood Avenue.
Community service specialists are employed by the Bloomington Police Department. They do not carry guns or badges and only respond to minor incidents while on duty.
The march started in Dunn Meadow at 4 p.m. and included most of the protesters from the Gaza encampment that started April 25 and is now on its 13th consecutive day. The group of around 60 protesters walked down Kirkwood Avenue before turning right on College Avenue and then back down Sixth Street toward Dunn Meadow.
As the protesters were walking down Sixth Street, they crossed Walnut Street with the "don’t walk” symbol shown on the crossing signals. As the community service specialist vehicle approached the protesters crossing the street, the car stopped before bumping protesters multiple times. There were no reported injuries. No other law enforcement was involved at the scene.
A community service specialist vehicle makes contact with a protesters during a march down Sixth Street May 7, 2024, in Bloomington. Protesters started the march at the Dunn Meadow Gaza encampment.
Bryce Greene, an IU Divestment Coalition organizer and graduate student, said he witnessed the car nudge protesters before he stepped in front of the vehicle to protect others as they were crossing. He said the person in the car told him to move multiple times, but because other protesters were still crossing the street, Greene stayed in front of the car.
“There were multiple times where they put their foot on the accelerator and again, made contact with me, shoved me back a few feet,” Greene said.
After the protesters crossed the street, the vehicle drove away as other protesters took videos of the car. Throughout the entire march, there were designated people from the protest conducting traffic as protesters crossed the street, including during the incident.
The entire group of protesters returned to the encampment after the march.
BPD Captain Ryan Pedigo released a statement Wednesday about the incident. He said investigators immediately began checking the area for surveillance footage that captured the incident and later reached out to protesters who provided cellphone footage.
The release said the investigation remains ongoing as BPD seeks additional footage and interviews, and the investigation will be reviewed by the City of Bloomington Legal Department and the Monroe Office at the direction of Mayor Kerry Thomson.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a statement from BPD Captain Ryan Pedigo.
