EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the correct day of the event.
This story has also been updated with the Ellettsville Police Department's response.
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith fielded questions at a contentious Ellettsville town hall meeting Monday evening following a series of controversial remarks defending the Three-Fifths Compromise.
A crowd of at least 60 protesters gathered outside town hall around 90 minutes before the meeting in direct opposition to his justification of the compromise.
Beckwith faced widespread criticism after defending the 18th century law determining enslaved people counted as three-fifths of a person for census and tax purposes.
Beckwith argued that the compromise was “designed to make sure that justice was equal for all people” in a video posted on X.
“This was a great move by the north to make sure that slavery would be eradicated in our nation. They knew what they were doing,” he said in the video.
Among the protesters’ ranks was Indiana State Senator Shelli Yoder (D), who denounced Beckwith’s comments.
“I needed to be here to support those who wanted to continue to ask for an acknowledgment of wrong and an apology,” Yoder said.
Several other speakers addressed the crowd, including Rev. Ned Steele of Ellettsville First United Methodist Church and Monroe County NAACP President Jim Sims.
Once inside, the audience grew to at least 100.
A protester stands in a park outside the Ellettsville Town Hall holding a sign that reads, "DO NOT WHITEWASH HISTORY" Monday, May 19. A group of at least 60 protesters gathered before the town hall meeting to condemn Beckwith's remarks about the Three-Fifths Compromise.
Beckwith wasn’t challenged directly about his remarks on the compromise, but did face many questions about his beliefs on racism in America.
One audience member asked Beckwith whether he thought Black people were mistreated at a greater rate than white people in America.
“No,” he said. “The left likes to push that systemic racism still exists. Show me a system where a Black person can't do what a white person can do.”
Prolific research has been conducted on systemic racism, and while difficult to singularly define, significant disparities in wealth, education and other quality-of-life indicators suggest a disadvantage in nonwhite communities.
The crowd grew increasingly restless, often jeering and interrupting Beckwith during his answers.
Beckwith added several other provocative remarks, including his beliefs that identifying as transgender is a “mental illness” and that the constitution does not discourage the association of religion and the state.
At least half of the audience left the venue before the meeting officially concluded, with many shaking their heads and muttering as they walked out the door. Some also thanked him for representing the state in town hall meetings.
Ellettsville police blocked two IDS reporters from entering the town hall meeting roughly 20 minutes after it began, citing maximum capacity. The two police officers present said no one else would be allowed inside. However, an IDS reporter already inside the meeting confirmed there were several empty seats, causing some uncertainty as to how maximum capacity was measured.
In an interview with the IDS the following morning, EPD Administrative Deputy Chief Tony Bowlen said Beckwith's team requested the maximum event capacity be set at 100, considerably lower than the venue's capacity. He added that those who left early may not have removed their cars, leading to parking overflowing into a grass field by the town hall.
Beckwith's town hall was initially planned for April 28 in Bloomington, but it was delayed to May 19 and moved to Ellettsville apparently due to a scheduling conflict.
As the audience continued to dwindle, Beckwith offered closing remarks to the remaining crowd.
“Thank you, guys, for coming out,” he said. “We may not agree, but I’m going to keep on coming, and we’ll keep dialoguing, and we’ll go from there.”
