Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood releases plan for improvement

INDIANAPOLIS — Martindale-Brightwood calls itself the "Heart of the City." It now has a plan to keep that heart beating stronger than ever.

Community leaders unveiled the Martindale-Brightwood Quality of Life master plan on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The strategy will determine how Indianapolis invests in the neighborhood.

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Martindale-Brightwood's top priorities are increasing its police presence, improving parks and trails, and developing activities and places for children to stay motivated outside of school.

Previous quality of life plans led to the renovation of Frederick Douglass Park and the construction of the new Martindale-Brightwood Library on 25th Street and Sherman Drive.

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"It's been quite a journey, and we've faced our challenges, but the new developments in the area really gives me hope for the future," said One Voice Martindale Brightwood vice president Cierra Johnson, who was born and raised in the neighborhood. "I love to see all of the amenities that we have now that we didn't necessarily have when I was growing up."

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"There's a stereotype of Martindale-Brightwood that it's crime-ridden with a lot of drugs and murders, but we see the other side of it as well," said fellow Martindale-Brightwood native Immanuel Ivey, who now works in the neighborhood with the Edna Martin Christian Center.

Ivey said the plan's success depends on people moving into the neighborhood and current residents staying for the long haul.

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"A lot of times we felt like nobody even wanted to stop by the neighborhood," Ivey said. "In the '70s and '80s, everybody wanted to leave, but in the 2020s, everybody is coming back to the neighborhood."