INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Gov. Mike Braun told a group of clergy and community leaders ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs does not mean ending support for minority-owned businesses.

The governor’s comments came at a fireside chat this week with the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, which includes a number of predominantly Black churches.

The invitation grew out of two meetings the governor had with Black clergy early this year who were upset over his decision to end DEI programs and to not renew grant funding for Martin University.

Braun said he wants to focus on ways to help small businesses, which he said likely will end up helping minority business owners anyway. “I want to figure out how to help Main Street and the people that don’t normally get (help). Don’t take the fact that we talk about MEI (merit, excellence and innovation), which is not necessarily perfect, they’re probably trying to address it to where business sweep in in a diverse way, it’s going to be including everyone and I want the ideas to what Main Street needs, not Wall Street.”

The meeting briefly grew contentious during a segment on public safety. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears repeatedly pressed the Republican governor on what specific changes he wants to see in how the prosecutor’s office operates. Republicans including Braun have been highly critical of the Democratic prosecutor and blame him in part for Indianapolis’ violent crime rates.

Mears said, “I don’t want platitudes. Specifically, what I can do better so I can go back to the community and say, hey, I talked to the governor and he had a really great idea about what I should do?”

Braun replies, “It might be up to the community to see if you’re doing the job of keeping folks off the streets that need to be prosecuted and not on the streets.”

The Rev. Lionel Rush, who organized the event, said his goal was to bring together a variety of community leaders to share their concerns with the governor and assure they were heard.

Besides Rush and Mears, panelists included business leaders, state Rep. Cherrish Pryor and state Sen. Fady Qaddoura, both Indianapolis Democrats, and Chief Chris Bailey of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Rush said he wants to ensure people of color in Indiana have a fair shot at business and economic opportunities, and have their voices heard in the democratic process. He told News 8 the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance is still deciding where it goes from here. “We’ll sort it out in the next 10 days. We’ll get something to the governor. We’ll make sure that you all and your viewership understand exactly how we saw this meeting, what those demands are, and, of course, what we’re prepared to do if those demands are not met.”

Rush said his group plans to meet with Braun at his business in Jasper in the near future.

Both he and the governor said at the conclusion of the event they want conversations to continue.

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