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In Tippecanoe County, Officials Say They Are Prepared If National Protests Become Local

Benjamin R Thorp
Tippecanoe County Democratic Party Headquarters after vandals fired shots into the building

Tippecanoe County officials say they are preparing for protests but stress they have no expectation of trouble following violent demonstrations by pro-Trump extremists last week at the U.S. Capitol.

The fears of national protests spilling over into the local community are not unwarranted. Last week, the Democratic party headquarters in Lafayette were shot into. Local police are still investigating the incident but said they believe it took place late Wednesday night - which would have coincided with the events at the U.S. Capitol.

The Indiana Democratic Party was quick to draw the connection - saying it was “not a coincidence” that the shooting occurred at the same time as the protests. 

“I fear this act of violence will not be a one-time incident,” Party Chair John Zody said in a statement at the time. 

Heather Maddox, Chair of the Tippecanoe County Democratic Party, said she is worried that something could happen at their headquarters again. 

“Will people come back and do something? That thought has crossed my mind,” she said. “To say it’s not a concern would be a lie. People are allowed to protest even if I don’t agree with them, but once it steps over into violence that’s not good.” 

Maddox said even her apolitical friends have become worried about the riots at the capitol.

“This is something we’re not used to,” she said. “Historically we’ve had a peaceful transfer of power. We’re all a little on edge right now.” 

Maddox said she expects repairs of the party headquarters building will begin next week.

Earlier this week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation put out a bulletin warning of protests at state capitols across the country. 

A spokesperson for the FBI office in Indianapolis said in a statement that the bureau would support local, state, and federal law enforcement in “identifying, investigating, and disrupting individuals that are inciting violence and engaging in criminal activity.” 

State police also noted in a statement that they were “not aware” of any planned activities at the statehouse but are prepared “to provide the necessary security for the statehouse and its adjacent campus.”

Lieutenant Matthew Gard, with the Lafayette Police Department, said local police chiefs met to develop a plan. 

“All the area chiefs came together and a contingency plan is in place if something were to happen over the weekend,” he said. “However, no information has been obtained and there is no expectation that anything is going to take place in our area.”

Speaking on WBAA’s Ask the Mayor, Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said the preparation made good sense from a law enforcement standpoint. 

“We certainly hope that doesn’t happen here and we can continue to move the entire country into a state of healing,” he said. 

Roswarski said the capitol protests should serve as a reminder to public officials that words matter. 

“Citizens should not be used as political pawns in somebody’s pathway to advance their career or run for the next political office that they are thinking about running for,” he said.