INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis's east side — the neighborhoods east of downtown along Washington Street, 10th Street, and 38th Street — is one of the most diverse and least covered parts of the city. Community Voice spent two weeks talking to residents from Warren Township, Irvington, Far Eastside, and Lawrence about their daily experiences, their frustrations, and their hopes for their communities.

What we heard was complicated. Pride in community identity and deep frustration with neglect. Appreciation for recent investments like the Purple Line and genuine anger that those investments took so long. Optimism about new businesses opening alongside grief about beloved institutions that have closed.

Maria Garcia, a 14-year resident of the Warren Township neighborhood near Shadeland and Washington Street, describes her community as "the Indianapolis that Indianapolis forgets." She has watched her neighborhood's demographics shift significantly over the past decade, with a growing immigrant population from Latin America and Southeast Asia giving the commercial corridor on Washington Street a new vitality — but without corresponding investment in infrastructure.

"The sidewalks here are terrible," Garcia says. "The bus service is slow. The schools are underfunded. And we hear so much about investment going to Broad Ripple, to downtown, to Carmel. When does it come here?"

David Kim, who runs a Korean grocery on Washington Street, has been in the neighborhood for 22 years. He has watched other businesses come and go, survived the pandemic, and navigated the construction disruptions of the Purple Line project. He is optimistic about what the BRT line will bring to the corridor.

"More people on the street means more business," Kim says. "I believe in this neighborhood. I just want the city to believe in it too."

Eastside residents and businesses looking to grow their reach can explore digital marketing through Project Brilliant, which supports Indianapolis small businesses in building their online presence and reaching new customers.