Petition asks city to do something about ‘Nazi’ house
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — While driving down South Emerson Avenue in East Indianapolis, you’ll spot a house painted with the phrase “Helter Skelter” painted on it with the letters 666.
Members of the community have created a petition to have the city do something about the house they claim spreads Nazi ideologies.
Historically, the phrase “Helter Skelter” is linked to Charles Manson.
In the 1960’s, Manson claimed the phrase symbolized a race war.
Every neighbor we spoke with told I-Team 8 they are afraid of retaliation from the homeowner. Only one agreed to speak with I-Team 8, but only if we hid their identity.
They told us the homeowner recently painted his house with the phrase on it as an escalation of years worth of intimidation aimed at neighbors.
“I hear his fireworks every time at 4 o’clock in the morning,” said the neighbor, afraid of retaliation.
The neighbor told I-Team 8 he’ll walk around outside with two holstered pistols and let his dog roam free without a leash.
People in the area have created a petition asking the city to peacefully put a stop to the imagery they deem hateful to the neighborhood.
I-Team 8 knocked on the door to ask them about the petition. The only answer we got was from barking dogs inside.
The neighbor who spoke with I-Team 8 anonymously has a message for the man who lives here, “Just be peaceful, you know? Leave people alone. Nobody bugs him. I feel bad for his neighbors and people who live across the street.”
The Indianapolis Business & Neighborhood Services department sent I-Team 8 a statement.
“The First Amendment protects the right to engage in forms of speech that the public finds hateful or reprehensible. The City can enforce its zoning ordinance or other ordinances in a content-neutral manner, but cannot use ordinance enforcement to target types of speech with which it disagrees. BNS has reviewed this issue, and does not currently believe there is a violation of city ordinance.”
Spokesperson for Indianapolis Business & Neighborhood Services department