United State of Indiana Shouts Opposition to RFRA from Rooftop
Editor’s Note: Sometime on Thursday, April 2, the 10-foot-by-16 foot banner was taken down from the King Cole Building.
Many people and businesses have voiced their opposition to the RFRA signed into law by Governor Mike Pence on March 26. United State of Indiana, a local apparel company, is shouting their opinion of RFRA from rooftops. Literally. On Tuesday some members of the USI crew installed a banner atop the King Cole Building at the corner of Meridian and Washington streets. USI founder Graham Brown chatted about the project and his company exclusively with IM:
Who is behind USI, and how diverse is the crew?
As a company, USI is a small group—just myself and a few friends. The movement of USI kind of encompasses all of our customers and audience, though. Opportunities like getting up on the roof wouldn’t come about without this awesome network of people around the state who are watching and contributing to what we do.
What was the motivation for installing the USI logo atop the downtown building?
It was just a spur-of-the-moment project. The idea came up, a few pieces fell into place, and we went for it. Our motivation was to be another voice for Indiana’s citizens, hoping that we could make the nation curious about their perceptions of our home as attention turns here for the Final Four.
How long will it remain on top of the building?
Hopefully it will stay up at least throughout the weekend, but there’s no telling.
Where does USI work from, and where can your product be found?
I work out of the Speak Easy building in Broad Ripple. Our products are in a couple dozen stores around the state.
Why do you #LoveIndy?
Indy’s a city that’s thriving in a lot of ways. Really creative, talented people are being supported here, and Indy’s creative community (regardless of their field of work, job title, or areas of interest) is getting lots of chances to do good work and make our voice heard. As we continue to grow into a city that relies on our local art, culture, and commerce, I think we’ll have to spend less time dealing with out-of-touch politicians who speak loudly on our behalf and don’t take time to explain their words to us first. These tragic political events will become less newsworthy as our city and state fill more headlines with honest, meaningful work being done by humble Hoosiers who truly care about their surroundings.
