Graham Rahal Calls Out Indy Crime Problem

**Graham Rahal** (0:02)
I'm IndyCar driver, Graham Rahal, and you're listening to the Hammerin' Nigel Show on 93WIBC.

**Hammer** (0:09)
Presenting the show, Graham Rahal, IndyCar driver, who had a controversial ending to the race over the weekend. But also controversial comments about where he lives in Indianapolis, Hammer, retweeting or responding to a tweet about Indianapolis being a dump.

**Nigel** (0:29)
Well, Graham said that it was a dump in his tweet. It was his tweet that he put out there because he was trying to do an event in downtown Indy where even though he had his security team, and we know some of the guys that do security for Graham, these are pretty big hardcore dudes.
They didn't feel safe at an event because they were outgunned, so to speak, more people around them waving guns at them than they would prefer. So Graham Rahal puts out a tweet on his personal account saying, Indy has turned into a dump talking about the crime. That's what he was talking about. Well, the bleeding hearts got their panties in a twist. We talk about this all the time, Nigel. There's always the guy that goes on social media and posts a picture of himself having a beer on Mass Ave. I don't see anybody getting shot.

**Hammer** (1:23)
It's two o'clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday. It's sunny. Oh, downtown is safe.

**Nigel** (1:30)
But if you look at some of the crime numbers, even if they're going down, they're still redamdiculous. So Graham Rahal points that out, right? Anybody with two eyes and a functioning brain knows that downtown Indy in the hog set era, the boss hog set era has been a hot mess, just like the fearless leader himself, Boss Hog Set. So Graham Rahal puts out that tweet, gets a little pushback.
Jake Query, who does a sports talk show on our sister station, 107.5 The Fan, he is part of the IndyCar radio network and he has access to these guys all the time. So he had Graham Rahal on his program and asked him about those comments about Indy's crime.

**Graham Rahal** (2:19)
People take my comments as Graham taking a shot at Indianapolis. People, first and foremost, I moved to Indianapolis 16 years ago, 17 years ago.
I have tremendous love and pride in the state of Indiana, in the city of Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. I have nothing but love for it, which is what spurs my comments, because you can acknowledge it. I understand that some people will say, oh, Graham's brash and Graham's this. No, we have a problem. We have a problem in our city right now. We have a crime problem. We have a problem that has increased and gotten worse and worse and worse and worse.
And to be silent about it and to be deaf to it is a major issue. And what's scary in today's society, is it left, right or center, contrary to what people believe. It simply is acknowledging when there is a problem and doing what we can to correct the problem.

**Hammer** (3:22)
I love it that he said it's not left, right or center. Just acknowledge there's a problem.

**Nigel** (3:29)
But all these troll Twitter accounts, the wolf of certain streets, Washington Street, says it's fine.
No, it's okay to not be a Republican. It's okay to not be a Democrat and agree that the crime situation sucks. I mean, you can come together on that. It shouldn't be a hot take, but it is. Here's more from Graham Rahal's chat on The Fan earlier today.

**Graham Rahal** (3:56)
And in Indianapolis right now, progressively over the last couple of years, it has gotten worse and worse and worse, to the point that now we have, since I posted that, there was four shootings in the downtown area, both southwest, central at the monument, east by 465 and headed on north recently as of Saturday night. Four guys. So people can get mad at me. Well, you have four shootings in one weekend.
That's unacceptable. And we cannot be tone deaf to the fact that this isn't a Democrat, Republican, whatever issue. This is a societal issue that we all need to come together. So why does Graham care? Because he lives in Zionsville and he's a spoiled rich kid. I read it all. I see it. I don't care, but I see it.
Because I'm a businessman. I'm a proud Hoosier. I become a Hoosier. I've lived there almost as long as I lived in Ohio. Okay? And all of this is going to continue to spread. It's going to continue to get worse. It's going to eventually affect each and every one of us, whether you live in Zionsville, whether you live downtown, whether you live in Greenwood, whether you live in Fishers, Brownsburg, it doesn't matter.