Pressure builds for city to release tapes

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The community is putting more pressure on the City of South Bend to release the tapes. To further prove their point, protesters showed up to the South Bend Common Council meeting Monday night carrying boxes wrapped in caution tape. 

Members of the local group, Citizens United for a Better Government, came out to support the Common Council, who have been pushing Mayor Pete Buttigieg to explain why the city said it did not get a letter from the Department of Justice when it really did. 

Community members said the boxes, wrapped in caution tape, also contained tapes and a letter to symbolize how ridiculous they felt the mayor's actions and subsequent decisions were. A common theme from the folks vocalizing their concerns was that they feel the mayor is lying to the community.

"Newsweek said the city was the seventh dying city. South Bend is not a dying city, it is a lying city," said Rev. Greg Brown.

Council members said, in addition to the letter being faxed and emailed to the city, the Department of Justice confirmed with the common council that a copy of the letter was also put inside the unopened box containing the tapes. 

"The majority of the council is appreciative of people coming out and still being interested in the thing going on in South Bend," said Council President Derek Dieter.

Both the community and the common council said they still have a lot of unanswered questions and those at the meeting make it clear that they support the common council for trying to get answers and hold the city accountable.

"There is a saying that many true things are said in jest and even though it was something that was a joke it was something very serious," said Councilman Oliver Davis.

The Council said they expect to hear from the mayor's office this Thursday because that is when the city is suppose to respond to the council's requests.