Aurora Officials Join Calls For Police Reform, Racial Justice

AURORA, IL — After weeks of protests throughout the country, more than a dozen black and Latino officials met Sunday in Aurora to throw their support behind demands for racial justice and police reform.

Speaking at Sunday morning’s “unity press conference” outside Simmons Middle School, State Rep. Barbara Hernandez called for unity in the fight “to dismantle racism in all forms.”

“I’m here today to stand with my colleagues to demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and every single person who has suffered at the hands of police brutality and white supremacy,” Hernandez said. “I am here to denounce the systemic racism that disempowers black communities and all communities of color across Illinois and across our nation. We must come together in unity to dismantle racism in all forms.”

Hernandez implored Aurora residents to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and “amplify black voices.”

“It is up to every one of us — every one of us,” Hernandez said. “Everybody has to participate to continue the fight of equality and urge each member of our community to commit to working together towards a better and more just future.”

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State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch called on the state legislature’s black and Latino caucuses to work together on policies to ensure racial justice, recalling how a similar show of unity helped lawmakers pass laws to strengthen the rights of immigrants.

“I don’t know much about immigration, but I know what’s right. People shouldn’t be targeted because of their race and the color of their skin,” Welch said of why he championed the legislation. “The Latino story is no different than the black story, and so we have to stand together.”

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Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said he and the other elected leaders at the event Sunday have a “responsibility to step up and make a difference in our community … (and) be a voice in our neighborhoods.”

Hundreds of people demonstrated May 31 outside the Aurora Police Department, demanding justice for George Floyd. The protest remained peaceful for more than four hours as demonstrators marched from the Aurora Police Department to the Chicago Premium Outlets to City Hall.

The demonstration in downtown Aurora gave way to looting and clashes between police and protesters after police fired tear gas at a group of protesters about a block from City Hall.

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Speaking a week after those events, Irvin apologized to black and Latino Aurorans who have been mistreated by the city’s police department.

“I’m sorry to those … that have been taken advantage of, disregarded, discriminated against. I’m sorry,” Irvin said. “But we will work hard every day to do better. We will be better.”

Irvin said most of the city’s 300-plus officers “are good officers,” but he pledged to make changes.

“I can say, as the mayor of the second largest city in this state, that I will do everything in my power to ensure that we have safety in our community, for our black and brown community,” Irvin said.

The mayor’s office did not provide additional information Monday on Irvin’s pledge, but a spokesman said he is expected to provide details during Tuesday’s Aurora City Council meeting.

Nicholas Richard-Thompson, a communications coordinator for the City of Aurora, recalled a quote by Frederick Douglass, which states, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. … The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

“We’ve seen nationally that those limits have been reached, and I think it’s a very pivotal political moment that it would be irresponsible if we didn’t seize to make radical change,” Richard-Thompson said.

“We can talk about institutionalized racism, but if you’re not going to be willing to talk about mass incarceration and ending something like that, then you’re not talking about ending institutionalized racism,” he continued. “If you're not talking about transforming how policing is done, then you’re not talking about ending institutionalized racism.”

At the end of the event, Aurora Ald. Scheketa Hart-Burns presented petitions calling for police reform and increased transparency to Irvin and state Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Chicago), who chairs the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus in state House.

Watch the officials' "unity press conference" below: