Peaceful Protests End With Rioting, Looting In Downtown Aurora

AURORA, IL — A day of protest that started with demonstrators hugging Aurora’s police chief during a peaceful gathering outside the department’s headquarters ended with the city under a state of emergency. City and county officials enacted a curfew Sunday night after the peaceful protests throughout the city gave way to looting and violent clashes with police in downtown Aurora.

Hundreds peacefully demonstrated outside Aurora City Hall for more than an hour Sunday evening, chanting “No justice, no peace” and kneeling symbolically in front of dozens of police officers equipped with riot gear. Tensions between protesters and police grew after a woman who was demonstrating up the street demanded to know why officers shot tear gas at her.

Minutes later, police fired multiple tear gas canisters toward protesters as they clashed in a parking lot at Broadway and East Downer Place before police retreated through the alley next to the train tracks.

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Over the next half hour, dozens of people smashed windows and looted stores along Broadway, including the Happy Daze smoke shop, Colima Jewelry, Aurora Jewelry and the First Midwest Bank. Shortly after police used tear gas to clear the glass-strewn block of Broadway, throngs of people fled the city’s nearby public parking lot when an Elgin police SUV was set on fire. Protesters watching from across the street cheered and applauded as the vehicle exploded.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain and Chairman Chris Lauzen soon after enacted a curfew from 8:30 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday for Aurora Township. Aurora police also closed down Interstate 88 exit ramps during the curfew to keep non-residents from entering the city. A state of emergency was also declared in Cook County, and the City of Chicago implemented a 9 p.m. curfew after similar unrest.

"Today we hosted a peaceful protest at the Aurora Police Department," Irvin said while announcing a state of emergency in Aurora. "However, once the protest ended, the crowd dispersed and then grew substantially with other participants throughout the streets of Aurora. While Chief Ziman and I were honored to participate in the initial protest, we will not tolerate lawlessness in our city."

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Protesters demonstrated peacefully throughout Sunday afternoon, with hundreds demanding justice for George Floyd outside the Aurora Police Headquarters on Indian Trail Road before marching to the Chicago Premium Outlets. Protesters were met by more than a dozen Aurora police officers wearing riot gear and holding shields. Officers stopped the group at the entrance to the mall's parking lot, setting up a tense standoff that lasted at least 20 minutes.

Using a bullhorn, officers told protesters their demonstrations had "been deemed unlawful" and threatened to arrest anyone who didn't "disperse immediately." A window of a mall security vehicle was smashed, but there appeared to be no injuries.

After being turned away at the Chicago Premium Outlets, protesters started a more than 5-mile trek to Aurora City Hall. The group drew energy from hundreds, potentially thousands, of drivers honking and shouting encouragement as they wound through the streets. Despite shutting down traffic throughout the city for much of the afternoon, there were very few confrontations with drivers, with some joining the caravan to City Hall and others handing out water bottles.