Aurora Pride Parade permit reinstated after denial
AURORA, Ill. (CBS) -- The City of Aurora has reinstated the permit for an LGBTQ Pride Parade this weekend, after it was denied due to a what the city said was a lack of police protection.
The City of Aurora said the permit was reinstated because enough officers have now been brought onboard for security:
"Even after an independent hearing officer upheld the City's decision to revoke the Pride Parade permit based on manpower shortages, we continued our good faith efforts with the Aurora Police Department to secure the additional officers needed for the 2022 Aurora Pride Parade.
"The City didn't just double down on our efforts; we tripled down by offering an unprecedented triple-time financial incentive to our officers, and the required number of police officers to secure the parade has been successfully attained.
"Consequently, a rescission of permit revocation has been submitted to Aurora Pride, and the Aurora Pride Parade can proceed as planned for Sunday, June 12.
"The overall safety and security of parade participants and spectators have always been the primary goal of the City of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department.
"While a series of unfortunate events may have led us on this path, we hope this course will continue to be paved with a focus on inclusivity, collaboration, and compromise for this year's pride parade."
The American Civil Liberties Union stepped in after the permit was pulled and an appeal by Aurora Pride was denied. The ACLU released the following statement early Thursday evening:
"We are pleased that Aurora City officials have relented, reinstating the permit to Aurora Pride and allowing the Pride Parade to go forward this weekend. It is good that we have avoided the necessity for emergency litigation and that families and residents from across Aurora will be able to enjoy this event. Happy Pride everyone."
A judge earlier Thursday had denied an appeal by Aurora Pride of the city's decision to cancel an LGBTQ Pride Parade, which is planned for Sunday.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, this all follows weeks and weeks of back and forth between the city and Aurora Pride, which hosts the private special event.
In a statement earlier Thursday, the City of Aurora said after listening to testimonies and reviewing evidence by Aurora Pride, the City of Aurora, and the Aurora Police Department, Administrative Law Judge Victor E. Puscas Jr. denied the appeal in Aurora Branch Court.
Thus, the revocation of the special events permit for the parade has been upheld by the judge.
Aurora Pride Appeal Hearing Findings by Adam Harrington on Scribd
The American Civil Liberties Union released a statement Thursday afternoon saying the fight is not over and they plan to take the issue to federal court.
"It is unacceptable that Aurora City officials have denied a permit for the upcoming Pride Parade. The Parade has been a family friendly event, aimed at welcoming all members of the Aurora community for a celebration of diversity and inclusion. Rather than embrace this event – as thousands of members of the community have done over the past few years – City officials have created a faux controversy and refuse to provide adequate security so that everyone has the opportunity to celebrate safely. This is not constitutional and we intend to ask a federal court to order Aurora to meets it obligation to its residents. We will be on file shortly."
The city of Aurora said it first revoked the event permit out of safety concerns. City officials said they don't have enough officers to provide security.
Organizers were told they had until noon Wednesday to recruit the 20 officers needed from other jurisdictions, but they came up short.
The City of Aurora said in a statement Wednesday that it issued a Notice of Revocation for the parade because the Aurora Pride board could not secure enough police officers. The city emphasized that the Aurora Police Department had provided 70 percent of the officers for the parade.
"The revocation of the Special Event Permit, which authorized Aurora Pride to conduct the parade, prohibits the parade from taking place as scheduled." The city said.
The Aurora Police Department said Tuesday that when police officers are needed privately-run special event, the officers are assigned as an extra job outside their regular duties Extra jobs and overtime are voluntary, and city cannot force any officers to work for the parade, Aurora police said.
As it is, the Aurora Police Department has already been struggling to get officers to work overtime to fill staff shortages, sick calls, and vacation time with overtime – while also ensuring there are enough officers on patrol to ensure public safety in the city, police said – adding that fewer officers want to work extra shifts than in the past.
Thus, Aurora Pride was tasked with recruiting officers from other jurisdictions to volunteer after their permit was approved May 3.
The Aurora Pride Parade has already been mired in controversy involving the police department for a separate reason. Organizers for the parade made the decision last month that law enforcement officers may participate – but without weapons, uniforms, or individual vehicles.
Parade organizers in late May issued a news release reading in part, "many members of the community feel uneasy in the presence of official law enforcement vehicles, as well as uniformed officers, due to negative experiences they themselves or someone they know have had."
The organizers did allow uniformed police officers during the 2018 and 2019 pride parades in Aurora. But they said in 2022, the climate has shifted – and community members are more strained than they were three years ago.
Aurora Pride called the request to keep uniformed officers out of the parade "a meaningful opportunity to improve community engagement and build trust." Parade organizers have said the request has since been misconstrued by both city officials and residents.
As a result of that decision, Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin said last week that he would not be participating in the parade, and also announced the City of Aurora would no longer have a float in the parade.
"The impacted officers and the command staff of the Aurora Police Department are not in agreement with this, and I stand with our officers. As a result, I will not participate in this year's Aurora Pride Parade, as I did in previous years," Irvin wrote. "Furthermore, I am withdrawing the City of Aurora's float from the parade, and the Pride Flag Raising Ceremony - initially planned to be held in collaboration with Aurora Pride - will now be presented solely by the City."
Irvin wrote that the City of Aurora has "worked diligently for years" to strengthen trust between police and the community "without painting Aurora with the broad brush of a national narrative."
A group gathered earlier Thursday as both sides presented their case.
We caught up with Luma Webster of Indivisible Aurora before the appeal was denied.
Webster said at that point, no matter what: "We have had community members reach out to say they still want to celebrate in some way, whether that is to come downtown and support businesses. There's a community market that's happening downtown as well, with over 40 vendors, so we will hopefully still see people coming out to celebrate, showing their pride."
Webster said the intention was not to exclude police from the parade – only for them to attend without their uniforms or weapons.
"We want the community together. This is a celebration for the LGBTQ community and so we're hoping at the end we can have that for them," Webster said. "This is a great way for us to show support for each other, so the request was to ask, to welcome police to March, we wanted them to be there."
Webster also said the idea was not for police officers to obscure their jobs in the parade.
"The request was for a soft uniform, colorful T-shirts, banners with signage, their badges – a potential opportunity for them to get creative with how they're showing up for community; to show up humbly, with them, to say, 'We are here to support you,'" Webster said, "and unfortunately I think that was misconstrued."
Webster added the onus has been on the Aurora Police Department in the past to provide security.
"I think regardless of what's happened, each and every time the community has been supportive and has wanted the parade to happen," Webster said.
