AURORA | Aurora lawmakers gave first approval Monday night to declare every April “Second Chance Month” for residents with a criminal record.
Councilmember Curtis Gardner sponsored the statement, which would express support for convicted Aurorans who have served their prison time but may still face barriers to employment, education, housing and other “stigmas,” Gardner said.
“It’s really just a statement that we want to make sure that those stigmas are removed, so folks don’t face what is sometimes called ‘second prison,’” he said. Gardner elaborated on the resolution in a Sentinel op-ed Monday.
Lawmakers are slated to cast a formal vote on the resolution during a council meeting April 12.
City council members also received a laundry list of police reform recommendations penned by citizens on Aurora’s Community Police Task Force.
Central to those recommendations, which were in the works for more than a year, is a proposal to create a police watchdog office with the power to investigate and fire police. The watchdog would also work with the state Attorney General to charge cops accused of breaking the law.
Lawmakers had little comment on the plans Monday. They’ll eventually have final say over whether the proposals will see the light of day.
Ryan Ross, who facilitated the Task Force meetings, said Monday that Aurora voters themselves would have to give the watchdog the power to enforce its decisions about cop malfeasance.
The council is ensuring criminal activity will only increase
Shootings in the city have increased in recent months, with a 73% increase in incidents during which a bullet struck a person’s flesh in 2020, according to Aurora Police department data.
Among the stigmas that should be removed is the prohibition against running for and holding public office.
Listen to yourself? What we need is convicted felons in a leadership role in the City of Aurora.
We can only hope that there will come a day when a convicted embezzler can be elected to oversee millions of dollars of tax money.