AURORA | Activists supporting the family of an unarmed Black man killed by an Aurora police officer during an arrest in May plans to rally outside the Aurora Municipal Center before this evening’s City Council meeting.
The group’s 5:30 p.m. protest outside, rather than inside City Hall comes as the council has decided to hold a virtual- rather than in-person council meeting largely to avoid disruptions by the family of Kilyn Lewis, who was unarmed when shot by Aurora SWAT Officer Michael Dieck while being arrested in connection with attempted murder charges on May 23. Lewis, 37, died from his wounds two days later.
Several of his family members have been among the speakers deriding the city all summer for its long string of police killings and urging council members to force law enforcement to speed up their investigation, fire Dieck — who is on paid leave during the probe — and criminally charge him for Lewis’ death.
A resolution proposed for tonight would change rules to make it less convenient for those activists and other members of the public to speak in person at Aurora’s City Council meetings. The sign-up period for doing so would open up in-person at 5 p.m., an hour and a half before the meeting starts every other Monday, as opposed to online three days prior on Friday afternoons, which has been the policy. Given that the council allows only an hour for public comments, the proposed change could make it less likely for people who can’t physically make it to city hall to be heard on issues many members of the public want to address.
“It’s too restrictive,” said Auon’tai Anderson, spokesperson for the Justice for Kilyn Action Team.
The resolution also would require all comments to lawmakers be made in person from the lectern on the council floor. It comes in response to racist, anti-semetic and homophobic comments made by a while supremacist call-in commenter identifying himself only as Scotty at the last council meeting Sept. 9. Offensive public comments made through remote meeting technology have become a regular occurrence nationwide, dubbed “zoom bombing.” The commenter either overrides control of virtual meeting software, making it impossible to “mute” them, or they take advantage of call-in systems unable to disconnect the caller. Denver, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge city council meetings have had similar episodes as the one in Aurora on Sept. 9.
Also on tonight’s council agenda are a proposal to create a program to manage stray shopping carts in the city and a law preventing the public from being denied access to the Aurora Reservoir due to private or special events booked there.
In other business, the council will consider removing the “sunset provision,” or expiration date from an ordinance related to retail theft, which is set to end on Oct. 26 — two years after it went into effect in 2022. That proposal would make permanent the mandatory minimum sentence for shoplifting an item valued at more than $100 at least three days in jail for a first-time offense. Minimum jail sentences for second- and third-time offenders would indefinitely remain 90 days and 180 days, respectively.
The proposal also would indefinitely extend the mandatory minimum sentence for stealing food or accommodations valued at more than $15 to at least three days in jail.
For people convicted of motor vehicle theft in Aurora, the mandatory minimum sentence would remain at 60 days in jail for a first time offense and at least 120 days for repeat offenses.Failure to appear on a theft charge would continue to come with a mandatory minimum jail sentence of 10 days, if the proposal passes.
The city council also will consider an ordinance requiring the city to impound vehicles stopped by a police officer whose operator does not have a valid driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance. The measure would not prompt impoundment unless a driver was missing all three documents.
The city council meeting can be watched live streamed beginning at 5:15 p.m. Monday by clicking here.