AURORA, Colo. — As the City of Aurora approaches its second virtual city council meeting in a row due to interruptions from protestors, the public comment issue is being put up for a vote.
Councilmembers Francoise Bergan and Danielle Jurinsky are introducing a measure this week to manage public comment during meetings.
“We really want to hear from our residents and our citizens who have genuine concerns, but it seems like that is not what it has turned into, and there are a lot of theatrics that have come into play here,” said Jurinsky.
During the first virtual Aurora City council meeting on Jan. 27, most public comments throughout the night were taken over by protesters for Kilyn Lewis, who was shot and killed by an Aurora police officer trying to arrest him on an attempted murder warrant.
A report later found Aurora Police Officer Michael Dieck’s actions did not violate agency policy.
At one point in the meeting, former Denver Public Schools Board Member Auon'tai Anderson, who has faced off with city officials in the past, dialed in for public comment.
“You have the ability to join me in a moment of silence for Kylan Lewis…” he started.
At this point, some back-and-forth between Anderson and multiple council members could be heard before someone yelled, “Done!”
His line was then cut off.
At another point, another protester called Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman a coward.
“What kind of future are we building if we fail to address again the systemic failures that harm all lives, but especially Black lives,” began another protester before someone else on the council cut her off with, “Done!”
Ultimately, the Jan. 27 city council meeting ended with a motion to eliminate public comment for the rest of the night while council members figured out the best way to proceed in future meetings.
“I don't know the person who should be honored is not being honored as a result of this behavior. And it doesn't serve us,” said councilmember Stephanie Hancock.
“We do need to get back on track,” added councilmember Angela Lawson. “At the end of the day, we got to try to figure this out.”
Councilmember Jurinsky told Denver7 that the measure she’s proposing would instead create a separate public hearing session 40 minutes before the start of city council meetings.
Speakers would have two minutes to talk instead of the current allotment of three minutes, and Aurora residents would be pushed to the front of the line.
“I think a big interference is that the people of Aurora, people that have concerns about their neighborhoods or roads or something else other than the Aurora Police Department, we're not able to hear from them,” she said. “This will place priority on Aurora residents.”
Council members say protesters have been speaking out at every meeting since July.
“We were trying to be respectful [in] the beginning. But there were so many disruptions, over and over again, that and with, you know, repetitive information. I don't know where we're at right now,” said Councilmember Bergan.
The measure will be voted on at the next city council meeting on Monday.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.