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Aurora mayor urges safe student protests, cites Census filing and limits on releasing juvenile footage
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Summary
Mayor Loesch praised students’ civic engagement but urged safety during recent walkouts, encouraged advance routing and marshals, and said the city filed a 'new construction only' Census application expected to cost about $550,000 and potentially generate roughly $600,000 a year; video of juvenile-involved incidents will not be released while investigations proceed.
Mayor John Loesch on Tuesday urged students taking part in recent walkouts across Aurora to keep protests safe while defending their right to civic engagement and announced the city has filed a U.S. Census Bureau application targeting new construction that city staff estimate could yield roughly $600,000 in annual revenue.
"I want to begin by addressing our students, admiring your efforts to take a stand and have your voices heard," Loesch said during his mayor's report, while urging organizers to notify police of planned routes, stay on sidewalks and assign marshals to keep crowds safe. "While none of us want ICE to return to Aurora...we would encourage students to become active with the Aurora Community Watch and Aurora Rapid Response Team," he added, naming local volunteer groups he said could help document federal immigration enforcement activity.
Loesch acknowledged the scale of recent walkouts—"yesterday, over 1,500 students walked out of various schools"—and said most demonstrations proceeded without incident, but that a "small minority, about 5, less than 10 people" walked into traffic and antagonized police by throwing water bottles. He said investigations into use-of-force incidents are ongoing and that the city will not release video footage while those investigations continue, citing confidentiality protections in the Illinois Juvenile Court Act.
Shannon Cameron, the city’s chief of staff, answered council questions about the Census filing. Cameron said the application is for an amended, "new construction only" effort and that federal certification of the count typically takes about a year after the count is completed; she called the $600,000 figure a conservative estimate tied to the new-construction map and said final receipts depend on the timing of certification and the Census Bureau's schedule.
Loesch also told the council the city budgeted roughly $550,000 to execute the Census effort and that some funds already were used to begin outreach and signups when federal hiring freezes earlier in the year paused Census outreach. "Some of that money has been spent, but the majority of it is still there," Cameron said. She added that any revenue from the effort would be in place until the next federal count in 2030.
The mayor's remarks drew questions from council members about timing and whether the projected new revenue spans multiple years; city staff said the revenue begins after Census certification and continues until the next decennial count. Loesch closed the report by asking staff to coordinate with schools and community groups to promote safer demonstrations and alternative channels for student expression.
Next steps: city staff will follow up on the Census application timeline as the Census Bureau sets certification dates and will continue the ongoing investigation into protest-related incidents.
