Dupage Policy Journal

GOP gubernatorial candidate and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin once defended Black Lives Matter rioters in the town, saying he understood the need for "disruption" of white, Asian and Hispanic businesses to force their owners to accept more "equity and fairness" to blacks.

Irvin made the comments during a Roosevelt University forum in July 2020 on "criminal justice reform" where he and activist lawyer Jarrett Adams discussed "their work to address inequities in the justice system.

“(Coming from) around the country, destroy our downtown in a matter of minutes what it took us years to build. You know, as a I sat there in the police situation room in the EOC, emergency operations center,” Irvin said. “I saw the drones overhead as things on fire, police cars on fire. You know my downtown just on fire, people destroying things. I was conflicted – in one sense I am the mayor and I’m saying, this can’t happen in my city, I refuse to accept this is happening."

"And then on the other hand I realize unless there is some type of disruption in what we want here in our country, things won’t change. Just to simply knock on somebody’s door and say I want equity and fairness without disruption and without anything behind just doesn’t work," he said. "Disruption that needs to happen for real change to occur. So what can I do as mayor, to ensure that we have the change necessary?"

"Now when (blacks) ask for things, we don’t necessarily get what we need," Irvin said. "When we asked for fairness, we asked for equity, it hasn’t been given to us. But now, since you know there’s disruption and we’ve gotten gotten more people involved in our struggle, in our fight that we’ve been dealing with for decades, now people are starting to listen." 

Irvin compared the Black Lives Matter rioters in Aurora to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who he said also "got a lot of the things he asked for" only after getting media attention.

"I mean, we’ve been doing that for years since the (1960s), you know, and the only reason, Dr. (Martin Luther) King, Jr.. and those guys.. those a freedom fighters. Back then, you know, got a lot of the things that they asked for us because news media started televising (it)."

Aurora police reported a crowd of 1,200 rioting and looting downtown Aurora on Memorial Day 2020. They made 17 arrests and filed 65 damage reports. 

Aurora police said they came under attack from rioters who threw objects at them. They also discovered bullet holes in cars and buildings after the rioting. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker later sent the National Guard in to assist. 

Firefighters extinguished four fires. A Family Dollar store on East New York Street was destroyed by a fire. First Midwest Bank's Downtown Aurora branch was also damaged, after someone set up a dumpster fire.

Irvin, who ran for Aurora mayor as a Democrat, has faced criticism running in the gubernatorial primary as a Republican over his support of Black Lives Matter and so-called "diversity, equity and inclusion" policies that seek to punish whites, Asians and Hispanics and reward blacks, and his support for letting boys participate in girls sports.

At a Chicago fundraiser, Irvin said he supported Black Lives Matter because he didn't want it to destroy Aurora.

"Somebody..went up to him and asked him about BLM. You know, 'why are you supporting BLM?," Chicago Morning Answer co-host Amy Jacobson said. "(Irvin) said he supported BLM publicly to save the city from more looting.”

Irvin, is running against State Sen. Bailey Darren Bailey of Clay County, former State Senator Paul Schimpf of Waterloo, venture capitalist Jesse Sullivan of Petersburg, entrepreneur Gary Rabine of Bull Valley, and attorney Max Solomon of Hazel Crest.