Aurora, Illinois Mayor Raises Flag Despite Contradictory Orders
In a surprising move, Aurora’s Democratic Mayor John Lesh directed that the city flag be flown at full staff, despite conflicting messages from both President Donald Trump and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, as revealed in a memo that has been circulating online.
Tyler Robinson was arrested and charged with the assassination of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University. Following this, Trump ordered that flags be flown at half staff in Kirk’s memory. Meanwhile, Pritzker issued a separate declaration that called for flags to be at half staff in honor of “victims of political violence,” notably omitting any mention of Kirk.
Local sources in Aurora have confirmed the authenticity of the memo that claims the mayor’s directive has been enforced by the fire department, leading to tensions among firefighters. One firefighter, for example, stated that they refused to comply with the order to raise the flag. In a tweet, it was noted that the Aurora Linoy State Fire Station was instructed to display the flag at full staff.
Fire Chief David McCabe’s memo indicated that all city buildings, including the fire stations, were to follow the mayor’s directive. He acknowledged that people might have differing views on the appropriateness of flying the flag at full or half staff, but considered the decision irrelevant. He asserted that any attempt to revert to half staff would be seen as a violation of the mayor’s order.
Another source mentioned to the Daily Caller News Foundation that an agreement had been reached between local firefighters and their union regarding this issue. Retired firefighter Frank Rich commented on the situation, stating that the action appeared politically motivated and reflected a divide in how to approach the tragedy of Kirk’s assassination.
According to Trump’s declaration, the flag was supposed to remain at half staff until sunset on September 14. Pritzker’s declaration later concluded this flag protocol on the same day. Lesh later stated that the focus was on remembering those who lost their lives on September 11, rather than addressing Kirk’s assassination directly.
Interestingly, it was noted that Kirk had roots in the suburbs of Chicago, not far from Aurora. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also decided to keep her city’s flag at full staff, adhering to her own local perspective. Moreover, in Johnson County, Iowa, local officials chose to lower the flag to half staff in memory of Kirk, despite Republican Governor Kim Reynolds’ previous declaration.
As of now, both Mayor Lesh and Chief McCabe have not responded to requests for further comments on this contentious matter.
