CITY HALL — Several City Council members are calling for Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) to apologize and resign from his committee chairmanship after he spoke at a rally last week where a protestor burned an American flag.
Several alderpeople and veterans spoke at a news conference Wednesday at City Hall, saying they found Sigcho-Lopez’s behavior “reprehensible” and “a failure” of leadership.
They gathered to “stand up for what we believe is a higher standard of conduct that we’ve imposed upon ourselves as elected officials representing the great residents of this city,” said Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th), a veteran and former Police Department officer.
Sigcho-Lopez is a two-term alderman representing Pilsen and Little Village, and he is the chair of the City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate.
He spoke Friday outside City Hall at an event where photos show someone — not Sigcho-Lopez — set fire to an American flag on the sidewalk. Demonstrators were showing support for Palestine in the Israel-Hamas war and criticizing Chicago’s hosting of the Democratic National Convention.
In a statement earlier this week, representatives from Sigcho-Lopez’s office said “at no point was his attention drawn to the flag, nor did he endorse or support such actions.” The alderman attended the rally to address “critical issues such as the genocide in Gaza and the failure of the DNC to prioritize immigration reform.”
Still, Sigcho-Lopez, a member of City Council’s Democratic Socialist caucus, faced heavy criticism in social media posts from some fellow alderpeople for speaking near the burned flag. Some have said they want Sigcho-Lopez censured.
Taliaferro was joined Wednesday by fellow alds. Marty Quinn (13th), Ray Lopez (15th), Silvana Tabares (23rd), Felix Cardona (31st), Bill Conway (34th), Gilbert Villegas (36th), Nicholas Sposato (38th), Anthony Napolitano (41st), Brendan Reilly (42nd) and Debra Silverstein (50th).
Conway, a Navy veteran and a military reservist, said he joined his colleagues to demand an apology from Sigcho-Lopez and have Mayor Brandon Johnson condemn the alderman’s actions.
Sigcho-Lopez “has the right to be inflammatory … but he has a bigger responsibility as a committee chair and member of the mayor’s leadership team because this job isn’t about elevating people who want to burn everything down — it’s about bringing people together to build our communities up,” Conway said.
When asked if the aldermen believed they could get a quorum to call for a special meeting to possibly censure Sigcho-Lopez, Sposato said, “We feel we do.”
Johnson’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In response, Sigcho-Lopez said he is “absolutely not” planning to resign from his position as committee chair.
“To me, this seems like political theater,” he told Block Club. “It’s the same reactionary voices that want to distract us and divide us. I’m not going to apologize for using my First Amendment right.”
Sigcho-Lopez said he has a track record for advocating for housing as a human right and creating more affordable housing to help Chicagoans experiencing homelessness — many of whom are veterans — while some of his critics don’t.
“Why aren’t we working on housing as a human right for veterans? What side are these people on?” he asked.
The alderpeople condemning Sigcho-Lopez’s actions have often clashed or disagreed with him and other Democratic Socialists over progressive proposals.
Other officials have shown support for Sigcho-Lopez.
“McCarthyism is back and brought to you by these alders,” Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez (33rd), an ally of Sigcho-Lopez, said on X, referring to a photo of the alderpeople hosting Wednesday’s press conference.
In a statement, Illinois Veterans For Change said the group respects the right to free speech and noted veterans risk their lives to defend the fundamental right.
“Those elected to public office through a free and fair democratic system should be the first to recognize what the American flag represents,” according to the group. “We ask anyone burning the American flag to appreciate how hurtful, discriminatory, and divisive this action is to veterans, their families and supporters.”
Counterprotestors and 25th Ward constituents also gathered Wednesday at City Hall, at times interrupting the news conference with chants like, “Alders, Alders, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” and “Byron no estás solo,” which means “Byron, you are not alone” in Spanish.
The sergeant-at-arms asked them to quiet down.
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