Elmhurst Official Confronts Conservative At ICE Protest
Alderman Rex Irby said he had a badge when the activist, Terry Newsome of Darien, told the alderman he was not an officer.
On Saturday, the demonstrators were along the street in front of the Marriott hotel, where federal agents were believed to have been staying.
When Newsome arrived and
"You like me," Newsome said.
"I hate you. I hate all that you stand for," she said.
Newsome replied, "Am I making you horny, you old grandma?"
"Are you dead yet? Go away. Go away. You're not welcome here," she said.
"Neither are the illegals," Newsome said. "They are not welcome here. We want them out – all of them."
Then Irby, who was elected in 2023, approached Newsome.
"Just so you know, Terry, we have to keep the sidewalk clear," said the alderman, who was wearing his official city name tag.
"Don't tell me what to do," Newsome responded.
"I'm telling you to do what the police will tell you to do, sir," Irby said.
"You're not a cop," Newsome said. "Let (the officer) tell me what to do."
Irby said, "I do have a badge."
He then said he would talk to Lombard police, saying it's their job to keep the sidewalk clear.
Irby said something about public safety. Then he pointed to his name tag, saying, "Look, I'm elected."
Newsome, who has been elected before as a Republican committeeman, said he would stay on the grass, to which Irby replied, "They're not going to let you do that either."
"But these people can?" Newsome asked, pointing to the other demonstrators, nearly all of whom were on the grass.
"You can do whatever you want," Irby said.
Asked by Patch about his reference to a badge, Irby said he was referring to his name tag.
"In retrospect, it's something that I shouldn't have said. It was in the heat of the battle," the alderman said in an interview. "It was to get him off the sidewalk, so people could get through."
He said that although he was not an attorney, aldermen have constable-type powers to keep the peace.
"It's kind of like a sheriff who gets elected with no police background," Irby said.
In an email to Patch, Irby said a Lombard police sergeant briefed a group of protesters beforehand about keeping off the sidewalk and staying off the hotel's private property.
The demonstrators were mostly in the grass between the sidewalk and the street.
Irby said he was trying to be nice to Newsome to let him know what the police said. He said he showed up early and had one-on-one conversations with the police.
"I had my city council name tag on, but did tell (officers) I am here as a private citizen, not representing the City of Elmhurst," he said.
In an interview, Mayor Scott Levin said Irby's actions were within the bounds of an elected official.
"It appears that he did act in the heat of the moment. I don't doubt him on that," the mayor said.
Levin said Irby did not misrepresent himself, flash a badge or hide his identity, with the name tag on his coat.
"There could be no confusion on who he was," Levin said.
As for constable powers, he said some sort of such authority exists, but no one ever uses it.
"I don't know that it would apply outside the legal boundaries of Elmhurst," the mayor said.
In 2023, a few months after taking office, Irby
Levin said the leader wasn't under investigation and that Irby wasn't authorized to speak for the city or the police.
