Chicago alderman pushes for police power to break up teen crowds: 'Take the shackles off'

CHICAGO - A proposal to give Chicago police the power to enforce temporary curfews for unaccompanied minors during chaotic public events is moving forward, with some growing support—even from those who were initially skeptical.

What we know:

Second Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins, who chairs the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, says the ordinance is intended to give district police commanders the ability to declare curfews in real time, if a large group of unsupervised teens is posing a potential threat to public safety.

Hopkins says the curfew would only apply to minors who are not accompanied by a responsible adult and would be limited to the duration and area of the immediate disruption.

"You've got 200 teens that just got off the Red Line — what do you do?" Hopkins asked. "We declare a curfew for that moment, for that area, applying to unaccompanied minors only. You know, kids without any supervision who are there in large groups. We use that curfew to pull those children out of that dangerous and volatile situation, and then after the event has been diffused, the curfew expires."

The ordinance has support from 32 council members, and Hopkins says he’s working with both city officials and community groups to refine the policy.

He also said the mayor, who originally opposed the idea, has "softened" his stance.

"It’s not quite the same as support, but we’re getting there," Hopkins said. "If there are some changes that need to be made in terms of how we would actually enforce this, I’m open to the conversation. It's a complicated thing to do." 

Hopkins says commanders have been trained in de-escalation and crowd psychology ahead of the Democratic National Convention, but youth advocates may still have concerns.

"Well, we put a lot of discretion and trust in our police, the district commanders who are in charge of a specific area, many of them were specifically trained in the lead up to the DNC, crowd management tactics, how to deescalate, how to contain, how to identify the leaders within a crowd who are possibly the ones that might break out into violence. All of that is part psychology and part policing tactics. And we have a police department who knows how to do that. So if we would only take the shackles off them and let them do what they're trained to do, they could go into a crowd of 300 15-year-olds who are running crazy on the streets and do the things that are necessary to deescalate and stop the chaos," said Hopkins. 

Groups such as My Block, My Hood, My City and the Boys and Girls Club will have the chance to share their perspectives at the upcoming public hearing and a roundtable hosted by Hopkins and state Rep. LaShawn Ford.

Hopkins said those conversations are essential, even if they’re uncomfortable.

With warmer weather fast approaching, Hopkins says there’s a sense of urgency to get the ordinance passed and implemented.

What's next:

A public hearing will be scheduled soon, where community leaders and organizations can weigh in. Hopkins says the goal is to reach consensus and finalize the ordinance in time for summer, when large crowds of young people often gather downtown.

The backstory:

The proposal comes after several high-profile incidents involving youth violence in downtown Chicago, including a shooting involving a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old. Hopkins said while many youth programs are in place to help teens, they don’t address urgent safety threats.

"When you have mass chaos break out on the streets, that’s not the time to talk about the job fair, or the counseling sessions or the midnight basketball league," he said. "That doesn't help you in the immediate emergency situation."

The mayor, while not yet fully backing the ordinance, has signaled a willingness to work with Hopkins and find a compromise. Meanwhile, Hopkins emphasized that the city isn’t abandoning youth support programs—it’s just adding another tool.

"It’s a tool that stays in the toolbox until we need it," he said.