Chicago City Council committee delays vote on teen curfew ordinance tied to 'takeovers'
'They should've been here': Chicago alderman debate new curfew for teens
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday went back and forth about the pros and cons of a so-called "snap curfew."
CHICAGO - The Chicago City Council’s Public Safety Committee has delayed a vote on an ordinance that would give police authority to impose temporary curfews on unaccompanied teens.
The measure comes in response to recent so-called "teen takeovers," which have at times turned violent.
The committee met at 10 a.m. Wednesday and announced around 4 p.m. that it would reconvene Monday to hold a vote.
Snap curfew proposal
What we know:
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) had initially argued for an earlier standing curfew in the downtown area in response to multiple recent incidents of violence during large gatherings of young people.
But in recent weeks, he's been negotiating with other city officials a revised version of an ordinance to allow the police superintendent to issue temporary or snap curfews when authorities learn of plans for such gatherings which might turn violent.
Still, civil liberty advocates worry about the possibility that such a policy could lead to a violation of residents' rights. Mayor Brandon Johnson has also expressed an uneasiness with the idea of curfew changes for minors.
Hopkins said the proposal has been co-sponsored by 30 other aldermen. The ordinance also needs approval from the full City Council to become law.
Police would be able to impose a curfew when officials have "probable cause" to believe a mass gathering will happen. The proposal defines a mass gathering as being of 20 or more people which could cause "substantial harm to the safety of the community or other" or cause property damage or injury to others.
The latest version of the ordinance would require police to give notice if a curfew is implemented at least 30 minutes before it goes into effect. Hopkins told Fox 32's Paris Schutz that police and officials would communicate with teens and other residents via social media to ensure they are informed when a curfew is planned.
"We actually want to communicate the effect of the curfew and let everybody know that it's been declared by the superintendent so that could have a preventative effect on these trends, which is the whole point," Hopkins said.
ACLU Illinois decries proposed snap curfew in Chicago to prevent teen takeovers
The ACLU of Illinois is calling on Chicago City Council members to reject a proposed ordinance to allow for temporary snap curfews aimed at preventing so-called teen takeovers which have at eimes turned violent.
A ‘Band-Aid’ solution
The other side:
When asked about the latest proposal during his trip to the state capitol on Wednesday, Johnson still expressed skepticism.
"There are still concerns that I have about the constitutionality of it and what my ultimate goal is to ensure, and I’ve brought people together to have these conversations, that we prevent these occurrences from happening," he said.
Legal groups say the compromise is still likely unconstitutional and have criticized various aspects of the proposal.
Ed Yohnka, the director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois, told Good Day Chicago that he's concerned about residents being informed of what the law is and if they might be in violation.
"How people get notice is not really clear in this case," Yohnka said. "If it's declared in a particular area, and you're a young person having a cup of coffee, and you come outside and there's suddenly a curfew, you can be subject to that without even knowing that there was something in place."
Yohnka also argued that studies have shown curfews aren't effective as a policing strategy and that the CPD already has the power to disperse crowds when they're concerned about criminal activity.
He described curfew changes as a "Band-Aid" solution to public safety which requires "a serious conversation."
"We should also have a discussion about why it is that we're suddenly fearful of a crowd of young people in Streeterville on a Friday night, but 81 times a year in Wrigleyville, there are large crowds and nobody says we should have a curfew," Yohnka said, referring to Chicago Cubs games.
In a statement, the National Lawyer's Guild said it was "alarmed" at the proposal.
"This approach has the serious potential to violate people's due process rights to have notice of what conduct is prohibited or illegal," the group said. "There are already laws in place that address harmful or violent conduct by individuals or groups, regardless of whether a curfew is in place. Broadening CPD's powers to declare curfews and arrest our city's young people at gatherings is not the answer."
Mass teen gatherings
The backstory:
The debate over implementing curfews in the city came after a string of violent incidents in recent weeks during large gatherings.
On March 9, a 46-year-old woman visiting Chicago was shot while walking with her son in Streeterville. A 15-year-old boy was charged in connection with that shooting.
On March 28, a 15-year-old boy was shot and had a graze wound to his leg in the city’s downtown. A 14-year-old boy was charged in connection with the shooting.