Compromise reached in Chicago City Council on curfew downtown amid teen takeovers; vote expected next month
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CHICAGO (WLS) — The City Council is preparing to move forward with a new curfew ordinance to address the problem of teen takeovers.

A compromise was worked out Wednesday morning before the start of the City Council meeting.

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Downtown Alderman Brian Hopkins said he has worked out a compromise with his City Council colleagues to allow for targeted curfews to address safety concerns about teen takeovers anywhere in the city.

In response to a number of teen takeovers, including a recent one involving hundreds of young people, where a 15-year-old boy was shot, Hopkins originally proposed to change the curfew for unaccompanied minors from 10 to 8 p.m. in the central business district.

Police were unable to disperse the crowd until after 10 p.m., when the current curfew kicked in.

But the mayor was not onboard with that, and there was not enough support in the Council.

So, now it will be a discretionary curfew that could be imposed by the police superintendent or local commanders anywhere or anytime, in response to large gatherings.

“It’s based on when these teen takeovers actually occur, we can respond to this tool,” Alderman Hopkins said. “When there’s nothing going on like in the winter months when these things tend to not happen, we don’t necessarily need this curfew. So, it’s applied on an as-needed basis. It is declared in response to what’s happening, and then after the event is over, the curfew lapses until such time it needs to be brought forth again.”

The temporary curfew could take place when there is a gathering of 20 or more people and police deem it necessary to maintain safety and order.

“It is now situational, and the Chicago Police Department can decide if a situational curfew is necessary, and they are best placed to make that decision,” 34th Ward Ald. Bill Conway said.

Hopkins said he has the support to get this revised ordinance passed, and the Law Department has signed off on its legality. It could still undergo some changes before that vote.

He plans to hold a public hearing and then eventually bring it up for a vote at the May City Council meeting, so it would be in place before the Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial kickoff to the summer.

But the proposed changes are raising a few concerns about the potential for abuse.

“You give officers the ability to impose curfews based on situations, anybody want to bet how many times it happens at Wrigley or other parts of town, right? So, there is a way the tool could be used unfairly depending on the situation, income, color. It might lead to profiling,” 40th Ward Ald. Andre Vasquez said.

Under the current curfew, violators could still face fines or community services.

Chicago police have been working with the Council to address safety around these teen gatherings.

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