A Chicago alderman is proposing an 8 p.m. curfew for some parts of the city after a recent attack in Streeterville. Lisa Chavarria has more.
A Chicago Alderman Wednesday is set to propose an 8 p.m. curfew on unaccompanied minors downtown, one week after a recent incident in Streeterville saw two teens charged after allegedly assaulting a 40-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman pregnant woman walking downtown.
The proposal is being put forth by Chicago Ald. Brian Hopkins, who represents the 2nd Ward.
"I have begun working on an 8 p.m. curfew on unaccompanied minors 17 and younger in the Central Business District due to recent violent random attacks on residents," Hopkins wrote in a recent newsletter to residents.
The proposal would apply only to the Central Business District, which includes the Loop, Streeterview, River North and the South and West Loop. The current, citywide curfew for unaccompanied minors is 10 p.m.
Should the proposal pass City Council, Hopkins says Chicago police would be able to take teens into custody and ticket those who violate the curfew.
“I do not believe every minor present during these recent gatherings have ill intentions, but it is painfully clear that a few agitators and ring leaders have instigated violent and chaotic actions time and time again, and this activity cannot be tolerated,” Hopkins said in a statement.
While CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling supports the idea, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has said he does not support the change.
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“The data indicates that setting … arbitrary curfews does not yield results that are favorable,” the mayor told the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board Monday.
“For my administration, it’s not just about youth employment. … We have to create safe spaces for [young] people. ... The more activity that you have in neighborhoods, including downtown, that actually creates safer spaces,” Johnson added.
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The change wouldn't mark the first curfew to be implemented in Chicago.
Last year, officials put curfews in place, among other measures, at city beaches and at Millennium Park following multiple incidents, including so-called "teen takeovers."
While the fate of a curfew remains unclear, Hopkins said increased patrols will be in place in the Streeterville neighborhood.
The proposal is officially set to be introduced at 10 a.m. at Wednesday's City Council meeting.
