Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Monday that she planned to sign an executive order moving the city's weekend curfew for minors to 10 p.m. citywide following a string of recent violence.
The new curfew is an hour earlier than the 11 p.m. citywide curfew that had previously been in place.
"I'm urging parents, guardians and responsible adults in the lives of children to make sure that you know what the rules are, and that you make a plan with your children and young people to make sure that they safely abide by this curfew that's been in effect for a very long time," she said. "You need to make sure that you understand what your young people are doing, who they are with and where they are going."
Lightfoot noted the city has has a weekend curfew since at least 1992.
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The time change follows the addition of a new weekend curfew for unaccompanied minors in the city's Millennium Park in wake of recent violence that included the fatal shooting of 16-year-old this weekend.
Chicago Police say nearly 30 minors were taken into custody and multiple guns were recovered in connection to “disturbances involving large crowds in the downtown area" Saturday.
Just three days earlier an unsanctioned North Avenue Beach “takeover” gave way to a similarly chaotic scene on the Near North Side that resulted in one arrest.
The weekend curfew for Millennium Park takes effect Thursday and includes unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 years, according to guidance issued. The new rule bans unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 from visiting the park after 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
"I want to be clear, it gives me no pleasure to impose these rules and restrictions, but having exhausted every other opportunity, every other tool on remedy, we've got to get to this next step to make sure that our jewel of Millennium Park is available and open to everyone," Lightfoot said. "Young people are absolutely welcome downtown, but in the evening hours, they must be accompanied by a responsible adult."
The mayor also said that her administration will partner with Chicago Public Schools to “fully explain this new policy to students.”
“As a city, we must ensure that our young people have safe spaces to congregate and that in those spaces they are peaceful and actually safe,” she said.
In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Chicago criticized Lightfoot's decision, saying "curfews and bans create group culpability for young people - whether they are there to enjoy the sights and sounds of downtown or something else."
"The vague description - relying on an undefined 'responsible adult,' allowing young people to be present in the park and the promise of strict enforcement will result in unnecessary stop and arrests and further strain relations between CPD and young people of color," the statement continued.
