Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot provided an update Monday morning on public safety and a new weekend curfew for unaccompanied minors after recent violence in downtown Chicago, including the fatal shooting of 16-year-old this weekend.
According to Chicago police, 16-year-old Seandell Holliday was shot and killed during an altercation near “The Bean” statue in Millennium Park Saturday night at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Holliday was shot in the chest during the incident. He was transported to Lurie Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police on Sunday night announced that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to Holliday’s death.
The suspect is set to appear in juvenile court on Monday, according to police.
Chicago Police say nearly 30 minors were taken into custody and multiple guns were recovered in connection to Saturday's “disturbances involving large crowds in the downtown area."
Curfew for Unaccompanied Minors Now in Effect
A weekend curfew for Millennium Park is now in effect for unaccompanied minors under the age of 18-years, according to new guidance issued Sunday by Mayor Lightfoot. The new rule bans unaccompanied minors under the age of 18 from visiting the park after 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
“This new policy will be strictly enforced and violations will be dealt with swiftly,” Lightfoot said in a statement.
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Lightfoot 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,'" the statement continued, "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 ban comes after a string of violent crime and disorderly springtime nights in the city, including just three days earlier when an unsanctioned North Avenue Beach “takeover” gave way to a similarly chaotic scene on the Near North Side that resulted in one arrest.
