DC Council pushes for another juvenile curfew after Halloween 'teen takeover' in Navy Yard
DC Council votes in favor of another teen curfew
There’s a new teen curfew on the horizon in our nation’s capital. D.C. lawmakers are taking action this afternoon, just days after the latest teen takeover that was caught on camera and involved the National Guard.
WASHINGTON - There’s a new teen curfew on the horizon in our nation’s capital. D.C. lawmakers are taking action, just days after the latest "teen takeover" that was caught on camera and involved the National Guard.
At its monthly legislative hearing Tuesday, attended by all 13 council members, there was a lot of talk about needing to stop the chaos, but also about giving young people opportunities and alternatives to gathering in large groups and causing trouble.
The new 90-day citywide curfew will be in place from 11 p.m. till 6 a.m., seven days a week, for those 17 and younger.
The backstory:
Tuesday’s D.C. Council vote came just four days after the latest so-called teen takeover in Navy Yard on Halloween night. Hundreds of young people gathered in the park in the heart of the neighborhood.
Some of the kids were chased down by National Guard troops. The very next day, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser declared an emergency teen curfew that expires at midnight tomorrow.
The summertime curfew ended in early October. By a 9 to 4 vote, councilmembers this afternoon adopted an emergency 90-day curfew. At the same time, they gave the D.C. police chief the authority to declare 6 p.m. curfews on a temporary basis in commercial districts like Navy Yard, the Wharf, Gallery Place and U Street.
What they're saying:
Councilmembers sounded off today.
"A curfew cannot be the long-term solution to meet our young people’s needs," said D.C. Ward 5 councilmember Zachary Parker. "I’m not suggesting that is what is being said, but when we only advance a curfew it begs the question how are we expecting things to change?"
"What I fear the most is the devastating impact if one of our young people is harmed or killed by one of these unlawful federal agencies doing an enforcement effort," Ward 4 councilmember Janeese Lewis George added.
"I want real solutions. I’ve been pushing for more social workers. I have a plan in place now for more trade and vocational programs, for more afterschool activities. Those are the things that are going to help. This bill tells people there’s a solution and it’s not," said Robert White councilmember At-Large.
What's next:
A second vote Tuesday afternoon would extend the teen curfew for 225 days, but that measure will need congressional approval. Next month, the DC Council will consider legislation making the city’s teen curfew permanent.
The 90-day curfew approved by the council will take effect as soon as the mayor signs the legislation. She is expected to do that as soon as the bill reaches her desk.