Chicago City Council considers 8pm curfew for youth after Streeterville attacks – NBC Chicago

A Chicago city councilman plans to propose an 8 p.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors downtown on Wednesday, a week after a recent incident in Streeterville resulted in two teens being charged for allegedly attacking a 40-year-old man and a 41-year-old pregnant woman while they were out downtown.

The proposal is being introduced by Chicago City Councilman Brian Hopkins, who represents the 2nd District.

“I have begun working on an 8 p.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors under the age of 17 in the central business district due to recent random, violent attacks on residents there,” Hopkins wrote in a recent newsletter to residents.

The proposal would only apply 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.

If the proposal is approved by the City Council, Hopkins said Chicago police could detain juveniles and ticket those who violate the curfew.

“I do not believe that every minor present at these recent gatherings had bad intentions, but it is painfully clear that some agitators and ringleaders have repeatedly incited violent and chaotic actions, and this behavior cannot be tolerated,” Hopkins said in a statement.

While CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling supports the idea, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has stated that he does not support the change.

“The data shows that imposing arbitrary curfews does not produce positive results,” the mayor told the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday.

“For my government, it is not just about youth unemployment. … We need to create safe places for (young) people. … The more activity there is in neighbourhoods, including in the inner city, the safer places we will create,” Johnson added.

This change would not be the first curfew imposed in Chicago.

Last year, authorities imposed curfews on the city’s beaches and in Millennium Park, among other places, following numerous incidents, including so-called “teen takeovers.”

While the question of a curfew remains unclear, Hopkins said there will be increased patrols in the Streeterville neighborhood.

The proposal is to be officially presented at the city council meeting on Wednesday at 10 a.m.