(The Center Square) – Chicago officials are trying to get a handle on large teen gatherings, some of which have turned violent.
Groups blocked two major intersections on the West and Southwest Sides of the city last weekend. Two people were injured in downtown shootings during teen takeovers in March.
Mayor Brandon Johnson met with concerned Streeterville residents.
“You know, I didn’t hear anything that I hadn’t heard already. People are committed to working together. They appreciated my presentation and we learned from one another,” Johnson said.
The Chicago City Council Committee on Public Safety is scheduled to meet Wednesday morning, and the full council has a meeting scheduled Wednesday afternoon.
Alderman Brian Hopkins proposed teen curfew measures, including a proposal that would allow the city’s police superintendent to impose a curfew at any hour or location in the city.
The mayor said the ultimate goal is to prevent violent events.
“There has to remain a level of accountability, which our superintendent is committed to that, but even with the curfew violations, we’ve seen them go down dramatically over the last several years,” Johnson said.
Last month, Johnson said the proposal was an improvement over Hopkins’ earlier plan to impose an earlier teen curfew in the Streeterville neighborhood. At a media briefing on Tuesday, the mayor addressed concerns about the city imposing curfews without just cause.
“Look, I’ve said from the very beginning, the constitutionality around this discussion is something that I have expressed my trepidation,” Johnson said.
Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Garien Gatewood said city officials do a lot to keep violent teen gatherings from happening.
“If we’ve seen some of the same folks who have hosted these and they have led to violence, we need to do whatever we can to get in front of it to stop violence from happening. Our goal is always to be proactive, protect people and be proactive,” Gatewood said.
After a video surfaced of teens blocking a West Side intersection last weekend, Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez was asked for a solution on X.
“Corral them with larger assets like garbage trucks, impound the vehicles, arrest participants. Repeat as necessary,” Lopez answered with a post on X.
