DOWNTOWN — A proposed Downtown curfew for unaccompanied minors has been replaced by a new plan that could give the Chicago Police Department the ability to implement a curfew anytime, anywhere throughout the city.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) last month revived a push for an 8 p.m. youth curfew inside Downtown’s Central Business District after a tourist was hit by stray gunfire in Streeterville following a large teen gathering.
The following weekend a 15-year-old boy was grazed by a bullet as part of a similar gathering.
Hopkins initially pursued an 8 p.m. curfew last year for Downtown, but his proposal was sent to the Rules Committee, which is typically where legislation stalls out.
On Wednesday, after overnight negotiations with the Mayor’s Office, Hopkins offered a new proposal instead of trying to force a vote on his 8 p.m. curfew ordinance.
The alderman is now backing a plan to give the Chicago Police superintendent the authority to declare a curfew “for the applicable public places anticipated to be affected by such mass gatherings.”
The ordinance, which will be sent to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, defines a mass gathering as a group of 20 or more people in a public place for the “purpose of engaging in, or that is likely to result in, criminal conduct, including reckless conduct.”
Teen takeovers — also referred to as “trends” — are organized gatherings of young people at places like parks, beaches and neighborhoods.
These events have become a point of contention among city officials, community leaders and neighbors, with some gatherings leading to violence in recent years and months.
That prompted a revision of the city’s youth curfew in 2022, moving it earlier to 10 p.m. after significant debate.
Hopkins on Wednesday called his new ordinance a collaborative compromise and more comprehensive than his original proposal, which would have only applied to Downtown.
He said he was not concerned about potential legal blowback.
“The [corporate counsel] looked closely at this.
We’ve had a variety of legal opinions on it.
Every one of them has said there’s no constitutional issue raised here,” Hopkins said.
The updated curfew proposal bars the superintendent from enforcing the order on people “engaging in collective advocacy activities that are protected by the Constitution of the United States.”
Kennedy Bartley, chief of external affairs for the Mayor’s Office, told Block Club Chicago that the administration appreciated Hopkins’ efforts to “bring in more stakeholders and find a workable compromise that both maintains public safety and community safety, whilst also not overly criminalizing young folks.”
However, when asked if the ordinance gives the Police Department too much power, Bartley said there may still be changes as the proposal moves through committee.
“There are elements, while we’re moving in the right direction… we have to also be mindful of the parameters that we’re setting and not … inadvertently creating a system absent any checks and balances for any department,” Bartley said.
At a post-Council press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Brandon Johnson did not outright endorse Hopkins’ latest curfew proposal, but said it was “clearly a step in the right direction.”
“The ultimate goal is to make sure that we have spaces all over the city of Chicago where young people can gather, and others, while also making sure that if people step outside of the bounds of sensibility and safety, that they will be held accountable,” Johnson said.
My Block, My Hood, My City, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring youth, empowering communities and building a better world, is already fiercely opposed to the situational curfew.
Jahmal Cole, the nonprofit’s founder and CEO, told Block Club Chicago the ordinance is too vague, raising red flags that Black and Brown youth would be disproportionately targeted.
Cole called it reminiscent of the “Black Codes” implemented in the 1860s and which placed social controls over Black Americans‘ right to own property, conduct business, and move freely.
“What constitutes the bar for reckless conduct?” Cole said.
“Who decides what looks like and leads to crime?”
Other youth activists have previously argued that the city’s curfew unfairly targets Black and Brown young people and prevents them from visiting and enjoying Downtown.
Youth groups have sued the city over the Lightfoot-era curfew policy, including in 2022 when GoodKids MadCity filed a federal lawsuit to lift the city’s 10 p.m. curfew for minors.
Advocates said curfew loopholes — like exceptions made for Lollapalooza attendees — are racist.
Cole is concerned that a situational curfew could disproportionately affect events organized by his group, such as Downtown Day — an annual, citywide collaboration with partners like the Chicago Loop Alliance and the Magnificent Mile Association that brings hundreds of youth Downtown with $50 Visa gift cards.
The event has taken place over the last three years without any issues and will return on July 19.
“Downtown belongs to everyone, parks belong to everyone … public spaces belong to everyone,” Cole said.
Hopkins’ revised plan has gained support from Ald. Bill Conway (34th), who previously did not back the ordinance.
Conway said he supports the measure now that it applies citywide, not just Downtown.
“With this situational curfew in place, it will perhaps provide a deterrence measure to teens causing problems Downtown or wherever in the city,” Conway said.
“This ordinance can be put in other areas of the city as well.
I appreciate Alderman Hopkins making that change and I think it’s a smart one.”
Under the situational curfew, the Police Department would be required to clearly identify when and where a curfew is being enacted and notify various city departments, including the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, the Chicago Fire Department, applicable sister agencies and affected local alderpeople.
At least 30 minutes before the curfew begins, police must give a verbal warning “informing those at the mass gathering that a curfew has been declared” and that they must return home.
Minors found in violation would be subject to a fine of up to $500 or community service.
Anyone who violates the curfew three times within a 12-month period would be subject to three times the maximum fine, according to the ordinance.
The Chicago Police Department did not confirm whether the superintendent was directly involved in drafting the ordinance, but said in a statement that it is working closely with government partners.
“The Chicago Police Department works closely with partners across all levels of government to address public safety in our city.
We have been working with members of City Council to discuss safety around large gatherings and potential solutions that will strengthen safety when these gatherings occur,” the department said in a statement.
Hopkins expects the ordinance to be discussed in committee next month.
image source from：https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/04/16/new-curfew-proposal-would-let-chicago-police-declare-a-curfew-anytime-anywhere-in-city/
