Debate over teen curfews in Chicago reignited after Streeterville attack, but effectiveness questioned

With the onset of summer, a downtown city councilor has reignited discussions about youth curfews by calling for stricter limitations, while some neighborhood and parks groups continue to lobby.

“I think you just have to Google 'How effective are curfews for teenagers?' and you will find that almost all the research indicates that they are ineffective at controlling crime,” Jim Wales, president of South Loop Neighbors, told the Sun-Times.

But Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) called for the expansion of such policies, proposing a new 8 p.m. curfew for inner-city juveniles, following a violent attack in the Streeterville neighborhood.

The proposed curfew would be two hours earlier than the citywide 10 p.m. curfew that already applies to everyone 17 and under.

Wales, who also serves on Grant Park's advisory board and has a background in law enforcement, said he understands the need to respond to these “horrible situations.” As a resident, Wales also wants violent crime to be addressed, but cautioned council members against passing laws that “aren't necessarily effective in addressing this problem.”

Chicago Police Superintendent. Larry Snelling said Thursday he was willing to establish an additional curfew “to ensure the safety of our youth and our citizens.”

Although Snelling would not discuss whether Hopkins' proposed curfew would be enforced, he insisted that “very young people should not be out at all hours of the night without being accompanied by an adult.” “.

In Chicago's First and 18th Police Districts – the two districts that include downtown – overall crime is down slightly in District 1 and up slightly in the 18th, compared to the same time last year .

“We saw this in the news where young people got together and fought and attacked other people. We don’t want that to happen,” Snelling told reporters gathered at McCormick Place to watch a department training demonstration ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.

“People just want to come here to have fun”

Downtown resident Rayne Phillips, 15, told the Sun-Times that young people should be allowed to enjoy the neighborhood like everyone else.

“People just want to come here to have fun,” Phillips said Thursday night at Oak Street Beach. “Obviously if someone is bothering people, that's a problem, but if they're not, people come downtown to have fun and everyone should be able to do that, especially because it's summer.”

Hopkins' proposed curfew would affect the city's central business district, which includes the Loop, Streeterville and River North neighborhoods as well as parts of the South and West Loop.

Downtown Council Member Ald. Bill Conway (34th) said he didn't see why the central business district would have a different curfew than the rest of the city, calling Hopkins' proposal “too early and unnecessary.”

Conway said he would leave that decision to the police department because they would be the ones to enforce it, which he said could prove difficult.

Wales also questioned how the department would manage the extra work.

“I think before they start looking at passing additional regulations, what they need to do is start staffing the police at the appropriate level so they can enforce the laws that are already in place,” said Wales.

In 2022, the City Council voted to strengthen rarely enforced curfew laws citywide, moving to a daily 10 p.m. curfew for everyone 17 and under. The previous curfew, first instituted in 1992, took effect at 11 p.m. and applied to anyone 16 and under.

Then-mayor Lori Lightfoot pushed for change after the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Seandell Holliday at a large gathering near “The Bean” sculpture.

At the time, some aldermen viewed the curfew as a violence prevention measure, while others pointed to research indicating it would have the opposite effect.

Youth organizers from GoodKids MadCity and the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council called on Lightfoot to reverse this policy, arguing that it disproportionately targeted black and brown children, while offering a free pass to young people attending events like Lollapalooza.

A 2016 report released by the nonprofit Campbell Collaboration analyzed thousands of studies on juvenile curfews nationwide and determined that “evidence suggests that juvenile curfews minors are ineffective in reducing crime and victimization.

The report also reveals a slight increase in crime during curfew hours and no change in juvenile victimization.

In 2022, Lightfoot also instituted a weekend ban on “unaccompanied minors” at Millennium Park. The policy, which prohibits minors from being alone in the park after 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, remained in effect under Mayor Brandon Johnson and expanded to include Maggie Daley Park, which is connected to Millennium by a pedestrian bridge.

Leslie Recht, president of the Grant Park Advisory Board, called on Johnson and the city council to reverse the policy, but said his grievances had not been addressed.

Recht said the facilities at Maggie Daley Park, including skateboard, mini-golf, tennis and pickleball courts, were designed for youth enjoyment.

“We want kids to have something positive to do,” Recht told the Sun-Times. “That’s what parks are for…Maggie Daley wasn’t built to be a fortress.”

The mayor's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kyran Quiroga, 17, who lives on the North Side, told the Sun-Times that he and his friends come to the city for that reason, because it is full of attractions for all ages, not just those over 21 .

“If we want to go downtown, we can go downtown,” Quiroga said Thursday while at Oak Street Beach. “I just go out with my friends, we go out to eat.”

“All of this is pointless if it’s just for adults. It shouldn't be like this.

Contributors: Emmanuel Camarillo, Tom Schuba and Cindy Hernandez