Lansing's mayor vowed to impose a curfew after a mass shooting. Why this didn't happen

Lina Portman1 week ago

2 4 minutes read

LANSING — The city's curfew ordinance — cited as a possible tool to keep young people off the streets at night after a mass shooting in May — has not proven to be a real crime-fighting weapon , at least not yet.

On Wednesday, a little less than a month after a mass shooting in Rotary Park left a teenager dead and six other young people injured, Lansing police acknowledged they had not issued any summons for violating the curfew, even though the authorities had promised that the police would enforce it “aggressively”. the order.

At the time, Mayor Andy Schor acknowledged that the city did not have the personnel to conduct dedicated curfew patrols, but said the police department would enforce the curfew ordinance when it would encounter offenders. The order requires children ages 12 and younger to be home by 10 p.m. and children ages 13 to 16 to be off the street by midnight.

In a statement released Wednesday, Schor called the curfew order “just one small piece of this overall problem” and said officials did not expect to cite violators. Instead, they expected curfew violators to be taken home or picked up from the police station by a parent or guardian, he said.

“We knew from the beginning that enforcing this order would be difficult,” Schor said. “But it is on the books and will be enforced if and when our law enforcement officers encounter minors who are violating.”

Lansing Police Public Information Director Jordan Gulkis echoed Schor's comments.

“We recognize that the order may be difficult to enforce, due to factors such as officer availability and high call volume,” she said in a separate statement. “That said, our officers remain committed to taking action when necessary and will report violations fairly and when necessary.

Schor's promise in late May to aggressively enforce the curfew order was a change from his position last August when, after a wave of violence, he and police officials expressed little of enthusiasm for reinforced enforcement of the curfew, saying that the police did not have the necessary resources.

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The mass shooting occurred around 2:50 a.m. on May 27, during a large gathering in the 300 block of Riverview Drive, between Rotary Park and the business district along the North River. from Michigan Avenue.

Kylete Owens, 17, was killed. Two people, aged 16 and 20, were seriously injured and four others – aged 16, 16, 18 and 18 – suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, they said. Police later announced that the two seriously injured victims had been upgraded to stable condition.

The gathering was peaceful until members of two opposing groups opened fire on the crowd, police said. Investigators believed multiple firearms were used and that some or all of the victims were unintended targets.

The incident drew harsh words from Schor and police officials during a May 28 news conference. They pledged to enforce the curfew as much as possible and work to find more resources for police and keep guns out of the hands of children.

Schor called on federal and state officials to provide more help with funding and passing gun control reform laws. He also said the city needs to find ways to do more with its limited crime-fighting tools.

“Congress must act and pass common-sense gun reform,” he said. “I also call on the state government to do more.”

There “must also be more serious consequences for those who lose their gun or allow their gun to be stolen,” Schor said. “If the state doesn't want to do this, then let the cities do it with local control. And if people don't like stricter gun laws, then they can vote with their feet and live somewhere else .”

Schor said Lansing needs more money to hire police officers, including those who can monitor surveillance cameras “in real time,” allowing officers to be sent to places where large crowds gather, he said.

On Wednesday, Schor said he had been clear about the need for more officers on the streets and that he hoped the Legislature would pass a law enforcement revenue-sharing measure that would allow the city to expand its police ranks.

“I would also like to see the Legislature help local governments by giving us more tools and passing more laws to get illegal guns off the streets and out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them, including young people “, did he declare. .

A total of nine people have died as a result of violence in Lansing this year.

The most recent homicide occurred June 15, which killed Thomas Blackmon, 35, in the 4000 block of MacDougal Circle, near the intersection of Waverly and Jolly roads, police said. Keijuan Richard Eskin, 19, was charged in connection with Blackmon's death.

A 16-year-old suspect deliberately rammed a Lansing police vehicle Tuesday night while trying to escape after an attempted traffic stop in the area of Kensington Meadows Mobile Home Park in the 4200 block of Jolly Road, Michigan State Police said. Four teens were arrested after fleeing the vehicle and a fifth suspect remained at large, they said.

The arrests occurred as Lansing Post troopers and members of the Lansing Violent Crimes Initiative unit investigated a drive-by shooting that occurred earlier in the day in the area of Dunckel and Jolly roads, Lansing police said. State.

Police found three stolen firearms in the vehicle. Two 18-year-olds from Lansing were lodged at the Lansing City Detention Center, and two 16-year-old boys, also from Lansing, were taken to the Ingham County Youth Center.

Contact Ken Palmer at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KBPalm_lsj.

Lina Portman

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