Politics
Johnson Blasts ‘Snap Curfew’ Proposal as ‘Lazy,’ ‘Sloppy’ Ahead of City Council Vote
Video: The WTTW News Spotlight Politics team on the upcoming “snap curfew” vote and more of the day’s top stories. (Produced by Bridgette Adu-Wadier)
A measure that would allow Chicago Police Department officials to preemptively impose a curfew anywhere in the city and begin enforcing it with just 30 minutes is a “lazy” and “sloppy” attempt to stop large teen gatherings that won’t work, Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday.
Johnson said he and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling are “in alignment” on the measure set for a final vote Wednesday by the Chicago City Council.
“The superintendent didn’t ask for it,” Johnson said, adding that he remains concerned that the measure is unconstitutional and would not stop teen “trends” or “takeovers,” large gatherings organized on social media and popular among teens, from turning violent.
“I think it is lazy governance, quite frankly,” Johnson said. “It places too much pressure on law enforcement.”
Johnson said the measure was unnecessary, especially given the sustained drop in homicides and shootings since the start of the year. Through the end of May, the number of homicides dropped 38%, as compared with the same period in 2024, according to Chicago Police data. The number of shootings is also down 35%, according to police data.
“I remember each of you in this room, as we had conversations when I was running for office, ‘Oh, Mayor Johnson, those ideas sound great, but it’s going to take years,’ Johnson said to reporters. “I remember, you all were there. ‘Oh, Mayor Johnson, that sounds great, but what are you going to do in the immediate?’ In less than two years, you’ve seen a gradual decline in every single violence category in this city. I have leaned in, stepped up, shown up every single day in this city to drive violence down in the city of Chicago, doing the things at work. I need partners to help with that. We cannot afford lazy governance, and then we just wash our hands, absolve ourselves of any responsibility, and say, ‘Police, you do it.’ That is antiquated. That form of governance is dead and should remain dead.”
There has not been a violent mass gathering of teens in Chicago since March. By contrast, there have been three teen takeovers in Naperville in the past month, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The City Council would have been better off approving enough money to create another 1,000 summer jobs for young people, Johnson said. The city’s program has 29,000 jobs, even as more than 46,000 teens and young adults apply for the city’s summer jobs program every year.
“But you want to give the police the power to be able to issue a curfew as it wishes, instead of giving the city of Chicago the power to actually invest in people, what sense does that make?” Johnson said. “It doesn’t make any sense. It’s a sloppy form of governance.”
Johnson’s blistering condemnation of the proposal raises the likelihood that he will veto the measure if it passes.
Former Mayor Richard M. Daley issued the last mayoral veto in 2006 in order to block a measure that would have required big box stores like Target and Wal-Mart to pay their employees more.
It would take 34 votes for the City Council to override a mayoral veto.
However, Johnson could simply ignore the Council’s action and rely on Snelling to make good on his pledge to “never use” the power to enforce a curfew with just 30 minutes notice.
That’s also the same approach he took after the City Council twice voted to overturn his decision to scrap the city’s gunshot detection system, ShotSpotter, which was decommissioned in September.
Although Johnson initially said he would veto the measure, which he called illegal, he changed course, concerned that it would set a “dangerous precedent” because the measure sought to strip the mayor’s office of its authority to enter into contracts for the city through the normal procurement process.
Supporters of ShotSpotter and critics of the mayor vowed to sue Johnson and the city to force them to follow the ordinance, but a lawsuit has yet to materialize.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
