Politics
Key City Panel Advances Plan to Expand CPD’s Curfew Power in Effort to Stop Teen Gatherings
(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
A key City Council panel advanced a proposal on Wednesday that is designed to expand the Chicago Police Department’s power to impose a curfew with at least 12 hours’ notice in an effort to stop large gatherings of teens.
The Public Safety Committee voted 10-4 to allow Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling to declare a preemptive curfew, with at least 12 hours’ notice, before a planned mass gathering.
A final vote on the proposal by the full City Council could come as soon as Jan. 21.
Shortly before the vote, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he had not decided whether to veto the latest effort by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) to expand the power of the city’s curfew, which starts at 10 p.m. seven days a week and applies to everyone 17 years old and younger.
However, the panel failed to advance a measure that would require social media platforms to take down posts designed to advertise “unlawful teen gatherings” within six hours of being notified by city officials that the posts violate local laws — or explain why they didn’t take action, according to the proposal.
Platforms that do not comply with the ordinance could be subject to fines of $50,000 for each offense, according to the proposal.
An effort by Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) to reject that proposal failed, leaving the proposal, drafted by Ald. William Hall (6th Ward), a close ally of the mayor and a member of the Progressive Caucus, in limbo.
Johnson told reporters he is inclined to support that proposal, citing the ill effects of social media on Chicago teenagers.
Several alderpeople expressed concern that attempts to enforce that measure would likely trigger a legal fight over the ability of a local government to regulate what is posted online, an area that is covered by the First Amendment and federal law, which grants online platforms immunity from liability for most content posted by their users.
Both measures were prompted by the killing of 14-year-old Armani Floyd on Nov. 21 during a large gathering downtown after the city’s annual Christmas tree lighting. Eight others were injured in a separate shooting just blocks away.
The fact that “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” broadcast live nationwide from the Chicago Riverwalk without incident proves that CPD does not need additional curfew power, Johnson said Tuesday.
But Hopkins argued that the mayor had essentially done exactly what his ordinance called for: warn, in advance of a planned teen gathering, that the city’s curfew would be strictly enforced at a specific time.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment from WTTW News about whether officials were aware of a so-called “teen trend.”
A spokesperson for CPD did not answer a question about whether Snelling supports the measure, as Hopkins said he does.
“The Chicago Police Department enforces all laws,” according to a statement. “Draft ordinances are out of the control of CPD, and we have no comment on any proposed ordinances.”
Police brass should be allowed to declare a curfew at any time of day in any part of the city, Hopkins said.
Snelling would only be required to consult with Deputy Mayor for Community Safety Garien Gatewood before declaring what the measure refers to as a “time and place” curfew, according to the proposal. The curfew could last for no more than four hours, and there is no restriction on how large the area impacted could be, records show.
Johnson said he opposed allowing one government official to unilaterally declare an expanded curfew.
Johnson vetoed Hopkins’ last attempt to expand Chicago’s curfew, after it passed the City Council 27-22, calling it unconstitutional and unworkable. That plan would have allowed CPD to impose a “snap curfew,” allowing CPD to start enforcing the measure within just 30 minutes.
CPD officials have yet to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by WTTW News on Monday to determine how many teens were cited for violating the city’s curfew on New Years’ Eve.
Hopkins said he had been told that no one was cited for violating the city’s curfew.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
