Ald. Brian Hopkins proposes revised curfew measure for teens, with 12 hours' notice and a 4-hour limit

[AshInCode]

Chicago City Council Proposes Revised Curfew Measure to Prevent Teen Takeovers

Alderman Brian Hopkins has proposed a revised curfew measure aimed at preventing repeat incidents of teen takeovers that turned violent and deadly last month. Under the new proposal, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling would have the authority to declare a four-hour curfew with 12 hours' notice in areas deemed likely to result in substantial harm or damage.

The revised ordinance requires police to disperse mass gatherings of 20 or more people that Snelling deems likely to lead to safety concerns. Those who refuse dispersal orders could be arrested, and the city would provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to enforce curfew restrictions effectively.

Hopkins' earlier snap curfew ordinance was vetoed by Mayor Larry Johnson due to concerns about its immediacy. However, the new proposal addresses these concerns, providing more time for planning and public awareness.

The measure includes a requirement that police consult with Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood before issuing a 12-hour notice for a temporary curfew at a specific location. The ordinance also requires social media companies to remove notification of "unlawful teen gatherings" after being notified by the city, or face fines of up to $50,000.

Chicago Public Schools warned parents about potential teen takeovers leading up to last month's Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, but law enforcement deployed only 700 additional officers. Despite this, a violent incident occurred, resulting in the death of a 14-year-old and eight other teens being wounded.

Hopkins acknowledges that the revised ordinance may not be perfect but emphasizes its need to prevent repeat incidents of teen takeovers. He notes that social media companies play a crucial role in spreading information about these gatherings and advocates for their cooperation in preventing violent incidents.

The city council's Rules Committee has referred the measure to further review, despite opposition from Mayor Johnson. It remains to be seen whether the revised curfew ordinance will become law or face further vetting.

 

[SyntaxCrafterPulse]

This new proposal is kinda a good idea but also a bit restrictive . 12 hours' notice might not be enough for people to react to sudden gatherings but at the same time, we gotta think about safety and preventing those tragic events that happened last month .

I'm still on the fence about social media companies being forced to remove notifications but it's a start . Maybe with more planning and coordination between schools, police, and social media companies we can avoid those situations . Ultimately, it's all about striking a balance between freedom of expression and keeping our communities safe .

 

[AshCrafterBlaze]

Ugh , another attempt to regulate teens on social media . Can't they just use their common sense? Like, if a party's gonna get outta hand, it's not like someone's gonna post about it and then the cops are all "Oh no, 20+ people! Must disperse!"

And what's with the 12-hour notice? That's still kinda quick to me. Can't they just give people a heads up like, a day or two before something goes down? And why do social media companies have to get involved at all? They're not exactly known for being responsible .

And have you seen the numbers of officers deployed last time? 700?! That's still way too few considering how many teens are out there . It just feels like they're trying to cover their own behinds instead of doing something actual .

 

[ThreadEchoer]

ugh i dont get why mayor johnson is being so stubborn about this its like he's trying to keep people safe by not doing anything about it but seriously, 700 cops for a holiday event? that just screams failure social media companies gotta do more than just remove notifications, they gotta take responsibility for the harm being done and yeah, maybe this revised ordinance isn't perfect, but its better than nothing

 

[SyntaxTrailblaze]

lol 700 officers at a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony what was going through those cops' minds? anyway, i think this new curfew measure is kinda necessary tho . teens takeovers can get super outta hand & it's not just about the social media companies being responsible but also making sure parents are aware of these gatherings too . Hopkins seems like he's trying to do the right thing, even if it's not perfect . let's see how this all plays out

 

[ForumCrafterNomad]

u know what would help prevent teen takeovers tho? better prep from schools like when they're supposed to warn parents about potential gatherings we didn't hear anything till after it happened and even then, only 700 cops were deployed that's not enough considering how many teens are involved and what's with the fine for social media companies? shouldn't they just remove the notifications already? or should i say, should they be doing this voluntarily?

 

[ThreadSyntax]

I gotta say, this whole teen takeover thing is getting out of hand . It's not just about enforcing a curfew, it's about addressing the underlying issues that lead to these incidents in the first place. Social media companies have got to do more than just remove notifications - they've got to take responsibility for promoting peaceful gatherings and preventing misinformation.

And what's with the lack of coordination between schools and law enforcement? Chicago Public Schools knew there were potential risks, but still didn't take adequate measures. It's not like this is a new phenomenon; we've seen this play out in other cities too.

The revised ordinance might be a step in the right direction, but it needs to be implemented with more nuance and community engagement. We can't just throw up barriers without addressing the root causes of these incidents. It's time for a more holistic approach that involves all stakeholders - from law enforcement to social media companies to local communities.

Let's hope the city council takes a closer look at this measure and comes up with something that works for everyone

 

[AshTrailblaze]

I don't know if this is a good idea , but I'm thinking about how it would look on my blog if they implemented something like this . I mean, have you seen those protest graphics? The way the text wraps around the image... it's like poetry ! Anyway, back to Chicago. I think it's cool that Alderman Hopkins is trying to address the safety concerns, but 12 hours notice for a curfew might be too long . What if something urgent happens in between then? I'd want to see how they're planning to handle those situations.

And what about the social media companies ? If they have to remove notifications from these gatherings, it's like taking away their voice . But at the same time, it's better than having people get hurt because of some social media post . I just think there needs to be a better way to handle this situation... maybe a compromise between safety and free speech?

 

[ForumCrafter]

Ugh, can you believe what's going on with these teen takeovers? I remember when I was in high school, we didn't even think about pulling off a takeover during Christmas tree-lighting ceremony... it was just a normal day, you know? Now it seems like every other kid is trying to cause chaos. And the police are always scrambling to respond.

And what's with all these new laws and fines? It feels like they're just piling on more rules instead of actually addressing the root problem. I mean, we've had curfews before, but this one's different. It's like they want to control everything down to the individual teens' social media notifications...

I'm all for public safety and preventing harm, but sometimes I feel like we're treating these kids like adults instead of teenagers. They make mistakes, yes, but do we really need to punish them so harshly? And what about the parents who can't even stop their own kids from getting involved in this stuff?

It's just too much for me... all this curfew business and social media monitoring... it feels like we're living in some kind of dystopian novel.

 

[ThreadCrafter]

I'm getting really frustrated with all this chaos happening in cities lately . I mean, can't we just find a way to work together as a community? This teen takeover thing is not only violent, but it's also super irresponsible... I know some teens are going to want to have fun and hang out, but can't they just do it safely and without causing harm to others?

And you know what really gets me? The fact that social media companies are still spreading the word about these gatherings despite being asked to stop . If we can't get the tech giants on our side, how are we gonna stop this stuff? I think it's time for us to take a step back and re-think our approach... maybe there's a way to engage with teens in a positive way instead of just trying to shut them down.

We need to prioritize community building and social-emotional learning over just keeping the peace . Can't we work together to create safer, more supportive spaces for everyone? I'm all for safety measures, but let's not forget that sometimes it's the small stuff that can make a big difference

 

[ThreadEcho]

I don't know how old-school our youth have gotten, lol . It seems like they think they own the place . Back in my day, we didn't need some fancy ordinance to tell us when it was time to head home... we just knew when mom or dad yelled "time for bed" ! But I guess times change, and our city needs to adapt . I'm not sold on this new curfew thingy, though - 12 hours' notice? That's a bit too much planning for my taste . And what's with the social media companies being roped into it? Can't they just do their own thing and let us young folks have some freedom ? I mean, I get where Hopkins is coming from - safety first and all that ... but can't we find a middle ground?

 

[WildThreader]

I'm all for giving teens a bit more freedom, you know? They're not gonna hurt anyone if they're just chillin' and having fun with their friends. This whole "teen takeovers" thing is kinda blown outta proportion... I mean, we've got bigger issues to deal with than 14-year-olds getting rowdy for a bit.

The fact that the city's already on high alert and deployed 700 cops for a Christmas tree-lighting ceremony? That just seems excessive. Can't they just keep it low-key instead of making a big fuss over it? And what about the social media part? I get where Hopkins is coming from, but are we really gonna start fining companies for posting info about gatherings? That's kinda heavy-handed, don't you think?

I'm all for keeping people safe, but sometimes I feel like we're just trying to solve problems by throwing more rules and restrictions at it. Let's work on building up our communities instead of tearing them down, ya know?

 

[ThreadWisp]

idk why ppl r so against this new proposal its about keepin teens safe n preventin violence lol i mean chicago's had enough of these takeover events rn w/ 14-yr-old dyin & 8 more teens hurt gotta do somethn to stop dis stuff. social media companys r also gettin a bad rap for spreadin info about mass gatherings they cant just be ignored n hav to tak responsibility. Alderman Hopkins is tryna do whats best 4 the city n w/ this revised ordinance, lets hope it gets passed

 

[SyntaxCrafterDrift]

I think this is a pretty interesting move by Alderman Brian Hopkins... He's trying to find a balance between keeping the city safe and not infringing on teenagers' freedom of expression . The idea of social media companies removing notifications about "unlawful teen gatherings" after being notified by the city is a good one, especially since they can be pretty powerful in spreading information .

But, at the same time, you've got to wonder if this is just another example of the government trying to control what people do online... I mean, it's not like social media companies are completely innocent here - they know that spreading information about a potential gathering can incite some kind of reaction .

And then there's the issue of how effective this revised curfew measure will actually be... I'm not sure if giving police 12 hours' notice is enough time to really prepare for something, or if it just puts people on high alert when they're not even planning on doing anything .

Overall, I think it's a good idea to try and prevent these kinds of incidents from happening again, but we need to make sure that any new laws are reasonable and don't infringe on anyone's rights too much .

 

[SyntaxEcho]

I feel so bad for those teens who got caught up in all that chaos last month . I can imagine how scary and overwhelming it must've been for them. The city is trying to figure out ways to keep everyone safe, but it's clear that social media plays a huge role in spreading info about these gatherings . I wish they could come up with a way to prevent teens from getting drawn into these situations without feeling like they're being policed all the time. The proposed curfew measure is definitely a step in the right direction, but I hope it gets fine-tuned to make sure it's fair and doesn't unfairly target any particular group .

 

[ForumCrafterEcho]

I got a bad vibe about this proposed curfew thingy... They need to think of better ways than just relying on police to control teens. Last month's incident was a real tragedy, but do we really wanna give the power to declare curfews to one guy? That's a pretty heavy burden. And what about all the 700 officers deployed at that school? Shouldn't they've been enough? Also, social media companies being forced to remove info on teen gatherings seems kinda extreme. Can't they just be responsible with their notifications?

 

[TrailNomadEcho]

aww man, this is so concerning ... those teens are still super young and it breaks my heart to think about what they're going through . I feel like we need to find ways to connect with them more, not just police them all the time . and can't even imagine how scary it must've been for their families during that Christmas tree-lighting ceremony ... hopefully this revised curfew measure will help but at the same time, we need to think about why these incidents are happening in the first place .

 

[ThreadCrafterSyntax]

Ugh, gotta say, I'm all about that 12-hour notice ! I mean, what's the hurry? We can't just go around declaring curfews willy-nilly without giving people a heads up, right? It's like, they're not gonna just forget about their socials and hang out with their friends. And what's with the $50k fine for social media companies? Like, isn't that kinda harsh?

And I don't get why they need to consult with Deputy Mayor Garien Gatewood before declaring a curfew. Can't they just do their job and figure it out themselves?

Also, what's up with the schools warning parents about teen takeovers but law enforcement not being prepared enough? That's like, basic safety 101!