CHICAGO (CN) - The Chicago City Council narrowly approved a measure on Wednesday that grants the city's Police Superintendent Larry Snelling the authority to declare a curfew in the city anywhere, at any time, with a 30-minute notice.

Alderman Brian Hopkins, who represents Chicago's 2nd ward, initially proposed an 8 p.m. curfew for minors downtown after a couple in Streeterville was attacked by two teenagers in 2024. The ordinance was met with fierce opposition, particularly from the mayor's office.

"The data indicates that setting ... arbitrary curfews does not yield results that are favorable," the mayor told the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board in a 2024 interview.

But Hopkins reignited his push for a change in the curfew earlier this summer and modified his initial proposal to appeal to more council members. The ordinance, which passed in a 27-22 vote, allows Snelling to declare curfews in public areas where there are unauthorized mass gatherings of teenagers, or so-called "teen takeovers."

Hopkins' ordinance defines these "teen takeovers" as "a gathering of 20 or more people in a public place for the purpose of engaging in, or is likely to result in, criminal conduct, including reckless conduct ... disorderly conduct ... or that otherwise presents or causes, or is likely to present or cause an unreasonable risk to public health, safety, or welfare."

The current curfew for minors in Chicago is 10 p.m., after former mayor Lori Lightfoot pushed the curfew up an hour in 2022 in response to an uptick in violence downtown.

Opponents of the ordinance say it criminalizes Chicago teenagers, particularly non-white ones, for simply existing.

"This ordinance threatens to further criminalize youth - particularly Black and Brown youth - under the guise public safety," members of Chicago's Progressive Caucus said in a statement released ahead of Wednesday's vote. "It echoes decades of failed policies that have targeted communities of color with punitive measures instead of investing in prevention, opportunity, and support. We are deeply concerned that this approach will widen existing disparities, undermine trust in city institutions, and do nothing to meaningfully address the root causes of violence or insecurity."

Some city council members said the legislation skirts addressing the underlying public safety concerns it seeks to remedy.

Alderwoman Angela Clay read a series of letters from high school students at her alma matter, Uplift Community High School in Uptown related to the curfew ordinance. Most of the letters had little to say about the curfew, but a lot to say about firearm access for young people.

"How can young people access firearms, but not jobs?" the 46th ward alderperson Clay read. "The issue here is a broader conversation."

Johnson reiterated his disapproval of the ordinance ahead of Wednesday's council meeting, calling the proposal lazy in a Tuesday news conference.

"It places too much pressure on law enforcement," he said Tuesday. "I continuously say that we cannot just simply rely upon policing alone. We need people to help my administration do the things that work."

Johnson added that Snelling said he didn't ask for the ordinance and wouldn't use it.

"His comments call into question the necessity and efficacy of this proposal, and they reinforce our belief that policy decisions should be guided by data, need, and a commitment to justice - not political optics or reactive measures," Johnson said.

But Hopkins said Johnson mischaracterized Snelling's position on the proposal, and said the city's top cop called him ahead of Wednesday's council meeting to reiterate his support.

Hopkins also maintained that it is not a "snap" curfew, because police officers would have to collect evidence and consult with the deputy mayor of public safety before declaring a curfew.

Opponents of the legislation have called on Johnson to veto the ordinance, but he has not indicted whether he might issue the first mayoral veto in decades. If the bill had received the supermajority with seven more votes, it would have been veto-proof.

Source: Courthouse News Service