CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago City Council passed a controversial curfew designed to prevent so-called “teen takeovers” Wednesday.
It passed 27-22, but Mayor Brandon Johnson said he would veto it.
Mayor Johnson spoke after a snap curfew passed in Council.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
It’s unlikely supporters of the ordinance have the 34 votes in the council to override a veto. The mayor called that legislation a “politicized knee jerk reaction.”
“Offering up police power, extended police power without any check or balance has not bode well for Black people and brown people in this country,” Johnson said.
The proposed ordinance has been at the center of heated City Council debate for months now.
The ordinance would have given Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling, in consultation with the city’s deputy mayor of public safety, the ability to call a last-minute curfew to dispel teen takeovers anywhere in the city.
Gatherings of 20 or more could be dispersed 30 minutes after curfew is declared.
The debate Wednesday was civil.
“I have a 17-year-old daughter that I have restricted, ‘do not go downtown.’ She’s not going downtown because it’s safe. She can’t go because it’s unsafe,” Ald. Monique Scott said.
Dozens of young people gathered outside City Hall on LaSalle Street before Wednesday’s meeting to voice their concerns and fears over the measure. They said they would be directly impacted by the ordinance.
People protesting the ordinance claim the curfew is unconstitutional and risks criminalizing kids and teens.
“We say no to the snap curfew because again it defunds our youth, criminalizes our youth and destroys our narrative and perception of this city,” Abierre Minor said.
SEE ALSO | Chicago City Council vote on controversial ‘snap curfew’ ordinance deferred
“We are creating an ordinance that dictates the way young people navigate the city of Chicago, without the voices of young people at the center of that policy,” 26th Ward Alderman Jessie Fuentes said. “I also have serious concerns around the general language in this ordinance that I believe is going to open us up for lawsuits.”
“Giving authority to a department that historically has not had the best interest in Black kids in its place is not something that I want to sign up for,” 28th Ward Ald. Jason Ervin said.
Public Safety Committee Chairman Brian Hopkins said it was a matter of keeping everyone safe, especially during the summer months.
“The intent of this ordinance is to prevent teen trends. How long does it take to prevent a teen trend? However long it takes, the more opportunity we have to prevent it, the better off it is, and that’s what the superintendent is going to do,” Alderman Hopkins said. “This will be used in a constitutional and effective manner, and all the notice requirements that are in the ordinance will be adhered to… No one here thinks it’s perfectly acceptable for large groups of teenagers, some as young as 12, to gather anywhere in the city, downtown or anywhere, and get out of control and to take guns out of their backpacks and to engage in violent behavior and mayhem and chaos.”
Some council members believe the ordinance would be ineffective even if it was passed.
“If this were to pass, it’s not going to stop the activity from happening. It’s just not. So you’re just passing something to say that you pass something, as opposed to actually solving the problem,” Ald. Andre Vasquez said.
READ MORE | Chicago police use new tactics in Streeterville to prevent violence during ‘teen takeovers’
The mayor’s promised veto of the curfew ordinance was not a surprise.
“It is the necessary step, so that we don’t find ourselves in a situation where 20, 30, 40 years from now, we look back, and we end up engineering the same type of carceral state that we’re trying to disrupt,” Johnson said.
Johnson has been an outspoken critic of the measure since the start. He called it lazy and sloppy governance.
“I think he’s sending a message that he doesn’t want to give the police department the tools that they’ve asked for to get this particular issue under control,” 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly said.
The mayor said alderpeople are wasting time debating the matter, and said they should focus attention on youth investment. Johnson leaned into his summer programs and jobs for youth, which he’s credited for a drop in crime.
“I think it was the right decision to veto it,” said Reece Johnson, Good Kids, Mad City youth organizer. “We need to move forward and find things to do better for the youth.”
However, at least one downtown neighborhood group said the curfew also has the safety of kids in mind.
“It’s not about just protecting the neighborhood and the businesses there,” said Nick Black with the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents. “We had a tool. It was recognized today, and that finally passed that I’m excited about. To veto this without a backup plan, I don’t know if that’s the best path forward.”
ABC7 was told the mayor was likely to officially veto the ordinance this week, likely on Friday, the same day summer officially begins.
“Fun, peaceful gatherings are not the subject of this ordinance, stopping these potentially chaotic and violent gatherings will help everybody, including our teens,” 3rd Ward Ald. Pat Dowell said.
Snelling said in a statement:
“The Chicago Police Department and myself are focused on public safety. I have been clear that we will do everything in our power to prevent violence, utilizing the resources available to us. To be clear, we have always enforced the law at large gatherings and will continue to do so at all future large gatherings. Those who commit crimes or acts of violence will be arrested and held accountable.
“The curfew ordinance has become more a matter of politics than public safety. Given that this is a matter that sits within the City Council, I have no further comment. My focus remains solely on the safety of our communities and what CPD is doing to enhance that safety.”
The City Council also approved a security upgrade at Wrigley Field.
The $32 million project includes wider sidewalks and new barricades around the ballpark.
There are reports those improvements could help the franchise land the Major League All-Star game in the future.
Copyright © 2025 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
