As curfew violations plummet, some Chicago aldermen push for change

CHICAGO — With summer approaching, some downtown aldermen in Chicago are pushing to lower the curfew for teenagers amid growing concerns over recent mass gatherings where violence occurred.

A vote on the change could happen as early as Wednesday.

But as WGN Investigates found, the city’s current curfew is enforced much less than it used to be, raising questions as to whether the change would even be enforced.

There were 539 curfew violations citywide last year, down more than 75 percent compared to 2018.

The curfew for teens 17 and under was lowered to 10 p.m. three years ago.

Now, there’s a push by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2^nd) and others to lower it again to 8 p.m. in the downtown business district.

“We’ve had two incidents in Streeterville in the month of March,” he said. “It’s never happened that early before.”

Hopkins’ proposal does not call for parents to be fined. The current ordinance includes a potential penalty of up to $500 but Hopkins said that’s rarely pursued.

“As a social worker and leadership specialist for over 30 years, we are abandoning [children] by allowing no consequences and chaos,” said Toni Hults, a Streeterville resident.

Many downtown residents support the change, claiming the recent mass gatherings are disruptive and frequently turn violent. But Mayor Brandon Johnson said he’s opposed to lowering the curfew.

“If you’re only targeting a particular area, I believe I see a scenario in which that simply pushes the challenge elsewhere,” he said. “Our approach has been again making sure we are keeping people safe and holding people accountable.”

A big question surrounding curfew enforcement is police staffing. Chicago has 1,600 fewer officers than it did in 2019. Asking officers to place teens in custody means there could be fewer police to deal with violent crimes and other situations.