Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has re-introduced a curfew on under 18s and declared an emergency – after unruly spring breakers brawled and ran amok in the nation’s capital.
The curfew, which came into force on Thursday, is in place between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. and will remain in place until May 1 – and it could be extended.
It means teens are banned from gathering in public places and the rules don’t just apply to Washington D.C. residents.
Bowser’s order gives cops the power to set up curfew zones – which bans gatherings of nine people or more.
Parents of kids flouting the curfew could be slapped with a fine up to $500 or community service, cops said.
Children could be ordered to perform up to 25 hours of community service.
There are a number of exemptions. Unaccompanied teens can be outdoors during the curfew hours if they’re carrying out errands, exercising their First Amendment rights, or if they are returning from their job.
They can also be outdoors if they’re accompanied by their parents or guardian.
Bowser brought in the order in response to “several weeks of disorderly behavior.”
“It’s not the only tool, but we need it,” she said, imposing the curfew through a public emergency.
Footage of unruly teens gathering in Navy Yard last weekend has gone viral — and four people were charged with disorderly conduct.
Cops told DC News Now that groups “briefly engaged in disorderly activity” before dispersing on Saturday.
And, there was disruption outside the newly-opened sushi restaurant, Takumi.
Estifanos Lulseged, a bartender, told the outlet: “A fight happened right in front of the Takumi.
“You know kids slammed on the glass. But, you know, probably happened for about 4 to 5 hours, which is a lot more than usual.”
Elissa de Souza, who was inside the restaurant, shared a video that showed scores of youths congregating outside.
“This was the view: chaos spilling into the streets, fights breaking out, and large groups of teens running through the area,” she said.
“This isn’t a one-off – it’s a repeat pattern and it’s happening later and later into the night.
“At some point, we have to ask: how many times does this need to happen before real accountability and prevention measures are put in place?”
There are calls for a permanent curfew – but critics claim such measures are not totally effective at combatting crime.
““They’re not proven to reduce crime. What we know is that what they can do is displace crime rather than preventing it altogether,” Riya Saha Shah, CEO of the Juvenile Law Center, told WTOP.
Shah claims that curfews “criminalizes” children for being outdoors.
“When I was a teenager, that’s what we did,” she said.
