Chicago Mayor Johnson plans to veto new curfew ordinance
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Mayor Brandon Johnson announced Wednesday that he plans to veto the curfew measure passed by the City Council. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
The Chicago City Council voted 27-22 Wednesday to expand police curfew powers, but less than an hour later Mayor Brandon Johnson announced he would veto the measure.
Context: The move marks Chicago's first mayoral veto since Mayor Richard M. Daley nixed big box legislation in 2006.
Why it matters: The veto could drive a deeper wedge between the mayor and the majority of the council — along with police superintendent Larry Snelling — who supported the curfew plan.
What they're saying: "I will veto this ordinance because it is counterproductive to the progress that we have made in reducing crime and violence in our city," Johnson said.
- "It would create tensions between residents and law enforcement at a time when we have worked so hard to rebuild that trust. Now is not the time to introduce new measures that could undermine those hard fought gains."
Catch up quick: Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) first floated an 8pm downtown curfew in March in response to a shooting near the AMC Theatres in Streeterville after a teen gathering.
- In the intervening months, the downtown alder tweaked the proposal multiple times, expanding it from downtown to the whole city and allowing Snelling to customize the curfew start time depending on the situation.
How it would've worked: The measure would have allowed the superintendent, in consultation with deputy mayor of community safety Garien Gatewood, to organize preventative curfew plans days before an event they believed would lead to violence.
Between the lines: Johnson played down his split with Snelling on the issue saying, "the superintendent was selected by me and brought before the City Council by me. It's not policing alone that brings down violence in the city."
- The mayor repeatedly recommended that critics read "Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America," which examines on how anti-crime policies in Black-run cities unintentionally resulted in more Black incarceration.
- "Why on God's green earth would I actually repeat the sins of those who came before us?" Johnson asked during the press conference.
The other side: Supporters of the ordinance, including Ald. Monique Scott (24th) characterized the measure as preventative rather than punitive.
- "We're not saying 'go get your billy clubs and beat the kids upside the head or arrest them'," Scott said during council debate. "We're giving them a tool before the crowd starts so that we can shut it down."