Raleigh City Council to debate youth curfew again
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More than a month after July 4 celebrations turned violent, the Raleigh City Council will once again debate the merits of a youth curfew in the city.
Why it matters: A proposed youth curfew would be a major shift for how Raleigh polices and comes after city leaders raised concerns over an alleged "teen takeover" that saw thousands of people gather in Brier Creek and Glenwood South on July 4.
Zoom in: The Raleigh gatherings turned violent, with fights and several shootings, according to Raleigh Police, which struggled to manage the large crowds that night.
- Six juveniles and nearly two dozen adults have been arrested in connection with the gatherings.
Driving the news: The city council plans to consider draft language for a youth curfew at its Tuesday afternoon work session and hear from Raleigh Parks about its youth engagement efforts and plans.
- The drafted language will be written by the city attorney's office, which was instructed on July 7 to prepare a new ordinance on a youth curfew.
- A draft of the curfew and Raleigh Parks' plans were not yet available to view, according to a city spokesperson.
State of play: Teen takeovers have become a trend across the country in recent years, most frequently resulting in hundreds of people gathering in public areas through social media.
- Several cities have enacted youth curfews in response, including Washington, D.C., and Charlotte.
Between the lines: In the weeks since, Raleigh hasn't seen a situation like the night of July 4, and teens will be returning to school soon.
- And not all of the city council members seem on board with a curfew, which generally received favorable comments at a meeting in July.
What they're saying: Council member Christina Jones took to social media earlier this month, questioning the rush to add a curfew.
- "There were fights; there were guns. I am not going to minimized that," she said. "But I also don't want fear to rush us into a policy that doesn't actually solve the problem."
- She added that the city needs to do a better job of reaching out to young people in the city to see what type of programming they would like to see in the city.