Baltimore To Implement One Of The Toughest U.S. Youth Curfews
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(Reuters) - City officials in crime-ridden Baltimore on Tuesday defended plans for one of the toughest U.S. youth curfews against criticism from residents who were skeptical about police enforcement of the new law.
In a forum with residents, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the measure, set to take effect on Aug. 8, was aimed at getting children off the streets before they were put in danger.
"This is not about criminalizing young black children but to reach them before the only option for them is law enforcement," the mayor told the crowd of about 100 people.
Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said he had sometimes come across children riding bicycles across the city at 3 a.m. When the parents were contacted, they had no idea where their children were, he said.
"They should not be out there, and you should be honest about that," Batts said.
The new curfew in Baltimore, the setting for such gritty television police dramas as "The Wire", will make it a violation for a youth under 14 to be outside their homes after 9 p.m. year-round. Those aged 14 to 16 would be banned from being outside on school nights after 10 p.m. and on other nights after 11 p.m.
Police could take violators to a curfew center, where they and the parents will have access to social services. Parents would have to take city-approved counseling classes and could face a $500 fine for repeat violations, up from the previous $300.
Children younger than 17 can now stay out until 11 on weeknights and until midnight on weekends.
CRITICISM
Many residents at the forum said they opposed the law because police officers were often overly aggressive and failed to investigate crimes.
One man told the mayor: "Youth are a ticking time bomb". He said parents would put their low-wage jobs at risk if they had to leave to pick up their children at a curfew center.
Mayor Rawlings-Blake replied: "Once you decide to be a parent you are a parent 24 hours a day, and when you have difficulties you cannot cast off your responsibility."
The forum at the University of Baltimore Law School was sometimes interrupted by shouts from the crowd. When the session ended, members of a leftist group, Fight Imperialism Stand Together, shouted obscenities and chanted: "No new curfew".
FBI statistics for 2012 show Baltimore, which has about 625,000 people, almost two-thirds of them black, had one of the highest rates of violent crime of any U.S. city, with 218 murders. But there are signs that crime is starting to fall. The mayor's office said homicides for the year so far totaled 116, down 14 percent from the same period last year.
The American Civil Liberties Union, as well as the Fraternal Order of Police, have argued that the tougher curfew will be ineffective and burdens police officers who are given few guidelines about how to enforce it.
The ACLU of Maryland said in a statement that the curfew was more likely to entangle young people in the criminal justice system.
Baltimore is among many U.S. cities with curfews. The U.S. Conference of Mayors reported in 1997 that 80 percent of 347 cities surveyed had nighttime youth curfews.
A 2011 University of California-Berkeley analysis of FBI data showed arrests of youths affected by curfew restrictions fell 15 percent in the first year and about 10 percent in following years.
Comments
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I'm taking this as a victory for florida.
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If enforced humanely and reasonably along with being supplemented with "Shelter Centers" & Shuttle Buses then it would be a great experiment to off-skew tha ratchetness in the City.
The only people I'm worried about iz tha younginz that ain't really got no choice but that Trap Life. I hope they'll still be able to help maintain themselves and/or their Family -
That's a little extreme. How about the 15 to 17 year olds with jobs that might work late at night? I knew a lot of kids in high school that had jobs in retail, McDonald's and restaurants that worked late night. Smh
That's really questionable. They don't care about the kids. -
Ehh, I can see the point both sides are making.
On one hand I can see the concerns of the residents. But on the other hand I can see where the City officials are coming from. Honestly, I slightly side more with the officials on this one.
I mean seriously 3am? NO child should be out at 3am, or anytime after 9pm roaming the city. I'd figure the parents would support something like this. It would keeps them outta the dangers of the streets imo.
That's why I like this quote...
"Once you decide to be a parent you are a parent 24 hours a day, and when you have difficulties you cannot cast off your responsibility."
Too many parents don't want anybody to tell them how to raise their child, yet quick put that responsibility on others. Quick to blame others when their child act a fool. Smh. -
Chicago is next
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That's a little extreme. How about the 15 to 17 year olds with jobs that might work late at night? I knew a lot of kids in high school that had jobs in retail, McDonald's and restaurants that worked late night. Smh
That's really questionable. They don't care about the kids.
C/s this tho. This would be the exception. -
Interesting
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this will be unenforceable and a waste of money and resources.
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I mean all year long too? Even in the summer. The sun is still out until 8 here. 14 year olds and over should be able to play ball out at 9 during summerRecaptimus_Prime360 wrote: »That's a little extreme. How about the 15 to 17 year olds with jobs that might work late at night? I knew a lot of kids in high school that had jobs in retail, McDonald's and restaurants that worked late night. Smh
That's really questionable. They don't care about the kids.
C/s this tho. This would be the exception.
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this is one of those things that sounds great in theory but will be executed horribly in practice....
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Yo I just started the 4th season of the wire. This sounds like something they'd have on there.
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I'm not sure this would work... But my kid would have a curfew.
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Lol this ? won't work. I used to see little kids riding dirt bikes which are also illegal out past midnight all the time
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Chicago is next
You think Chicago don't have a curfew? They just don't have time to waste enforcing that ? ? . -
MoneyLuver wrote: »If enforced humanely and reasonably along with being supplemented with "Shelter Centers" & Shuttle Buses then it would be a great experiment to off-skew tha ratchetness in the City.
The only people I'm worried about iz tha younginz that ain't really got no choice but that Trap Life. I hope they'll still be able to help maintain themselves and/or their Family
This is police in a poor black area. You know this ? won't end well. -
Recaptimus_Prime360 wrote: »That's a little extreme. How about the 15 to 17 year olds with jobs that might work late at night? I knew a lot of kids in high school that had jobs in retail, McDonald's and restaurants that worked late night. Smh
That's really questionable. They don't care about the kids.
C/s this tho. This would be the exception.
yea it is the exception....when we had curfews in DC if you were working they told you to have a check or working permit on you to show the feds if they checked why you were outside....? was hard to enforce -
another opportunity to target and institutionalize blacks...
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I'm fine with curfews but unleashing the cops on truants is excessive.
Once a kid is out, gets spotted by police and runs there will be a huge problem. Once a kid resists being taken to a curfew center...there's going to be a problem. -
I can appreciate the effort, however futile it will be. These kids problems start far before curfew unfortunately. Even if they do it righg, the behaviors they think this will curtail will just move indoors.
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Im from Baltimore that ? should be enforced, these kids be bad a ? .. Outside till 1 and 2 in the morning like wtf.. I doubt it will be enforced but these parents aint ? , and unfortanly the law has to make up laws like these smh
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Never agreed with curfews. That's for parents to do.
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Good. They're out of control in Baltimore and they're out of control in Philly.
That's all I got. -
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? you live in chicago......obnoxiouslyfresh wrote: »Good. They're out of control in Baltimore and they're out of control in Philly.
That's all I got.
hussh that ?
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I was just in Bmore drinking shots and eating sushi and didn't see any kids running around.
U ? will believe whatever your oppressors tell u.
And that goes for your black oppressors as well...
