DC leaders at odds on future of youth curfew

Hundreds of teens could be seen in and around King Greenleaf Recreation Center in Southwest D.C. Saturday — the second night of the Teen Spring Jam.

The event allows young people to participate in activities like sports, painting and karaoke all while hanging out with their friends.

The District’s Department of Parks and Recreation sponsored the teen nights in response to the recent teen takeovers around the city.

This weekend, D.C.’s police chief announced five juvenile curfew zones, which include banneker and southwest waterfront.

Several dozen teenagers were involved in a huge fight on Friday night at the Banneker Recreation Center. Police say one teen was arrested for brandishing a knife.

All of this comes on the heels of a vote by the D.C. Council to delay a vote to extend the police chief’s authority to implement the curfew zones for another three months.

The current order is expected to expire April 15.

“It was a decision by the council as a whole. The chairman moved for postponement, and all of the council members agreed, and that is, in essence, killing the youth curfew,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said. “[…] So the council will say, ‘Oh, we drove crime down, so let’s start going back to soft on crime policies.’”

“The mayor’s remarks can be used as ammunition against the District by Republicans in Congress who’ve done that before. That’s a problem,” D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson said. “And the mayor’s remarks can offend some council members, and we need those council members to get the yes, so that’s a problem.”

As for D.C.’s Parks and Recreation department, it’s looking to provide more positive opportunities for young people through the spring into the summer.