Chicago City Council delays vote on teen curfew proposal after last-minute changes

The City Council on Wednesday delayed a final vote on a measure that would have expanded the Chicago Police Department's authority to impose teen curfews, when aldermen balked at immediately voting on last-minute changes the ordinance's chief sponsor was seeking.

Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) introduced a revamped teen curfew measure for downtown Chicago in December. The revamped measure would allow the Chicago police superintendent to issue a curfew for minors with 12 hours' notice, after consulting the deputy mayor for community safety.

But when that ordinance came up for a final vote on Wednesday, Hopkins introduced significant changes to the ordinance, and he agree to put off a final vote until next month after several aldermen raised objections to taking up the latest version right away.

"I'm not comfortable with this, and the rest of us shouldn't be either," Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) said.

Rather than allowing CPD to impose temporary curfews at specific times and places when police learn of large teen gatherings that are likely to become disruptive, the ordinance would give Police Supt. Larry Snelling the authority to issue a "dispersal declaration" in the event of a "disruptive youth gathering."

Hopkins said he negotiated the latest version of his ordinance with Mayor Brandon Johnson's office after they raised concerns about the curfew measure he introduced in December. He said he's confident this latest version will pass when it comes before the full City Council next month, and that the mayor will not veto it like he did with a previous "snap curfew" ordinance.

The mayor acknowledged that he and his team had negotiated the latest changes with Hopkins, and he said discussions would continue with alders before a final vote next month.

While police already have the power to issue dispersal orders if large gatherings are found to be unlawful, Johnson said it was important to codify this measure in the city's municipal code to "make a clear distinction between individuals who are gathering for pleasure and those who are interested in causing harm."

"To be able to make that policy into municipal code, I believe that it sets the city up for a stronger, more consistent enforcement," he said. "The ultimate goal is to make sure that we're keeping people safe, and in the event that there are individuals who are interested in causing harm, that we can have a tool, quite frankly, that prevents that or strongly enforces the ability to reduce the likelihood of that occurring."

Hopkins said his ordinance would provide specific language for when police could issue dispersal orders for large teen gatherings.

CPD would be allowed to issue a dispersal declaration whenever "three or more persons are committing acts of disorderly conduct that are likely to cause substantial harm in the immediate vicinity."

Officers could then detain any teens who violate the dispersal order, and take them to a police station to hold them until a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult showed up to take custody of them.

Hopkins acknowledged his original proposal for CPD to impose "time and place curfews" with at least 12 hours' notice could have allowed teens to dodge enforcement by simply changing the time or location of large gatherings after a curfew were announced. He said his latest proposal would still allow police to plan for large gatherings in advance when learning about them through social media posts, while giving them the flexibility to shut them down whenever or wherever they actually occur.

O'Shea said he fears the latest revisions could open the floodgates for more lawsuits against the city.

"What happens when something goes sideways downtown and we apprehend a group of teenagers down there looking to create conflict, but they're held against their will for a parent that doesn't show up for 12 hours or 18 hours, because that's what's happening a lot of times?" he said.

Hopkins' latest bid to crack down on disruptive teen gatherings came in the wake of a shooting downtown in November.  A 14-year-old boy named Armani Floyd was killed in a mass shooting after the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Millennium Park.

O'Shea said he doesn't believe Hopkins' latest proposal goes far enough to prevent large teen gatherings from turning violent.

"If we've got a situation downtown like we did a few weeks ago, where a child went to the morgue instead of going home, what does this do to prevent that from happening?" he said. "It would appear to me what I'm reading that this is just something to placate. What does this do that gives the Chicago Police Department a tool to help them prevent another kid from getting shot and killed in a gang conflict downtown Chicago?"

A previous proposal, which allowed just 30 minutes' notice of temporary teen curfews ordered by police was vetoed by Mayor Johnson. The mayor said giving officers the right to sweep young people off the street could spark lawsuits and damage the relationship with the community. 

In other business on Wednesday, the City Council approved the settlements of two lawsuits accusing police officers of misconduct.

The largest proposal is $22 million for the family of a man killed in a 2023 car crash.

City attorneys recommended the settlement with the family of 25-year-old Angel Eduardo Alvarez Montesinos, who was killed on June 16, 2023, when a Hyundai fleeing from police in a high-speed chase crashed into his Honda in the 3800 block of West Roosevelt Road.

The agreement calls for taxpayers to cover $20 million of the settlement, with the city's insurance company paying $2 million.

The other settlement was an $875,000 payment to a group of more than two dozen people who accused police officers of violating their civil rights during protests in 2020 following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

The lawsuit, filed by 26 people, claims police routinely used excessive force against protesters during demonstrations in the months' following Floyd's murder.

"The CPD has responded to these protests with brutal, violent, and unconstitutional tactics that are clearly intended to injure and silence protesters who are protesting their violence and the violence of other state actors," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit accuses police of repeatedly driving squad cars through crowds of protesters, punching protesters in the face, tackling them, kneeing them in the neck and back, kicking their legs out from under them, jabbing and beating them with batons, dragging them through the streets, stomping on them on the ground, trapping them on bridges, and using tear gas and pepper spray without justification.