Marissa Sulek joined CBS News Chicago in January 2025. Before Chicago, Marissa was a general assignment reporter in Nashville at WSMV, where she was nominated for Mid-South Emmy Awards for her reporting on the deadly flooding in rural Waverly.
Social media posts and text messages claim a large group of teens are expected to gather in downtown Chicago Friday night in another so-called "teen takeover."
Such events have a history of turning violent, and police are taking action ahead of time to prevent any such event from getting out of hand.
The social media posts and texts say the teen takeover planned for Friday will occur at Millennium Park around 5 p.m. Of course, there is always a chance it doesn't materialize, but Chicago Police said they are aware and are ramping up patrols so they are ready.
"Teen takeovers" have already made headlines this winter and spring for less-than-encouraging reasons. Last month alone, two events in the area of the AMC River East movie theater in Streeterville culminated in violence.
Around 8:15 p.m. Sunday, March 9, a 46-year-old woman and her son were caught in a "teen takeover" near the movie theater when the woman was shot in the arm.
On Friday, March 28, a 15-year-old boy was shot during a teen takeover in the same area, near Columbus Drive and Illinois Street. The boy was grazed in the leg and was hospitalized in good condition.
In past years, "teen takeovers" have even culminated in deadly violence, including one right in Millennium Park in 2022. On Saturday, May 14 of that year, 16-year-old Seandell Holliday was shot and killed steps from the Cloud Gate sculpture (The Bean) during chaos brought on by a "teen takeover" in Millennium Park.
Following that night of chaos, then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a policy banning unaccompanied minors in Millennium Park after 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Now, there are reports of plans for an event in Millennium Park once more. Former Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy said police need to have a plan in place for the proposed takeover on Friday, before more such takeovers break out as the weather warms up.
"[Police need to] have that backup force in case things are larger than expected and start to get out of hand," Roy said.
The Chicago Police Department said it has seen the rumors online about a "teen takeover" on Friday. The CPD sent a statement reading in part: "The Chicago Police Department is aware of the social media posts circulating. We will continue to monitor developments to ensure sufficient resources are in place to maintain public safety."
Early Walker heads the nonprofit I'm Telling Don't Shoot and said parents need to know where their kids are. A couple of years ago, he sent out texts to parents alerting them of possible "teen takeovers." It is something Walker hopes to bring back this summer. But he said parents need to take control.
"If my kid is on social media, I'm on social media. If my kid has a social media page, I'm on their social media page," he said. "I'm looking. I'm seeing who's following them."
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) wants to change the curfew for teens from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a new city ordinance. Walker said he does not see much of a benefit in doing so.
"I don't think that, in my opinion, CPD has the manpower — and honestly and truly, it's not their job," he said.
Chicago Police said they will arrest teens and give curfew violations if needed. Roy said such actions are a waste of officers' time.
"You want to prevent things," he said. "You don't want to be writing curfew tickets later."
The earlier curfew proposal is set to be brought up at a City Council meeting next week. Millennium Park still has its own curfew in place for minors, in which they have to be with an adult in the park after 6 p.m.
The Chicago Public Schools also issued a statement Thursday night about the possibility of a "teen takeover":
"Chicago Public Schools values our partnership with all city agencies and remains committed to partnering with others, particularly law enforcement agencies and community organizations to support the safety and well being of youth and all those who reside in or visit our city. We routinely participate in meetings with these agencies and organizations to address ongoing issues. CPS communicates as needed with our CPS families to support all Chicago youth and residents in light of any anticipated safety risks or concerns."
CPS also issued a notice to families with this message from the Chicago Police Department, which read in part:
We know that as the weather grows warmer, Chicago's young people will want to spend more time outside enjoying their city. Today, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) is asking for your partnership to make sure our youth stay safe and supported.
Some recent events advertised on social media have led to large, unsupervised groups of teens and emerging adults from in and around Chicago gathering in the downtown area. Last month, two shootings were associated with these gatherings. To protect your children's safety, the Chicago Police Department strongly encourages parents to refrain from allowing youth to attend these events.
The CPD's goal is to ensure public safety while maintaining peace. Therefore, in instances of large gatherings, we will use de-escalation and dispersal techniques to encourage our young people to comply with the law. This will be particularly important in situations where young people are walking in roadways and/or obstructing the public way. Individuals who fail to voluntarily comply with lawful police orders may be subject to arrest.
As a reminder, curfew hours for the City of Chicago are as follows:
10 p.m. for minors 12 and older
8:30 p.m. for minors younger than 12, except on Fridays and Saturdays, when the curfew is 9 p.m.
In all instances, curfew hours remain in effect until 6:00 a.m. the following day.
As long as it is safe to do so, members of the CPD will make every attempt to educate young people on these rules and have them disperse voluntarily before enforcing curfew laws. Protective action will only be taken when a minor refuses to comply despite those efforts.
We want our young people to explore and enjoy the great city they live in. But large, unsupervised gatherings promoted on social media are not the best way to do that. Instead, we urge families to explore the many offerings available through your children's schools, community and faith-based organizations, and city agencies like the Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Library.
We thank you for your partnership as we work together to ensure our city's youth remain happy, engaged, and above all, safe.
Marissa Sulek joined CBS News Chicago in January 2025. Before Chicago, Marissa was a general assignment reporter in Nashville at WSMV, where she was nominated for Mid-South Emmy Awards for her reporting on the deadly flooding in rural Waverly.
