Revived ordinance would penalize parents for teen takeovers in Chicago

A group of Chicago aldermen says it is time to get serious about teen takeovers and youth violence in Chicago, and they say the way to do so is by punishing parents.

The City Council members are resurrecting an old proposal that would fine adults for their kids' bad behavior.

Ald. Ray Lopez (15th) first introduced the Parental Accountability Ordinance in 2023. The full City Council never voted on it.

On Wednesday, Lopez plans to reintroduce the measure with tweaks that include much stiffer penalties.

Lopez said, "We must take action now." He is worried that teen takeovers — like one at 88th and Loomis streets a week ago Saturday, and another in Hyde Park on Memorial Day night that led to three teens being shot and wounded — will become the norm, not the exception.

City leaders and police have struggled to keep large gatherings of minors in check this summer and in past years. Some street parties end with kids being killed.

The new version of the Parental Accountability Ordinance would:

Require up to 75 hours of community service for a child who breaks curfew rules, or hit that minor's caregiver with a $1,000 fine — up from a $5,000 fine.

Impose a possible $10,000 penalty on the parents of anyone under 18 who flips a vehicle.

Also impose a $10,000 fine for parents of kids who climb on, jump on, or cling to other people's cars.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about the idea at a press briefing on Tuesday.

"We know what criminalization does particularly for more vulnerable communities," the mayor said. "It has not led to creating safer spaces. We have to do what works."

What works in the mayor's eyes is investing in kids by giving them opportunities.

Mayor Johnson did say "people" who break the law should be held accountable.

The City Council will address the proposed ordinance at a meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall.