Raleigh Takes First Step in Putting in Place Curfew for Youth

For the safety of our youth and the community, the Raleigh City Council on Tuesday took the first step to enact a curfew for minors aged 17 and under. The action follows "teen takeovers" this past weekend in Brier Creek and the Glenwood South area.

"This entire Council is backing you and the police department on a curfew," said Mayor Janet Cowell to Police Chief Rico Boyce, who spoke about a curfew at the Council meeting on Tuesday.

The Council directed the City Attorney to work with the Raleigh Police Department on drafting an ordinance about a curfew.

After Tuesday's meeting, the Council will be recessed until mid-August. The Council plans to discuss curfew at its first meeting back on Aug. 18.

In the interim, if a need for it rises, the mayor can implement an emergency curfew, Cowell said.

'Teen Takeovers' over the Weekend

Raleigh Police and law enforcement partners responded to multiple incidents Saturday night and Sunday morning across the City involving juveniles and guns. Police estimate that about 3,000 teens showed up at Brier Creek and more than 5,000 in Glenwood South.

Nine people were shot across the Glenwood South, Brier Creek and Capital Boulevard areas. Twenty-nine people were arrested.

What's a 'Teen Takeover'?

The holiday weekend saw social media-driven "teen takeovers" across the United States, including in Pensacola, Fla., Chicago, and Newport Beach, Calif. Events are often organized on social media. Hundreds or thousands of minors arrive simultaneously. When police move in to disperse the crowd, coordinators instantly push out a secondary location via flash messaging. This allows the crowd to leave one location and reform miles away quickly, making handling the situation more difficult. Boyce said that having the ability to turn away underage juveniles will help to manage these events.