Teen ‘snap curfew' ordinance stalls in City Council; Mayor Brandon Johnson's position unclear

Chicago Tribune

21-05-2025

The effort to give Chicago's police superintendent the power to declare 'snap curfews' to curb large teen gatherings stalled Wednesday in the City Council.
The ordinance faced a scheduled vote, but Alds. Jason Ervin, 28th, and Andre Vasquez, 40th, used a procedural maneuver to delay its consideration. The tactic tees up a vote likely to finally occur next month, when the curfew's future could lie in the hands of Mayor Brandon Johnson.
But it is unclear what Johnson — who has veto power that could halt the ordinance if it passes — will do if the measure lands on his desk.
As the ordinance has changed, Johnson has argued stricter curfews are not needed and the city should instead focus on investing in opportunities for young people. He has also hinted he believes the measure is unconstitutional, but similarly suggested he would not veto it.
Lead sponsor Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, has long touted the 32 aldermen who signed on to support the measure last month. But while the ordinance teeters near the veto-proof backing of 34 council members, Hopkins lost the support of at least one alderman, Ervin, when he made a late, pivotal change to the measure.
When Ervin stood to delay the motion, he said he, Vasquez and 15 additional aldermen opposed it, a bloc just large enough to allow Johnson to halt the ordinance with a veto if it holds in a future vote.
Hopkins altered the ordinance during Tuesday's Public Safety Committee meeting by removing a requirement that the mayor's office sign off on a 'snap curfew' making it illegal for teens to be in a specified area for three hours.
The ordinance previously required both the police superintendent and deputy mayor for community safety to agree for a curfew to be enacted, but was changed to only require the superintendent's approval.
Hopkins pushed for a curfew last year after a chaotic so-called 'teen takeover' in his downtown ward. After two more large youth gatherings in Streeterville ended in shootings this March, he again sought stricter curfew rules.
The downtown alderman at first wanted an earlier downtown curfew, but pivoted to instead seek the 'snap curfews' that can be implemented ahead of time when authorities expect a youth gathering like those popularized on social media to occur.
The ordinance has faced pushback from civil rights groups that have suggested they view it as unconstitutional and could sue.
Facing a determined Hopkins and a summer sure to see violence hit its typical yearly highs, Johnson could be trying to avoid the sort of protracted public safety battle he experienced when he ended the city's use of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system against the wishes of a majority of the council.
Earlier in the meeting Wednesday, the City Council approved a $15.5 million payout to Chicago Parking Meters LLC, the company that holds a monopoly on the city's parking meter system, to settle disputes sparked by the company's allegations that the city shorted it during the COVID-19 pandemic by halting ticketing and altering how spaces were controlled.
Aldermen then approved a series of settlements to settle lawsuits alleging police misconduct. Altogether, the lawsuits amounted to $62 million, taking the city already far above the amount it sets aside for police misconduct payouts.
And Ald. Gilbert Villegas' ordinance to allow people applying for city jobs to use work experience to meet college degree requirements passed without unanimous support. The measure 'tears the paper ceiling' in Chicago, Villegas, 36th, said.