Chicago committee approves snap curfew plan for teens

CHICAGO - A plan to allow police to issue temporary curfews for unaccompanied teens advanced Tuesday after a Chicago City Council committee approved the proposal.

What we know:

Late Tuesday afternoon, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted to approve a proposal that would give police the authority to enforce snap curfews on unaccompanied minors during potential mass gatherings. The ordinance now heads to the full City Council for a final vote.

The plan, introduced by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward), allows police to temporarily restrict minors from being in certain public areas without a parent or guardian if officers anticipate large gatherings that could become unsafe. The curfew would not be citywide but would apply to specific areas on a temporary basis.

This marks the first time the proposal has cleared committee after multiple rounds of debate in earlier meetings where a vote was delayed.

The backstory:

Hopkins initially called for a blanket 8 p.m. curfew downtown, replacing the city’s current 10 p.m. cutoff for unaccompanied teens. That plan faced significant backlash, including from Mayor Brandon Johnson, who called for a more holistic approach focused on youth engagement.

Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, attends a City Council meeting at City Hall on March 12, 2025, in Chicago. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Hopkins later revised his proposal to focus on giving police more flexibility rather than changing the citywide curfew. In an email to constituents, he said he was proud of the collaborative process that shaped the final version.

The other side:

Opponents of the ordinance have continued to raise concerns about how it will be implemented and whether it will hold up legally. The ACLU of Illinois has criticized the ordinance as a "Band-Aid" that does little to address the root causes of violence or youth participation in large gatherings.

Mayor Johnson has also remained opposed to the concept, saying on Tuesday that curfews are not supported by data as an effective tool to prevent violence. He called instead for more investment in safe spaces and activities for young people.

"If we don’t give young people real activity, we don’t help them find their purpose, we’re just gonna find ourselves in a tailspin," Johnson said at a news conference.

What's next:

With committee approval secured, the full City Council will now consider the proposal. A vote could come as early as next week.