Aldermen Propose 8:30 p.m. Curfew for Kids 12 and Under
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 7, 2011 1:42PM
Two years ago when Richard Daley and City Council rubber-stamped a rollback of the city curfew for children 17 and younger to 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends, the former Elective Majesty said if if it saved even one life, it would be worth it.
Concern for children's safety is also the reason three South side aldermen have proposed an 8:30 p.m. curfew for children 12 and younger. 8th Ward Ald. Michelle Harris, 15th Ward Ald. Toni Foulkes 18th Ward Ald. Lona Lane want to rein in what they said are "unsupervised' children. Said Harris, chair of the City Council Public Safety Committee.
“I grew up in a community where the standard rule was children had to be in by the time the street lights came on. I’d be lucky if my parents let me out of the house when dinner was over. It wasn’t that our communities were so terrible. It’s just that our parents knew how to protect us. This gives police another tool to help those parents who, maybe, don’t have the best parenting skills or understand that pulling a child off the street at a certain time is a protection. Many times, children are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. That child should be in the house.”
The Sun-Times spoke with some parents about the proposed rollback and they're in agreement with the three aldermen. Fraternal Order of Police President Mike Shields also applauded the proposal. There were some detractors who implied that this was another case of City Council trying to be our nannies.
Julie Woestehoff of Parents United for Responsible Education questioned the possible rollback as not being the right move. “The city needs to give children more things to do rather than force them into confinement," she said. Black Star Project Executive Director Philip Jackson said an earlier curfew must be coupled with programs aimed at providing better parenting skills.