photo by Victoria Pickering
From the Mayor’s Office yesterday (Saturday):
“In response to several weeks of disorderly juvenile behavior, including a large group that engaged in disorderly activity on Friday night in the Navy Yard neighborhood, Mayor Muriel Bowser is enacting a limited juvenile curfew for all youth under the age of 18.
All juveniles under the age of 18 years old are subject to a curfew that begins at 11:00 p.m. on November 1, 2025, until 6:00 a.m. (the following morning), and every night thereafter, ending on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at 11:59 p.m.
Additionally, the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is authorized to:
Designate special zones that she determines to be at high risk for disorderly conduct by youths and is empowered to establish earlier curfew times for those zones, for youths under 18 years old, beginning at 6:00 p.m.; and
Declare a temporary curfew zone upon her finding that a group of at least eight youth is imminently scheduled to gather, or has gathered, and the safety of the youth, residents, or the public is endangered.
The behavior on Halloween evening – which included young people brawling, blocking streets, and moving into commercial establishments in large groups, endangering both themselves and others in the area – follows several weekends of similar behavior by youth in neighborhoods across the District. On October 31, five youth were arrested by MPD and one police officer suffered minor injuries.
On July 7, 2025, the Council of the District of Columbia enacted emergency legislation introduced by Mayor Bowser, the Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 (D.C. Act 26-104), that temporarily extended the citywide curfew’s applicability to 17-year-olds and to weekend nights. The extended curfew was successful in reducing fights, violence, and vandalism by juveniles and youth. The emergency legislation expired on October 5, 2025. After the expiration of the emergency legislation, the District experienced an immediate increase in disorderly conduct and youth violence.
The new limited curfew is enacted through a public emergency, via Mayor’s Order, and comes after the Executive testified before Council during a public roundtable on Thursday, October 30, regarding the Extended Juvenile Curfew and Designated Juvenile Curfew Zones in the District of Columbia.
In May, Mayor Bowser shared she was prepared to adjust the District’s public safety posture, especially as it relates to recent disturbances involving juveniles in commercial areas across the District, and introduced legislation updating the District’s curfew. This spring, MPD increased police presence in neighborhoods across the city, with the goal of preventing and disrupting negative behavior and strictly enforcing laws around disturbance of the public peace offenses.”
From MPD:
“Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith has announced the establishment of four Special Juvenile Curfew Zones.
Mayor’s Order 2025-115 gives the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department the authority to order a Special Juvenile Curfew Zone in an area that she determines to be at high risk for disorderly conduct by youths.
The perimeter of the Navy Yard Special Juvenile Curfew Zone is as follows:
To the north:
Interstate 695
To the east:
8th Street, SE
To the south:
Anacostia River
To the west:
South Capitol Street, SE
The perimeter of the U Street Corridor Special Juvenile Curfew Zone is as follows:
To the north:
V Street and Vermont Avenue, NW
To the east:
Florida Avenue and 9th Street, NW
To the south:
T Street, NW
To the west:
15th Street from T Street to V Street, NW
The perimeter of the Banneker Recreation Center Special Juvenile Curfew Zone is as follows:
To the north:
Euclid Street, NW
To the east:
Georgia Avenue, NW
To the south:
W Street, NW
To the west:
9th Street, NW
The perimeter of the Union Station Special Juvenile Curfew Zone is as follows:
To the north:
H Street, NE
To the east:
3rd Street, NE
To the south:
D Street, NE
To the west:
North Capitol Street, NE
Within the Special Juvenile Curfew Zones, persons under the age of 18 in any public place or on the premises of any establishment must leave the area unless engaged in certain exempted activities, which are listed here.
These Special Juvenile Curfew Zones will be effect from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. from Saturday, November 1, 2025, to Sunday, November 2, 2025.
Pursuant to Mayor’s Order 2025-115, a citywide curfew begins at 11:00 p.m. on November 1, 2025, lasting until 6:00 a.m., and every night through Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. All persons under the age of 18 cannot remain in any public place or on the premises of any establishment within the District of Columbia, unless involved in certain exempted activities.”
Update from MPD:
“The Metropolitan Police Department is providing an update on the first night of Special Juvenile Curfew Zone enforcement.
Pursuant to Mayor’s Order 2025-115, Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith declared four Special Juvenile Curfew Zones Saturday evening, in Navy Yard, the U Street Corridor, around Union Station, and around the Banneker Recreation Center.
Upon establishment of the zones, MPD placed signage around each zone’s perimeter, and engaged juveniles to inform them they were inside of a Special Juvenile Curfew Zone, and a citywide curfew would take effect at 11:00 p.m. Juveniles engaged by MPD members generally complied and dispersed the zones.
Throughout the evening, a total of 18 curfew violators were stopped by MPD officers:
At approximately 10:40 p.m., Third District officers encountered a group of juveniles in the area of 14th and U Street, Northwest, inside of the U Street Corridor Special Juvenile Curfew Zone. The group failed to disperse the zone, and 14 juveniles were stopped for curfew violations.
At approximately 12:24 a.m., First District officers encountered two juveniles in violation of the citywide curfew, which had taken effect at 11:00 p.m., in the 1100 block of New Jersey Avenue, Southeast.
At approximately 2:51 a.m., Third District officers encountered two juveniles in violation of the citywide curfew, which had taken effect at 11:00 p.m., in the area of 9th and U Street, Northwest.
All four Special Juvenile Curfew Zones are in effect again this evening, from 6:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m., with the citywide juvenile curfew in effect from 11:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m.
Pursuant to Mayor’s Order 2025-115, a citywide curfew begins at 11:00 p.m. on November 1, 2025, lasting until 6:00 a.m. the following day, every night through Wednesday, November 5, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. All persons under the age of 18 cannot remain in any public place or on the premises of any establishment within the District of Columbia, unless involved in certain exempted activities.”