photo by Adam Fagen
From the Mayor’s Office:
“Mayor Muriel Bowser, working with Ward 2 Councilmember and Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety Brooke Pinto, announced the Juvenile Curfew Emergency Amendment Act of 2025, emergency legislation to strengthen and enhance enforcement and accountability tools for juveniles, with a specific focus on a stronger and more flexible curfew program.
“Most of our young people are doing the right thing, but unfortunately, we continue to see troubling trends in how groups of young people are gathering in the community – in ways that too often lead to violence and other unlawful behaviors,” said Mayor Bowser. “And when we see patterns of unsafe or unlawful behavior that put young people and the community at risk, we have to act. This emergency legislation gives us stronger, more flexible tools to prevent violence and disorder before it starts and to keep our community safe.”
The legislation seeks flexibility in the District’s juvenile curfew to allow the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to ensure the safety of juveniles and the public. The legislation is being submitted for consideration by the Council of the District of Columbia’s July 1 Legislative Meeting.
“Our young people deserve safe and engaging recreation spaces throughout our city and this summer we must explore additional programming to support their diverse interests and activities,” said Councilmember Brooke Pinto. “We also must empower the Chief of Police with additional tools to protect our kids and prevent violence before it occurs with the authority to call for certain areas to have earlier curfews for kids if situations get out of control with large groups. We can and must do both.”
While MPD has used various methods to address past conduct of juveniles, including enhanced enforcement of the disturbance of the peace offenses, working with local businesses on signage related to trespassing by unaccompanied minors, and requests for a restricted curfew in the Wharf, the tools available are limited.
The legislation will ensure the safety of juveniles and the public by: (more…)
