Chicago Council moves closer to passing revised curfew ordinance aimed at preventing teen takeovers

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The City Council is moving closer to passing a revised curfew ordinance aimed at preventing teen takeovers.

The goal is to give police more flexibility to break up large gatherings.

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But something derailed a vote Wednesday.

The revisions were introduced at the last minute, and so City Council members did not have enough time to review the change. The sponsor, Alderman Brian Hopkins, agreed to delay a vote, but remains confident it will eventually pass.

Planned teen takeovers that at times have turned violent remain a concern for the City Council. The debate continues, even as supporters try to craft a new ordinance to best address the fluid nature of the gatherings.

Alderman Brian Hopkins, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, introduced changes to remove the time and place restrictions tied to the previous ordinance to give police flexibility in how they respond.

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"If they're aware of a teen trend, they can use existing authority to break up an illegal gathering, to break up a gathering that's chaotic or committing crimes or a large group of people taking over the streets," Hopkins said.

The new ordinance focuses on having police first disperse large teen gatherings, then take those who refuse into custody until parents pick them up.

There was some aldermanic pushback, but the mayor seems to be onboard.

"If we've got a situation downtown like we did a few weeks ago where a child went to the morgue instead of going home, what does this do to prevent that from happening?" 19th Ward Ald. Matt O'Shea said.

"One of the things that was important was that we make a clear distinction between individuals who are gathering for pleasure and those who are interested in causing harm," Mayor Brandon Johnson said.

The Council on Wednesday also approved a measure to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp products. It permits the sale of hemp beverages to adults, along with lotions and products for animals.

"The stories I've heard about this product getting in the wrong hands is something that we can't ignore, and we did something today that hasn't been able to get done in the state," 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn said.

"I continue to have concerns about this measure," Johnson said. "When you make something illegal, you inevitably create a black market."

With the city failing to make the full advance pension payment, as required in the budget, alders who passed it over the mayor's objection raised concerns.

"We've asked for a hearing in Chairman Dowell's Finance Committee to bring forth the budget director, the CFO and folks from COFA to talk about the advanced pension payment, as well as these cash flow issues that the administration seems to be bringing up," 39th Ward Ald. Samantha Nugent said.

The Council also considered court settlements on Wednesday, which total about $22.8 million.

The family of Angel Eduardo Alvarez Montesinos will receive $22 million. They claim police recklessly broke department rules as they pursued a fleeing car that fatally struck the 25-year-old in North Lawndale in 2023.

The city's insurance will cover $2 million, while taxpayers will pick up the rest.

Thirty-fourth Ward Alderman and Finance Committee Vice Chair Bill Conway noted that the $22 million settlement accounts for roughly 25% of the city's current annual settlement budget.

The other lawsuit is for $875,000 and involves Tim Anderson and other Black Lives Matter George Floyd protesters who claim that they were beaten by Chicago police.