In response to a recent Michigan Avenue wilding incident, Ald. Deborah Graham (29th) has proposed an ordinance to require mandatory counseling sessions for parents of teens who violate curfew, according to a recent Sun Times article.
Before a Chicago City Council committee approved Graham’s ordinance, another West Side alderman, Emma Mitts (37th), complained about unruly teens.
“Somebody needs to be held accountable for these children. The children are taking over and, if we don’t do something, we’re in for a rough summer. For the last two days, I’m out here on the street. This one got killed. This one’s fighting. That one’s fighting. These are kids. They’re taking over the streets. They’re taking over the restaurants,” Mitts told the Sun Times.
The aldermen voice concern that the recent warm weather and the approaching summer climate will cause more of these incidents.
Mitts said it’s not only happening in downtown but also in other Chicago neighborhoods.
“They dance all over the street [and] in the restaurants, and they’re stopping traffic. When you get hundreds of kids doing this type of stuff, where are the parents?” she told Sun Times reporter Fran Spielman. “I don’t know if the Police Department is gonna have enough resources to deal with these kids if we don’t start putting some stiff penalties for parents to be held accountable for these children as well as the curfew violations.”
Gene Roy, commander of youth investigation for the Chicago Police Department told the Sun Times the ordinance is aimed at parents struggling with problems such as alcohol and substance abuse and anger management.
“What we’re trying to do is provide the parents with the resources so they can improve their parenting skills, address any underlying conditions in the home,” Roy told the Sun Times. “The goal is to support the family so that we’re seeing the kids stay home and seeing the parents take charge of their respective households.”
To read the rest of the Sun Times story click here.