CHICAGO — The City Council on Monday delayed a vote on Mayor Lightfoot’s curfew change — but a group of young residents are urging members to vote no.
The young adults are part of the racial justice organization Communities United. They held a ‘die-in’ outside of City Hall Monday evening — saying the mayor’s plan to move the curfew for minors back one hour on the weekends, from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., won’t have a positive impact on their lives.
Lightfoot is pushing council to move the curfew back after a 16-year-old boy was killed in Millennium Park.
Instead, they’re asking to be part of the conversation to create programs for youth downtown. They are also calling for more mental health resources and job opportunities.
“We want to stop the violence too, but in order to do that — we can’t just set restrictions on youth’s lives. We have to add more resources to help them better their future,” 18-year-old Marques Watts said.
The City Council is now set to vote on the curfew ordinance on Wednesday.