Just when minors thought they were off the hook, Philadelphia may consider a new curfew bill to keep teens off the streets.
City councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown will introduce the bill at Thursday’s Council meeting, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The law will introduce graduated school-year curfews for three different age groups. Young adults aged 16 to 17 will face a curfew of 10 p.m., which could affect University students who fall in that age group.
In addition, the curfew will be reduced to 8 p.m. for minors under 13 and 9 p.m. for those 14 to 15 years old, according to the Inquirer. The curfew will apply to weekdays as well as the weekend. During the summer, the curfew will extend by one hour for each age group.
The law will subject parents to fines for their children’s violations.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, a 1979 Wharton graduate, first signed an executive order to change the weekend curfew for minors under 18 in University City and Center City from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. on August 8. The curfew remained at 10 p.m. for minors under the age of 13 and midnight for those aged 13 to 17 throughout the rest of the city.
The executive order stated that minors caught breaking the curfew could be escorted home or to a police station. Police could also issue citations and fines between $100 and $300 to first-time offenders.
Parents and legal guardians were subject to up to 90 days in prison for their children’s repeated violations, according to the Mayor’s Office.
Originally set to expire Sept. 3, the curfew was extended through Labor Day weekend and then once more for Sept. 9 and 10.
The curfew was intended as a response to violent flash mobs that led to robberies and injury last summer. “We will put a stop to this violence in the heart of our city,” Nutter said in a statement on Aug. 8. “In September, I am looking forward to working with City Council to amend our city’s curfew laws to better anticipate our enforcement needs.”
During the curfew’s first weekend in effect, more than 70 curfew violations were made in the Center City area.
A quote from Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush, taken from a previous interview, was removed from this article.
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