Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has come up with a bunch of euphemisms for the phenomenon of "teen takeovers," preferring to call them "large gatherings" or "teen trends." He hasn't done anything about it, though, except send up flares on social media when his office gets word of a teen trend forming somewhere downtown.
Washington, D.C., also has issues with teen trends. Here are some recent videos of police trying to clear the streets past the 11 p.m. curfew for minors.
What should’ve been a great night out in Navy Yard turned into something we’re seeing far too often. Sitting at dinner at Takumi (one of the newest additions to the neighborhood) this was the view: chaos spilling into the streets, fights breaking out, and large groups of teens… pic.twitter.com/QZnFuSQ1z8
— Elissa De Souza (@ElissaDeSouza) April 12, 2026
NOW: Navy Yard teen takeover dispersal pic.twitter.com/Fz3SM6BnqL
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) April 12, 2026
UPDATE: Crowds have been dispersed shortly after the 11pm curfew street navy yard "Takeover" https://t.co/kzqIRYEMOq pic.twitter.com/S5mViluQlM
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) April 12, 2026
On Tuesday, the Washington, D.C., city council voted to move forward with a permanent youth curfew, and the ACLU of the District of Columbia is very upset that "punishment-first" policies like curfews "put kids at unnecessary encounters with police instead of providing opportunities." Yes, it's the lack of opportunity that causes teens to riot in the streets. Keeping teens at home would reduce unnecessary encounters with police and gun-toting gang members.
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BREAKING: Today, the D.C. Council voted 8-5 to move forward with a permanent youth curfew.
— ACLU of the District of Columbia (@ACLU_DC) April 21, 2026
Punishment-first policies like this fall short of advancing real public safety because they put kids at risk of unnecessary encounters with police instead of providing opportunities.
D.C. youth need more support, not more policing, as many of the Councilmembers who voted against the permanent legislation said today.
— ACLU of the District of Columbia (@ACLU_DC) April 21, 2026
Learn more about how lawmakers can build a safer District: https://t.co/iUNbizxS5I
OK, we'll bite … let's hear it:
Building Safety Through Resources recommends that local D.C. leaders take a public safety approach centered on prevention and support, instead of over-relying on policing and jails. The report aggregates social science and neuroscientific research and pairs it with an analysis of effective programs in D.C. and around the country that take a preventive and holistic approach to public safety.
Maybe the "youth" in question should learn how to function in a civilized society – instead of constantly breaking the law, running innocent people over in ATVs, and wearing black hoods/masks in the middle of summer. Ever thought of that? Or is that considered racist to you.
— P (@Patricius_B) April 22, 2026
When they break the law it becomes a necessary encounter with police. Maybe teach them not to be delinquent and to have responsibility for their behavior
— Tom (@TomSabot) April 22, 2026
You are so out of touch reality that you’re willing to sacrifice public safety to advance your far-left goals.
— Andi (@andi0304) April 22, 2026
If you ever had relevance, you certainly don’t now.
In the name of virtue signaling, you do much more harm than good.
Shame on you.
Absolutely ridiculous hill to die on - for decades kids knew they had to be home by sundown, no government curfew needed.
— CourtSideQuant (@_AnalyticsGuy) April 22, 2026
Interesting that you don’t comment on the public safety of law abiding citizens who get caught up in the mobs fighting in public.
“Punishment first” policies only happen after years or decades of “anything but punishment” policies.
— PDX’er (@pdxer25) April 22, 2026
Your public safety policies have gotten shit results. You’ve produced nothing but menaces on society. ACLU needs kicked out of the district.
— 6-1 Blue Eyes (@6blueeyesx1) April 22, 2026
The D.C. Police Union was unimpressed.
The hill these people have decided to die on is that unaccompanied children should be able to roam city streets after 11pm. https://t.co/NYDazdOKS5
— DC Police Union (@DCPoliceUnion) April 22, 2026
As a child, I had to be in the house when the street lights came on. As a teen, I couldn’t have a key and doors were locked at 9 pm. Allowing them to roam free that late is crazy to me.
— DJ KNOCK (@DJKnockDC) April 22, 2026
It seems crazy to us, too, but the ACLU is standing up for the rights of teens to form "teen trends" every night in the streets.
"Building Safety Through Resources" … it used to be that parents were resources for keeping their teens out of trouble.
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