The City Council on Wednesday voted down the latest bid by Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) to hold parents responsible for teen takeovers and youth violence in Chicago.
Lopez first introduced the Parental Accountability Ordinance in 2023, but it stalled for years. This past March, the City Council Public Safety Committee voted down the proposal, which would have imposed fines on parents accused of allowing their children to commit crimes such as curfew violations, illegal drag racing, jumping on vehicles, or drug or alcohol use.
On Wednesday, Lopez sought to use a parliamentary maneuver to ignore the Public Safety Committee’s vote, and reintroduce the measure with tweaks that include much stiffer penalties. His attempt was defeated, with only 16 alders backing his proposal, and 32 voting to reject it.
Lopez said, “We must take action now.” He is worried that teen takeovers — like one at 88th and Loomis streets a week ago Saturday, and another in Hyde Park on Memorial Day night that led to three teens being shot and wounded — will become the norm, not the exception.
City leaders and police have struggled to keep large gatherings of minors in check this summer and in past years. Some street parties end with kids being killed.
The new version of the Parental Accountability Ordinance would:
- Require up to 75 hours of community service for a child who breaks curfew rules, or hit that minor’s caregiver with a $1,000 fine — up from a $5,000 fine.
- Impose a possible $10,000 penalty on the parents of anyone under 18 who flips a vehicle.
- Also impose a $10,000 fine for parents of kids who climb on, jump on, or cling to other people’s cars.
MORE:
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/revived-ordinance-penalize-parents-teen-takeovers-chicago/