City Council

Alderman Austin steps to the podium in favor of the ordinance about the curfew for minors. She talks about how parents need to take responsibility for their children’s whereabouts and talks about her own experience raising her 7 children. Also brings up funding for safe havens.

Ald. Cappleman talks about how families need more early intervention and how parents need more resources to learn how to parent. Gave an anecdote about a 3yr old he witnessed being spanked that had no reaction. He viewed this a possible incidence that demonstrates how youth..

Can grow up without trusting their parents or police in their community.

Ald. Taylor brings up how youth dont have safe spaces/investment. She brings up how parents don’t always have the ability to be with their kids b/c of work. She stressed the need of bringing community into the discussion and how she is a product of the resources of her community.

… she also stresses that CPS is also part of the equation and there can’t be any additional budget cuts to CPS. She also talks about how her staff is younger than her in order to better understand what the needs of the youth are, much like the rest of the city should.

Ald. Ervin talks about how the curfew is a way of putting in order for minors & that 10pm is a reasonable time for the curfew. However, the curfew should also be accompanied w/ more investment in communities so youth don’t have to go far from their community to find entertainment

Ald. Vasquez steps onto the floor and begins talking about how his discussions w/ aldermen of color and how none of the ones he talked w/ had a positive experience with police. Ald. Sposato heckles him and talks about how he never had a problem.

Ald Vasquez talks about how curfews were never effective and they criminalize youth and push for further segregation Curfew also punishes youth who work in downtown. Overall this curfew encourages more police & POC interactions that are dangerous for POC.

Ald. Sposato talks about how parents need to learn how to be parents and how nothing good comes to minors at 10pm. If the curfew is not effective, the curfew can simply be removed and that he is confident that the curfew will be effective.

Mayor Lightfoot steps to the floor and talks about how it is ridiculous it is to assume that this ordinance will increase gun violence and how CPD already enforces a curfew that doesn’t involve arresting youth. She stresses that this is a tool for parents to enforce at home..

w/ the youth to make sure that at 10pm, they know where their kids are. This curfew will allow for minors at sponsored or ticketed events. This curfew is only one tool of many that can keep youth safe. She also brings to the attention to the aldermen who voted..

Last year for the budget that included $1.2 billion for youth programming and early intervention. Says the opportunities can be found on the new app that the city has launched for youth.

The vote was put into roll call and the ordinance was not passed. The next city council meeting will be in two weeks, as city council will have one week of break. Having no additional business, meeting adjourned at 3:40pm.