Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstituted a curfew on juveniles in order to combat further criminal flash-mob incidents.
Numerous videos on social media show mobs of young people fighting and robbing businesses in D.C. over the last few months.
The Pan-African Community Action Group … said the policy was discriminatory against black teens.
On Thursday, Bowser took action to continue a juvenile curfew that was scheduled to expire on Wednesday.
“We’re reinstating the limited juvenile curfew in Washington, DC. Effective tonight, all youth under 18 are subject to an 11PM curfew — which will extend through 5/1,” she wrote on social media.
“Designated zones will be subject to an 8PM curfew as determined by the Chief of Police,” she added.
Bowser added in a press release that she had declared a public emergency order to address the “disorderly behavior, prevent violence, and protect public safety.”
Other groups of eight or more juveniles that endanger the safety of the public can lead to a juvenile curfew zone being declared beginning at 8 p.m.
The “teen takeovers” as described by Bowser included incidents at Department of Parks and Recreation centers in the Navy Yard and Waterfront neighborhoods.
One video from Saturday shows police and security guards struggling to corral the marauding teens. Another from March shows teens on a night when shootings, robberies, and fights were reported in the ritzy Navy Yard district.
The Pan-African Community Action Group called on the mayor to let the curfew expire and said the policy was discriminatory against black teens.
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Bowser presided over D.C. during the surge of federal troops ordered by President Donald Trump to combat crime in the district.
She eventually admitted that the surge helped curb crime and violence, and she was criticized heavily by other Democrats for tacitly admitting the president had succeeded.
“We know that when carjackings go down, when use of guns goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer,” Bowser said. “So this surge has been important to us for that reason.”
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