Your kids might be locked up for being outside, betam.
Here's what people need to understand—the D.C. Council just voted to approve a long-term youth curfew, and honestly, it feels like we're going backwards. This isn't just a discussion about public safety; it’s about how we treat our young people and who truly gets to exist in public spaces here in Washington, D.C. It’s got a lot of people I know talking, from folks in Anacostia to parents trying to enjoy the Yards Park with their kids.
### The Lowdown on the Curfew
So, what exactly did the Council do?
* They approved a long-term youth curfew measure on Tuesday. * This means young people under 17 could be restricted from being in public during certain hours, unless they’re with a parent or guardian, or engaged in specific approved activities. * It's not active just yet. Congress still needs to sign off on it, which could take weeks or even months. That's the District, DMV — no vote, all heart. * The specifics of the hours and exact age ranges still need to be ironed out, but the intent is clear: to keep kids off the streets late at night.
My concern, and the concern of many residents, especially in communities east of the river, is that these types of measures disproportionately affect Black and brown youth. We’ve seen this play out before, where curfews lead to more interactions with law enforcement for kids who are just trying to live their lives, go to an evening game at a rec center, or hang out at Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street. Are we going to see kids getting stopped walking home from a go-go in Shaw? It feels like another way to push certain populations out of sight, or worse, out of the city altogether. We need real solutions, not just more rules that punish our young people.
This isn't just about safety; it’s about whether D.C. truly supports its youth or if we're just going to keep enacting policies that make it harder for them to thrive here.
That's the District, DMV — no vote, all heart.
My folks on the Morning Wire break this down every day, trust me. Catch them live at mornings.live.