http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0607/433174.html D.C. Council members are considering changing the District's midnight summer youth curfew to 10 p.m. in an effort to cut crime.
Members of the council are expected to vote Thursday on emergency legislation aimed at keeping children under 17 off the streets from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays. The curfew's start time would be rolled back to 11 p.m. on weekends.
Ward Six Councilman Tommy Wells says the curfew would help keep kids safe.
Councilman Jim Graham says the earlier curfew will help keep young people out of mischief.
Under District law, teenagers can be out later than the curfew if they are on errands at the direction of a parent or guardian. There are also exceptions for those who are on their way home from work or on an outing with a civic or church group.
Passage of the emergency legislation will take nine of 13 council votes.
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Effectively keeps underage kids out of nightclubs, wouldn't you think? Seems kind of sneaky to me, and devastating to all ages shows.
This meeting is happening today.
I was forwarded this message from the Black Cat:
Hi all,
Councilmember Tommy Wells proposed emergency legislation today that would change DC's summer curfew laws. As the law currently stands, the curfew applies to those 16 and under, with curfew hours beginning at 11pm on the weekdays and midnight on the weekends. Wells' new proposal would up the age to 17 and the time to 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends. And, add that to the fact that club owners have recently been told that any curfew law on record will now be enforced by the ABC Board and by the police at all establishments with liquor licenses.
So, Wells' proposal would, in effect, create a ban on all-ages shows - as it would prevent anyone 17 and under from being at a show or club (or restaurant, party, house show, etc.) after 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends. In other words, it's a back-door method of achieving the very outcome that people so roundly criticized and fought against months ago. The worst part of this is that the meeting on Wells' proposal is being held tomorrow at City Council (Thursday) and there will be no public comment as this is "emergency legislation."
Please email ALL 13 members of the city council members NOW!!! and tell them to vote NO on the "Youth Summer Emergency Amendment Act of 2007". Pass this on fast because we need to contact councilmembers before Thursday's hearing!
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Chairman Vincent C. Gray
vgray@dccouncil.us cmurray@dccouncil.us Councilmember Carol Schwartz
schwartzc@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember David A. Catania
dcatania@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember Phil Mendelson
pmendelson@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember Kwame R. Brown
kbrown@dccouncil.us Councilmember Jim Graham
jgraham@dccouncil.us Chairman Pro Tempore Jack Evans
jackevans@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember Mary M. Cheh
mcheh@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember Muriel Bowser
mbowser@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr.
htomas@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember Tommy Wells
twells@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember Yvette Alexander
yalexander@dccouncil.washington.dc.us Councilmember Marion Barry
mbarry@dccouncil.us
