Welcome to Newswire — your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what action we can take to make our city great, featuring public meeting coverage by City Bureau’s Documenters.
Quote of the Week
“I do think that this needs more time…attorneys from organizations… have consistently told us that the proposed policy, despite being very well intended, is legally flawed.”
— Ald. Matt Martin (47th ward) encouraged alders to take more time in discussing and voting on an amendment which would allow Chicago police to enact a ‘snap curfew.’
[City Council Committee on Public Safety, April 30, 2025]
Curfew controversy continues
A City Council committee is once again at a standstill to act on a debated ordinance which would allow the police superintendent and deputy mayor for public safety to declare a youth curfew anywhere in the city with as little as 30 minutes notice.
The proposed amendment introduced by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) at the behest of the Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling is a response to what has come to be known as “teen takeovers,” when large groups of young people gather downtown. Local officials have raised concerns about the “mass gatherings” escalating into fights, vandalism and violent crime. A 15-year-old suffered a graze wound during a teen gathering in March, police said at the time, and a tourist in Streeterville was wounded the prior weekend. Hopkins told Block Club that a group of teens had been asked to leave a movie theater lobby before the shooting occurred.
Community organizations, advocacy and youth groups, and some alders have raised significant legal and social concerns over the amendment and how it would be enforced. Alders questioned the logistics and parameters of the ordinance, particularly some murky language describing when police can impose a curfew – such as when a gathering poses “substantial harm to public health, safety or welfare.” Asked what constitutes a “mass gathering” or how CPD would notify the public, Deputy Chief Jon Hein said it "depends on the activity at the time."
Alders also noted the existing powers of the Police Department, and how officers have successfully dispersed and prevented large gatherings from becoming violent in the past without the power of an ordinance.
The legislation may also violate First Amendment and due process rights for young people, Civil Rights attorney and National Lawyers Guild member Amanda Yarusso told the TRiiBE. Yarusso and other legal advocates also have raised concerns about how the curfew might be enforced for young people participating in protests.
Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward) cited Chicago v. Morales (1999), where the U.S. Supreme Court struck down an anti-loitering ordinance for being unconstitutionally vague. A vague law gives too much discretion to law enforcement and can lead to arbitrary enforcement, Martin said.
The Committee on Public Safety is scheduled to reconvene Friday.
City Council Committee on Public Safety by Anson Tong and Zainab Qureshi
What you can do:
Attend a City Council meeting: Check for upcoming City Council meetings here at the Chicago City Clerk website. To learn more about how you can give public comment – in-person or virtually – at a City Council meeting, click here.
Catch up on the headlines:
Youth leadership is key as Chicago creates more third spaces, organizers say | City Bureau
Chicago City Council members are negotiating on a plan to respond to ‘teen takeovers’ | WBEZ
Restructuring systems
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is moving forward with a pilot mediation program.
The Community Mediation Program seeks to facilitate conversations between police officers and community members with the goal of resolving conflicts between both parties. The program launched in 2022, and COPA officials have been hosting community conversations in March and April to gather input and feedback. Daisha Muhammad, director of mediation for COPA, presented the plan at a recent 9th Police District Council meeting, sparking a lively discussion among attendees on fairness, accountability and restorative justice.
Ethan Holland from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office also discussed the expansion of Felony Review Bypass Program, which allows police to file felony charges for certain nonviolent gun possession cases without requiring approval from the State’s Attorney’s Office. The program “is an effort to address a longstanding bottleneck in Cook County’s criminal justice system and lets police and prosecutors more effectively marshal resources toward violent crime and obtaining justice for victims of crime,” State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke said in a press release.
Holland also discussed legislation pending in the Illinois General Assembly, which would allow first-time nonviolent offenders facing certain gun possession charges to apply for a FOID card after they successfully complete the First Time Weapon Offense Program. The 2018 program is designed to reduce recidivism and divert nonviolent offenders away from the carceral system.
With the legislative session ending this month, you can find your senator's office phone number or email and let them know whether you are for or against this legislation
9th Police District Council by Eli Gillespie and Eliot Wyeth
What you can do:
Read up on mediation: Check out the draft of COPA’s policy addressing the Community Mediation Program.
Find your Police District Council and attend a meeting:
Find your local police district here.
Head to chicago.gov and select your district’s specific page.
Get acquainted with your district council members. Check out the Chicago Reader’s deep dive into each of the police district council candidates.
Searching for the one
The Community Commission for Police Safety and Accountability continues to gather community input to inform their search for a new chief administrator for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
The former head of the oversight body, Andrea Kersten, resigned in February amid controversy and a looming no-confidence vote from the CCPSA, the Sun-Times previously reported. That vote was sparked by staffers accusing Kersten of mismanagement and anti-police bias. Kersten also faces lawsuits from two former COPA staffers who were fired as well as from the Fraternal Order of Police, also alleging bias against cops in investigations.
In response to one speaker’s comment, Anthony Driver, president of the CCPSA, denied that Kersten’s resignation was connected to clashes with the Fraternal Order of Police or Supt. Larry Snelling.
At the most recent listening session, attendees voiced wanting to see more community engagement from the new Chief Administrator as well as cultural competency.
The new Chief Administrator must be confirmed by the City Council.
Listening Session - COPA Chief Administrator Search - Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability by Ariana Portalatin and Fabienne Elie
What you can do:
Attend a CCPSA meeting: Check for upcoming CCPSA meetings here at the City of Chicago website. Anyone may submit written public comment by delivering it to the public meeting or by emailing it to CommunityCommissionPublicComment@cityofchicago.org.
A version of this story was first published in the May 7, 2025 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.
Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Civic Editor Dawn Rhodes at dawn@citybureau.org.