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Quote of the Week

“I find it hard to support this ordinance… I’m not sure if it’s designed to protect property or keep young people safe.”

— Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th Ward), vice chair of the Committee on Public Safety, criticizes the controversial ‘snap curfew’ before the committee voted to pass the ordinance.

[City Council Committee on Public Safety, May 20, 2025]

Snap, defer and publish

City Council won’t come to a vote on the controversial ‘snap curfew’ ordinance until June at the earliest. In the latest edition to this saga, the council’s Committee on Public Safety approved the latest draft of the ordinance in 10-7 vote, which included a last-minute update which would give the Chicago Police superintendent sole authority to impose a curfew. The updated version cut a previous provision which stated that the Deputy Mayor of Community Safety also would need to sign off before enacting the curfew. A 'mass gathering’ under the ordinance is defined as a group of 20 or more people in any public space whom authorities determine are behaving in ways that can cause an “unreasonable risk to public health, safety and welfare.” If the superintendent decides a mass gathering is occurring, he can at any time impose this curfew with only a 30-minute verbal warning. If not followed, then police can issue a fine up to $500, require someone to complete community service or both.

Some alders criticized removing the vice deputy mayor’s sign-off, suggesting that it gives police too much unchecked power. Representatives of the city’s legal department said they had not been given enough time to review this ordinance so they did not weigh in on the legal considerations of the new language.

The ordinance now goes to the full City Council, but some alders delayed a vote using a parliamentary procedure that postpones consideration until  the next meeting. 

The ordinance, introduced by Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) at the behest of the 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. Last month, the ACLU of Illinois along with 19 other legal aid, civil rights and community organizations wrote an open letter opposing the ordinance, raising significant legal and social concerns over the amendment and how it would be enforced.

Ahead of the committee vote, alders gave opinions in favor and against the current draft. “While I understand the need that exists given the circumstances – the tension – around teen takeovers, last week, we had one of the warmest days of the year. I went to two different beaches in different wards…they were both closed down, there were police cars blocking the parking lot,” said Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th Ward).

“If we’re not creating spaces for young people to congregate and be young, but we are creating an ordinance that, while it doesn’t arrest, it does create prohibitions for young people to be young in this city, that’s a bit of a problem for me.”

What you can do:

Contact your alder: A coalition of community organizations including GoodKids MadCity is urging people to contact their alders and tell them to vote “no” on the curfew and invest more in youth programs. You can email or call your alder here. 

Attend the next City Council meeting: Attend the next full City Council meeting on Wednesday, June 18. To learn more about how you can give public comment – in-person or virtually – at a City Council meeting, clickhere.

Vaccine woes

Fewer students are getting vaccinated in Chicago Public Schools, with the percentage of noncompliant students doubling since 2020. TaShunda Green, deputy chief of the Office of Student Health and Wellness for CPS, said that the decline in vaccine compliance, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, is happening across the country, not just in Chicago.

The Sun-Times recently found that less than half of CPS have herd immunity against measles. While CPS requires students to be medically compliant or face exclusion from school, Green noted the increasing community concerns about measles and health requirements. At least six measles cases in Illinois have been confirmed and outbreaks are spreading in Texas and New Mexico. This, coupled with the drop in vaccination rates, is putting pediatricians and their patients on alert. 

Measles is a highly contagious disease that can cause serious health complications, especially in children younger than 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If one person is infected, up to nine out of 10 people nearby also will become infected if they are not fully vaccinated. The best protection against measles is the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, which provides long-lasting protection against all strains of the disease .

CPS has implemented many measures to address this problem, such as vaccine drives, but officials are imploring Local School Council members to encourage community members to comply with the medical requirements, Green said.

What you can do:

Learn more & get vaccinated: Read more on what to know about measles and the MMR vaccine, and how to get your and your loved ones vaccinated at a provider near you here.

Attend a LSC meeting: Check for upcoming Local School Council Advisory Board meetingshere.

A version of this story was first published in the May 28, 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.