CHICAGO – Chicago aldermen are calling for swift action after a massive teen takeover downtown Friday night left a 14-year-old boy dead and several others injured.
Police say a large crowd of teens, possibly organized through social media, flooded the Loop shortly after the city’s tree-lighting celebration.
What we know:
Just before 10 p.m., shots were fired near State Street, injuring eight teens between the ages of 13 and 17.
Minutes later, another shooting erupted just a block away. Armani Floyd, 14, was killed, and an 18-year-old man was seriously hurt. No arrests have been made.
Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd Ward) said officers on the ground were overwhelmed and even attacked, claiming some were hit with mace or stun guns. He argued the chaos is exactly why the city needs a “snap curfew,” an emergency tool that would let police quickly restrict minors from certain areas when crowds begin to escalate. The ordinance allowing that curfew was vetoed earlier this year.
“Had that ordinance been in place, they could have used the curfew enforcement at 8 p.m. which would have reduced the number of teens that were there and quelled the violence.” Hopkins said.
While Hopkins pushes for crowd-control powers, Ald. William Hall (6th Ward) is taking aim at how these teen gatherings form in the first place. On Monday, Hall introduced an ordinance that would require major social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, to act quickly when the city flags posts promoting illegal teen meetups.
“This is about responsibility to their own guidelines. Clearly this was a promotion of something that goes against what they stand for,” Hall said.
Under Hall’s proposal, platforms would have six hours to acknowledge the city’s notice and remove or restrict the flagged post. If they refuse, they must explain why and they could face $50,000 fines for each violation.
“We must keep anybody accountable and make sure everybody is responsible in this city when it comes to human life,” Hall, added.
Hopkins also raised concerns about parental supervision, questioning why so many teens were out downtown late at night without adults present.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
Looking Ahead:
Both ordinances Hopkins’ renewed push for a snap curfew and Hall’s new social media cooperation proposal will head to a City Council committee for review.
City leaders say they hope to move quickly as more large holiday events are scheduled in the Loop in the coming weeks.
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