Baltimore's summer youth engagement strategy implemented ahead of citywide curfew

BALTIMORE - Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and other city leaders discussed on Wednesday their strategy to keep children off the streets and away from trouble.

A citywide curfew will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday, the start of Memorial weekend, following an uptick in youth disruptions and violence.

 The Baltimore Police Department laid out how it will enforce the juvenile curfew policy. You can read that policy here.

Those under 14 years old need to be off the streets by 9 p.m. Teens from 14 to 17 can stay out until 11 p.m.

 Enforcement will be in effect through Labor Day.

"Young people are not supposed to be out at midnight and 1 a.m.," Mayor Scott said. "It's that simple."

At an announcement Wednesday afternoon, officials highlighted Baltimore's strategy to engage youth.

"This is about communal parenting," said Shantay Jackson, Director of Baltimore's Mayor's Office of Safety and Engagement. "These are all of our children."

According to a memo obtained by WJZ, if children are caught out after curfew, they will be taken to youth connection centers where their parents can pick them up.

"These are not detention centers for our young people," Mayor Scott said.

The curfew is not new but Mayor Scott announced last month renewed enforcement.

More than 70 children under the age of 18 have been shot this year in Baltimore. Two of those teens were shot Easter Sunday in a large crowd gathering at the Inner Harbor.

"The first engagement will not be a police officer," Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony Thompson said. "It will be one of our partners."

According to the commissioner's memo, police do not want officers to have "unnecessary" interactions with children.

And if officers spot a group of 10 or more young people out after curfew, they are supposed to turn on their body cameras and call a supervisor and the connection center for additional resources to break up the crowd.

Two weeks ago, Mayor Scott announced plans for this summer's "B'More this Summer," a youth engagement program in Baltimore.

Organizations, officials and partners will team up to provide events and programs for teens and children in Baltimore.

For more information, visit the B'More Summer website here.

This summer, the city and key strategic partners will provide:

• Nearly 3,000 summer camp slots managed by Baltimore City Recreation and Parks;
• More than 6,500 summer jobs for youth ages 14-21 through Youthworks;
• Baltimore City Schools will offer more than two dozen district-wide summer program options, including two virtual programs;
• 53 Baltimore City Schools will be hosting summer programs with more than 22,000 seats available;
• 9,110 slots, funded through a $5.3M investment by the Summer Funding Collaborative to support 93 high quality summer programs for children and youth living in low-income families throughout the city, including a $2M investment by the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund in programs for older youth, 14-21 years of age;
• The B&O Railroad Museum is hosting 2 free camps that include aftercare; The Reading on the Rails Camp will serve 60 children for two weeks for children in grades 1-6 and a sensory friendly camp to serve 15 neurodiverse children for one week for grades 1-6;
• Expansion of the city's summer SNAP program to provide meals to thousands of young people.

"Our young people deserve access to safe, affordable, and engaging opportunities during the summer months,"  Mayor Scott said. "From starting their first job and learning new life skills through programs like Youthworks to building new friendships at one of the thousands of summer camps in the City, summer is a time of exploration, growth, and new and exciting adventures for Baltimore's young people. It is also a challenging time for many of our youth and families struggling with food insecurity and lack of opportunity. We are connecting young people and families to incredible summer opportunities and expanding efforts like Summer SNAP to provide meals to thousands of young people."  

The Mayor's Office announced the series will start on May 28 and will feature a DJ, live performances by local artists, free food, vendors and more for teens. The B'More Lit series will be held in locations throughout the city.